Social commitment
Unica obviously uses the expertise of its employees for its customers, but occasionally an opportunity arises where it can also contribute to society. An excellent example is the partnership with the Dutch Heart Foundation (Hartstichting), which began in 2020.
The Dutch Heart Foundation (Hartstichting) has been working for years on expanding the network of AEDs available 24 hours a day. These defibrillators play a crucial role in the chances of someone surviving a cardiac arrest. Many organisations and individuals intend to install an AED on their premises, but lack the required expertise. Unica houses this expertise and, with its unique geographical spread of branches, has the ability to provide support throughout the Netherlands.
Unica calls on its own employees to put this into practice. The company provides transport, tools and installation materials, while employees are requested to take care of the AED installation in their spare time. In doing so, the project reinforces solidarity within the company. Employees can register as volunteers and take care of installation outside of working hours. The first 25 Unica volunteers applied to the initiative in 2020. That number is expected to grow, allowing the installation of at least 150 AEDs for the Heart Foundation in 2021.
In contrast to this new partnership with the Heart Foundation in the Netherlands, the Unica Foundation has facilitated sustainable development in Nepal for over 10 years. The foundation was established in 2007 on the initiative of Unica with the aim of supporting technical aid projects in developing countries with knowledge and expertise in the field of technology, including sustainable solutions. Sharing knowledge and technologies in a coordinated and sustainable way with the Nepalese population has improved the living conditions of over 40,000 people since the foundation was established.
The foundation’s work is managed from the Netherlands by volunteers, generally Unica employees. Amongst other things, employees are involved in fundraising for the Unica Foundation’s projects. The most significant fundraising event is the ‘Welloop’, an annual sponsored run. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the event could not be held in the normal way in 2020, but a virtual alternative was organised. This virtual Welloop raised a record amount of €43,955 for the Unica Foundation.
As part of a decentralised group, all the individual companies in the Unica network also support numerous local and regional social projects and associations.