For 2012 BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation will be awarding 48 regional and national Awards in a total amount of EUR 573,000.  These Awards are one of the foundation’s main programmes, providing financial support for educational projects run by Belgian associations fighting against the social exclusion of disadvantaged children and young people. 

See also our photo gallery below showing currently all regional award winners.

So once a year, during the first quarter, the Foundation organises a ‘call for projects’ among associations. This year, 1,295 associations from all around the country responded. The selection is based on criteria such as the lasting nature of the project presented, its direct impact on the beneficiaries, the professionalism of the association and the needs in terms of financial assistance.

“These Awards are also a means of involving staff at the bank directly in the foundation’s activities,” stresses Anne-France Simon, general manager of BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation. “Selection committees for each region (West Flanders, Antwerp, Hainaut – Walloon Brabant, Liège – Namur – Luxembourg, Brussels, East Flanders, Flemish Brabant – Limburg), made up of staff from the bank and the foundation, choose from a shortlist of ten dossiers those for which the foundation will provide financial support. So the final decision is taken by people who best know the needs of each region. Moreover, all the staff at BNP Paribas can elect an additional project in each region by voting on line. This year, almost 3,500 members of staff took part in this vote.”

The BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation Awards 2012 are being presented by region from 27 November to 21 December. Here is a list of the winning projects. 

Flemish Brabant and Limburg – Awards presented on 21 December 2012

‘Educational toolbox for foster care’ run by the Foster Family Service (Pleeggezinnendienst) in Genk – Sum awarded: EUR 10,000. The Foster Family Service recruits and selects foster parents and looks after foster children in their foster families. Foster care is one of the possible ways of responding to the serious difficulties which families may find themselves in at certain times. The toolbox is intended to explain foster care to various target groups: for primary school, secondary and higher education, information evenings for parents. This is provided partly thanks to the award from the BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation.

‘Indoor and outdoor facilities for the crisis group’ run by CKG De Schommel in Averbode – Sum awarded: EUR 15,000.  De Schommel provides reception facilities and support for families with children (aged 0 to 12 years) who are having difficulty bringing them up. Children are often taken in by De Schommel very quickly in crisis situations. The traumas are frequently so great that a separate indoor and outdoor play area would mean a great deal. The project aims to set up such an area with the support of the foundation: an area where they can relax when they arrive and where the necessary educational materials can be provided which, with supervision, can help them process their traumas.

‘Time-out’ run by the non-profit association, the Special Secondary Education School Levenslust in Sint-Martens-Lennik – Sum awarded: EUR 5,000.  Young people with behavioural and/or emotional issues and young people with slight mental deficiencies, often from underprivileged families, have difficulty finding work. The Special Secondary Education school aims to prepare its pupils for the labour market, but pays constant attention to positive bonds with these vulnerable young people. Occasionally, however, a time-out is needed. The project aims to refurbish a time-out area and is therefore organising a competition for interior design students. 

‘Making the garden and surroundings of Ons Kinderhuis child friendly’ run by the non-profit association, the Protestant Christian Association Ons Kinderhuis in Genk – Sum awarded: EUR 15,000.  Ons Kinderhuis offers residential care and supervision for underage children experiencing a problematic upbringing. The organisation has just completed a large-scale construction project. Now the garden and the area around the building are being made child friendly: setting out a secure outdoor play area for the youngest children and two terraces where teenagers can relax in their own garden. The entire surroundings need to be made pleasant and safe again.

‘A (language)bank ahead’ run by the non-profit association Landelijke Kinderopvang in Wijgmaal – Sum awarded: EUR 9,000.  The largest child-care organisation in Flanders fulfils an important social function in child-care initiatives: it welcomes around 51,000 children. Child-care initiatives across the country aim to offer material via Japanese narrative theatre, kamishibai, using story cards for highly visual reading sessions. The project plans to create one kamishibai package for each of the eleven regions. In addition, 100 loan rucksacks are being made available, containing a parcel of books and a couple of picture books and books that can be read aloud. 

The 2012 ‘Staff Favourite’ Award – From among the other projects, staff at BNP Paribas Fortis also selected another ‘Staff Favourite’ award, worth EUR 5,000. This year the award for Flemish Brabant and Limburg is presented to the non-profit association Centrum Ganspoel in Huldenberg.  Centrum Ganspoel looks after children and adults with a visual and visual-multiple limitation. Children aged between 3 and 21 can be taken in by 11 community groups for specific education and care, alongside nursery, primary and secondary school. They are given an individual path to follow. In addition, 77 adults live in nine houses on a permanent basis. Finally, an outpatients' service supports families at home, helping them to bring up and look after their children with a visual impairment. The project involves equipping the newly purchased premises in the centre of Tervuren that will provide shelter for eight young boarders and two half-boarders. During the holiday periods, the house will also be made available as a holiday home for people with a deficiency.
 

East Flanders – Awards presented on 20 December 2012

‘Shielmartin’ project run by GOCA CVBA-SO in Zwijnaarde – Sum awarded: EUR 20,000. GOCA, or in full Gents Opleidingscentrum voor Ambachten (Ghent Training Centre for Crafts), organises training courses in traditional crafts for young people who are experiencing difficulties on the labour market. ‘Shielmartin’ is the name of an old sailing boat that the young people at the centre are to fully restore. In this way, they acquire not only technical skills but also a host of inter-personal skills.

‘Dea Dia’ project run by the non-profit association Tabora in Kruibeke – Sum awarded: EUR 15,000. The ‘Dea Dia’ project run by the non-profit association Tabora offers assistance with studies for around twenty young people and young adults in Kruibeke who are finding it difficult to obtain their certificate of secondary education because of illness or an accident. These are often young people from underprivileged families who otherwise risk being caught up in a downward spiral of poverty.

‘School magazine’ project run by Don Bosco BuSO Aalst – Sum awarded: EUR 5,000. BuSO (Buitengewoon Secundair Onderwijs – Special Secondary Education) Aalst trains young people to work in a normal working environment. Sixty per cent of the students come from an underprivileged background. In this project, the fourth years are taking care of the entire production process for the school magazine. A project that not only benefits the pupils, but also contributes towards creating a more positive image of the school by distributing the magazine in the neighbourhood.

‘EAT – Equine Assisted Therapy’ project run by the non-profit association Young Horses in Sint-Gillis-Waas – Sum awarded: EUR 20,000. The non-profit association Young Horses offers ‘experience-oriented equine assisted learning’ group projects for socially vulnerable young people. Through activities with, alongside and among horses, the young people acquire skills such as (non-verbal) communication, assertiveness, leadership, self-confidence, conflict management, etc.

The ‘Staff Favourite' Award 2012. From among the remaining six projects, staff at BNP Paribas Fortis also chose another ‘Staff Favourite’ award amounting to EUR 5,000 euro. This Award for the East Flanders area has been presented this year to ‘Fit and healthy for next to nothing’, a project run by the Habbekrats training service for young people on the fringe in Ghent. Healthy eating, sufficient physical activity and good hygiene make a major contribution to the fortune and opportunities of children in poverty. This is the starting point for ‘fit and healthy for next to nothing’, a project run by the non-profit association Habbekrats. The project is planning, among other things, a shower block, sports facilities and healthy meals for them.
 

Brussels – Awards presented on 19 December 2012

‘La Lice garden’, project run by the non-profit association La Lice in Etterbeek – Sum awarded: EUR 25,000. La Lice focuses on babies and young children who are experiencing difficulties creating the first links with their parents, who themselves suffer from psychiatric disorders, addictions or depression. The award will be used to create an educational and therapeutic garden for these children suffering emotional distress.

‘Schooling support for children suffering from sickle-cell anaemia’, project run by the non-profit association Les Amis de l’Hôpital Universitaire des Enfants Reine Fabiola (HUDERF – Friends of the Queen Fabiola Children’s Hospital) in Laeken – Sum awarded: EUR 10,000.  Every year, 240 children in Brussels suffering from sickle-cell anaemia are unable to continue to attend school because of the essential medical care they require. The project aims to put in place a system of “study vouchers” to enable children to continue to study at home.

‘Itinérance’, project run by the Belgian Red Cross – Sum awarded: EUR 32,000.  Itinérance focuses on children whose parents are in prison. The project supports the assistance provided for these children by volunteers.

‘Dress design’, project run by the AMO in Neder-Over-Heembeek – Sum awarded: EUR 4,000. The AMO (Assistance for young people in an open environment) in Neder-Over—Heembeek offers individual and collective assistance for young people aged 0 to 18 years and their families. The project aims to organise a weekly textile creation workshop for young girls where they will be supervised by competent leaders on whom they will be able to rely.

‘Music to save young people: Second cycle of Orchestras at school 12-14’, project run by the non-profit association ReMuA in Forest – Sum awarded: EUR 17,500.  Playing music in groups is used at school as a means of preventing pupils from dropping out of school and of fighting against violence and later on, exclusion from professional life. The project involves launching a new cycle of Orchestras in five positive discrimination schools in Brussels, which will perform at the school but also in leading concert halls such as the Bozar or the Royal Conservatory of Music.

‘La plume magazine’, the quarterly magazine by young people at the CASI, project run by the CASI-UO in Anderlecht – Sum awarded: EUR 11,000. The CASI-UO is an organisation involved in ongoing training and the fight against failure at school. The project concerns the production of a quarterly magazine by and for the young people at the CASI-UO, in order to increase their awareness of the French language, interest them in the news, develop their potential and involve them.

‘The rehearsal room, a versatile music area’, project run by the non-profit association OBC-Espero Ter Wende in Haeren – Sum awarded: EUR 2,500. Espero is an observation and treatment centre for children suffering from behavioural and emotional problems. The project to establish a rehearsal room aims to use the therapeutic aspect of music to help these children, to enable them to develop their musical and creative abilities.

Purchase of teaching material for children for the Mimi Foundation in Uccle – Sum awarded: EUR 18,000.  The Mimi Foundation makes the lives of patients suffering from cancer easier to bear. In welcoming premises, the foundation brings families and patients together for a few moments far from the harrowing surroundings of the hospital. The foundation wishes to buy educational material so that the children and grandchildren of patients can better understand and support members of their family.

The ‘Staff Favourite’ Award 2012 – Among the other projects, staff at BNP Paribas Fortis had the opportunity to choose a ‘Staff Favourite’ award so as to give a boost of EUR 5,000 to a ninth association. For Brussels, this award has been given to the non-profit association Pinocchio in Neder-over-Heembeek for its project ‘Easter holiday camp and activities for the over-16s’.  Pinocchio provides medical, logistic, psychological and financial support for the families of children and young people suffering serious burns. At Easter every year, the association organises a camp for rehabilitation and social reintegration after long periods of treatment.
 

Liège, Namur, Luxembourg – Awards presented on 17 December 2012

The non-profit association L’Archée in Libramont, for its project ‘L’Ajourée, a day centre for vulnerable mothers and children – Sum awarded: EUR 10,000. The non-profit association aims to contribute towards early learning activities in music and science for young children whose mothers are in a vulnerable position by setting up a library and bringing in professional storytellers.

The non-profit association Le Creuset in Falmignoul, for its schooling project intended for children with a dual diagnosis – EUR 17,000.  The association aims to reintegrate into school children with a mental disability and a psychiatric or behavioural disorder. The support consists of follow-up provided by a specialised assistant until the child has been fully integrated into the class.

The Centre Saint-Aubain in Habay-la-Neuve, for its project to establish a new playground – EUR 8,000.  This association accommodates children aged 0 to 7 years who are in care at the request of their parents who are experiencing difficulties or further to a court order. The project involves the creation of a playground for these children, and the work aims to facilitate access to the playground for residents of the rest home that shares the building.

The non-profit association Embarquement Immédiat in Bellaire, for its project to train young people from the IPPJ to assist disabled people – EUR 10,000.  ‘Embarquement Immédiat’ seeks to develop the potential of disabled people and help them integrate into varied social environments through sports, leisure and holiday activities as well as exchanges and meetings with non-disabled people. This project aims to organise theory and practical courses focusing on disabled people for young boys from the IPPJ (public youth protection institute) in Fraipont.

L’AMO (Aide en Milieu Ouvert – assistance in an open environment) Globul’in in Anhée, for its AKKRO FUN School  project – EUR 22,000. The AMO is a service intended for young people in difficulties that aims to promote their social integration. The project involves setting up creative, sports and cultural workshops over a two-year period, intended to prompt young people to think about the consequences of dropping out of school.

2012 Staff Award – Among the other projects, the staff at BNP Paribas Fortis had the chance to choose a ‘Staff Favourite Award’ so as to give a boost of EUR 5,000 to a sixth association. In the Liège-Namur-Luxembourg area, this award has been given to Similes Wallonie in Chênée for the project ‘Tell me about yourself…’. Similes Wallonie is an association that focuses on the families and close relations of people with a psychological disorder. The project aims to organise meetings for children aged 5 to 12 years, one of whose close relations suffers from this type of illness.
 

Hainaut and Walloon Brabant – Awards presented on 11 December 2012

The non-profit association Service d’Accrochage Scolaire de Mons, for its project ‘The S.A.S. goes green’ – Donated sum: EUR 5,000. This project aims to create a wild, natural garden on a disused piece of land in the commune of Saint-Ghislain, and to use it to enable 45 pupils who have dropped out of school to re-integrate into society, to make the most of their potential and to regain a sense of team work, while at the same prompting them to reflect on their consumption habits.

Escalpade in Louvain-la-Neuve, for it project to create a cooking workshop for type 4 children – EUR 20,000. This association intended for disabled children has set up a nursery, primary and secondary school specialising in education for children with a type 4 disability (motor disability). The project involves organising a workshop in a secure kitchen specifically adapted to the various motor disabilities of the pupils.

Promotion Services in Monceau-sur-Sambre, for its Mini Monde homework school: ‘Let’s … farm’ – EUR 2,000. The creation of a small social farm in an urban environment will make it possible to train and educate children aged 5 to 12 from families on social benefits, but will also include a responsible aspect, since the produce from the farm will be distributed among vulnerable people in the association.

Cothan in Gosselies, for its integrated communication project for children with language difficulties – EUR 24,000. The association offers rehabilitation support for children aged 2 to 14 suffering from a cerebral motor infirmity, thanks to the use of specialised touch tablets in nursery school.

Ellipse in Carnière, for its ‘Tree felling’ project – EUR 16,000. The project seeks to restore self-confidence to people with issues of dependence or drug addiction, who will be able to realise that they can be useful by taking part in a tree felling activity, supervised by a project leader.

2012 Staff Award – Moreover, the staff at BNP Paribas Fortis selected an additional project which was given a ‘Staff Favourite’ Award. For Hainaut – Walloon Brabant, this prize of EUR 5,000 has gone to the non-profit association LPC Belgique in Waterloo for it project to make two DVDs. This association develops and promotes the Langage Parlé Complété (LPC – cued speech), a recommended method of teaching deaf children. The project aims to make two DVDs giving children a better knowledge of the French language, which is essential for their schooling.
 

Antwerp – Awards presented on 3 December 2012

‘We need each other: friendship between young and old’, a project run by the Antwerp-based charity organisation Vriendschap Zonder Grenzen (Friendship without Frontiers) – Donated sum: EUR 10,000. Vriendschap Zonder Grenzen organises holiday stays for children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.  This year the charity body is also working on the theme of friendship between young people and their elders.  The programme includes inter alia workshops on the theme of older people and a visit to World War I monuments in the Westhoek area around Ypres.

The Noach (Noah) Project: ‘finding peace and comfort in a new environment, a new culture,’ a project run by the not-for-profit organisation Maia in Antwerp – EUR 17,000. The Noah Project provides a small group of unaccompanied minors with a well-appointed place to stay: a huge living room, the opportunity to take lessons and follow courses, medical and psychological support, etc. Thanks to Foundation support, the project will now be able to continue its activity for a second year.

‘Children and young people integrating and participating in the community’, a project run by the De Kempen Social Assistance Centre in Herentals – EUR 15,000.  Children and young people who are hosted at the Centre can also take a full part in school and leisure activities.  In running this project the De Kempen Centre is working to eliminate the financial and material obstacles which these young people face.

‘A training course with the ‘G Team’ of the Puurs-based RSK Puurs Excelsior football club’ – EUR 2,000. The ‘G Team’ of the Puurs Excelsior football club today has 30 players with various disabilities who train every week and play regular matches. Support from the BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation will finance a football training course for the players and their helpers.

‘Purchase of a boat for long-distance expeditions’, a project run by the Merksem-based Zachte Kracht (Soft Power) charity organisation – EUR 26,000. The organisation arranges sailing holidays for youngsters with learning difficulties. This type of holiday helps them to learn to take on responsibilities and work together. The organisation is aiming to purchase a larger boat for expeditions lasting several days.

2012 Staff Award – From among the five projects in this region which were not initially selected for an award, BNP Paribas Fortis staff voted online for one to receive the special Staff Award, conferring a prize of EUR 5,000. This award for the Antwerp region goes this year to the Antwerp charity Erdena for its extracurricular support project ‘ELZA – Extra Leerzorg nà/nààst de school!’  (Extra teaching after school/near the school), a pilot project designed to help children with learning difficulties. The charity plans to call on the services of older people with patience and understanding to coach children on an individual basis outside school hours. The child’s family members are also encouraged to get involved in the project so as to equip them take on the task of helping the child themselves.
 

West Flanders – Awards presented on 27 November 2012

‘Support for the social integration of children whose mother tongue is not Dutch and their families’ run by the Sint-Jozef primary in Kortrijk – Donated sum: EUR 20,000. Sint-Jozef is a ‘multicoloured’ school with over thirty different nationalities. It pays great attention to the social integration of its pupils and their parents. One important aspect of the way it works consists of its language classes, intended to increase the chances of integration and academic success of the children. The BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation Award will enable the school to acquire various teaching materials.

‘Individual conversation room, relaxation room, bathroom’ at the Dagcentrum De Takel in Ostend – EUR 8,000. De Takel is a day centre for disadvantaged children and young people and their families. There is also an emergency reception facility where one or two young people can stay for a few days. With the aid of the foundation, the centre will set up a room for individual conversations, a relaxation room and a bathroom.

‘The intermediate stage’ run by the non-profit association Onze Kinderen in Roeselare – EUR 17,000. The non-profit association Onze Kinderen helps young people and members of their families faced with poverty and educational difficulties. It does this by helping under-age young people move to autonomous housing. To extend the possibilities open to the association, three housing units are to be renovated in Roulers.

Staff Award – ’t Sas reception centre in Bruges, a cooperation structure between the Public Centre for Social Welfare, the city of Bruges and the regional support centre for Bruges – EUR 5,000. ’t Sas offers underprivileged people a place to meet and relax, as well as practical services (internet, showers, washing and drying facilities for clothes, etc.). With the help of pupils from two secondary schools in Bruges, this reception centre will undergo renovation and restoration work. In addition, study of the project will be integrated into the students’ course.

The awards presented to the associations in the other regions will be added to the list above as and when this happens.