International Projects

Doing good – Fundraising for sick children
The staff at Volkswagen Financial Services Australia have been supporting the Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation through fundraising since 2019. The Foundation has dedicated itself to ensuring that every child receives first-class medical care at all times. Every year, it helps more than 150,000 children in New South Wales, a state in Australia's southeast. As part of their fundraising, company employees have realized charity runs, for example. The project funding totaled EUR 7,000 in 2019.

Help for young patients
Volkswagen Financial Services Brazil support the non-profit Little Prince Hospital complex in Curitiba, in the south of Brazil. In addition to the pediatric hospital, the various units of the Pediatric Specialty Center also include a research institute and a training college for medical personnel and healthcare professionals. The organization depends on supporters like Volkswagen Financial Services because the public healthcare system only covers 60 percent of the total costs incurred. Around EUR 125,000 has been given to fund the vital work of this center since 2013.

Simple but effective
As part of the renovation of the headquarters of Volkswagen Financial Services Brazil in 2017, the company installed a rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge system for toilets, gardens and air-conditioning systems and for the general cleaning of the outside areas. Around five million liters of water have already been treated and used since it was put into operation. That corresponds to one third of the annual demand and also enables the company to react accordingly in times of water shortage.

Helping children and young people with music
At the Instituto Baccarelli it is children and youngsters who play first fiddle. Volkswagen Financial Services Brazil has been supporting the non-profit organization since 2002. Every year, the institute enables more than 1,000 children and youngsters from disadvantaged families to enjoy a musical education of a high standard. Volkswagen Financial Services Brazil funds the Baccarelli project with around EUR 40,000 each year.

Building self-confidence and opportunities through sport

Volkswagen Financial Services Brazil has been supporting the soccer and volleyball education program Bola Bacana since 2013 to help children and youngsters from socially disadvantaged families. The non-profit initiative, which receives around EUR 100,000 a year from the national subsidiary in Brazil, offers more than just sports lessons. The Bola Bacana teachers regularly monitor how the participants are doing at school and their academic performance is assessed together with the schools every two months.

Volkswagen Financial Services China supports the format of the Finance Talk Show. Here, the public has the opportunity to acquire broad financial knowledge, enhance their own risk awareness, and highlight the social responsibility of companies with the aim of shaping a sustainable financial environment.

The mission: a clean India
Around half the population of India has no toilet at home. Volkswagen Financial Services India is therefore supporting the project to build sanitary facilities in schools as part of the Indian government initiative "Clean India: Clean Schools". Inadequate sanitary facilities have far-reaching effects on health, and children are the hardest hit. The most common cause of death among children up to five years of age is diarrhea. Volkswagen Financial Services India has teamed up with Habitat for Humanity and the two partners have already built sanitary facilities in the following five schools:

1.     Sarvotam Higher Secondary Gujrati Medium School,         Rakholi village in Silvassa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli

2.     Government High School, B Narayanpura,         Bangalore, Karnataka

3.     Government Higher Primary School, B Narayanpura,         Bangalore, Karnataka

4.     Government Model Higher Primary School, Gunjur,         Bangalore, Karnataka

5.     Government High School, Immadihalli, Bangalore,         Bangalore, Karnataka

Around EUR 490,000 has been donated to the project since funding started. 

Initiative for children from socially disadvantaged families
Volkswagen Financial Services India supports the non-profit organization Avanti Fellows. The initiative enables many hundreds of schoolchildren from socially disadvantaged families to go to university each year. During their studies, the organization pays for the costs of tuition, accommodation, meals and travel. Volkswagen Financial Services India has been supporting the initiative since 2016 with annual funding of around EUR 104,300.

Scarce and precious
Since 2015, Volkswagen Financial Services India has been supporting the three villages Lonar Bhaigaon, Khedgaon and Kauchalwadi, which are among those most severely affected by drought in the Indian state of Maharashtra, with the construction and maintenance of dams and water channels. To this end, Volkswagen Financial Services India entered into a partnership with the Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR) in India as part of its corporate responsibility initiative. The project aims to provide a sustainable water supply to the people in the rural region and thus improve the health and economic situation of the population. The Volkswagen Financial Services employees also support the communities in their free time, for example by helping remove sludge from existing waterways or by building dams and ponds. Around EUR 87,000 flows into the project each year.

Financially literate

In order to give young people the know-how they need to manage money, Volkswagen Financial Services Japan (VWFSJ) has been supporting Finance Park, a non-profit financial education program for students, in Tokyo since 2015. The Finance Park is located in a public junior high school in the center of Tokyo, just 15 minutes walking distance from the VWFSJ office. Here, the young people learn the theoretical and practical aspects of everyday finance and draw up a budget plan at the end of their training. Six other leading companies are involved in this initiative. Only one company from each sector can be a sponsor – and Volkswagen Financial Services Japan represents the automotive industry. VWFSJ supports the project with annual funding of around EUR 4,000.

High school program for socially disadvantaged youngsters in Puebla City
Volkswagen Financial Services Mexico has been supporting the "Preparatoria" project, a high school program for socially disadvantaged youngsters in Puebla City, since 2015. This sustainable project was developed in collaboration with the Universidad de las Américas and the Office for Family Development of the State of Puebla. Through this program, young people are given the opportunity to finish school and complete a technical training at the same time. They are therefore able to qualify for the labor market if they do not attend college. Volkswagen Financial Services Mexico helps ensure that the tuition is free for all the pupils. Around EUR 9,800 is donated to the project each year.

Giving children a perspective
Many children in Mexico live on the streets. Volkswagen Financial Services Mexico has been supporting the "Quiera Foundation", a non-profit organization devoted to helping street children, since 2011. The foundation runs 53 care centers across the country, where socially disadvantaged children and youngsters can get help and advice, go to school, and so gain a new perspective in life. Volkswagen Financial Services Mexico helps fund the project with around EUR 5,000 each year.

Admission free
The aim of the "Capilla del Arte" project is to give people of all ages free access to museums, galleries and other cultural events. Volkswagen Financial Services Mexico has been supporting this project, which was conceived in cooperation with the Universidad de las Américas (UDLAP), since 2011. The cooperation has enabled UDLAP to expand its program. In addition, Volkswagen Financial Services Mexico also organizes an annual festival for around 45,000 visitors. The company supports the project each year with around EUR 11,000.

Equal educational opportunities for children and young people
Volkswagen Financial Services Mexico has been the main sponsor of the summer institute "Enseña por México" ("Teach for Mexico") since 2012. The non-profit organization is committed to ensuring equal educational opportunities for children and young people from the poor regions of Mexico, where millions lack the support and opportunity they need to thrive. Enseña por México is also a member of the globally recognized leadership program "Teach for All". University graduates are recruited and trained under the program, after which they devote two years of their professional life to the organization to teach at schools in marginalized communities in Mexico. Enseña por México welcomes around 200 new university graduates to its cause every summer. Volkswagen Financial Services Mexico supports the project with around EUR 12,500 each year.

Lagoon conservation in San Baltazar
The San Baltazar Lagoon is a place that preserves the diversity of the region. The area covers 12.7 hectares, with 6.4 hectares being water. It is considered the lungs of the city of Puebla and is home to 1,350 trees and a significant number of local animal species. To improve the water quality of the lake, Volkswagen Financial services are currently supporting the conservation program of this natural area by installing an aeration system that operates by means of a bubble diffuser with an oxygen enrichment capacity of 2 hectares. In addition, a pest control program has been implemented to improve the health of the trees. This initiative has also been taken up by company staff, who are able to attend training sessions on tree care.

Volkswagen Financial Services are committed to nurturing and promoting an environmental culture through the implementation of a green agenda. This agenda supports the care and maintenance of 2,000 trees planted by the Anahuac University in 3 green areas in the city of Puebla through monitoring and reforestation days involving volunteer work and also includes environmental education workshops for children. In 2021, the program received a grant of EUR 6,100. 

Education makes girls strong
Volkswagen Financial Services South Africa took over the costs of renovating and equipping the laboratory at the Lofentse Girls High School in Soweto. The lab was officially handed over to the school in 2017. As part of its corporate responsibility initiative, Volkswagen Financial Services South Africa entered into a partnership with the SA Medical and Education (SAME) Foundation, which accepts donations for corporate social initiatives. In addition to healthcare, a further focus of this non-profit organization lies on education, with the goal of giving children and youngsters in very poor communities the chance to develop their potential at school. The foundation identified and registered 50 high-impact and sustainable projects across the country, including the project at the Lofentse Girls High School.

Kindling an interest in music and history
Volkswagen Financial Services South Korea has been supporting an education program for schoolchildren since 2016. One-day events for around 200 participants regularly take place as part of this program. The youngsters listen to exciting talks on subjects such as history and music. Volkswagen Financial Services South Korea provides the project with funding of around EUR 62,000 each year.

Collecting refuse together on the beach
The pollution of the sea with plastic waste is a serious problem. Collecting refuse and cleaning up the beach makes a valuable contribution towards protecting the environment. And when they take part in the coastal clean-up initiative coordinated by the European Chamber of Commerce, employees at Volkswagen Financial Services Taiwan regularly invite their family and friends along to help them.

Practical environmental protection
Taking responsibility for the environment and society: the employees of the Volkswagen Financial Services Taiwan market participated in the Jane Goodall Institute Green Thumb Project. As part of the project, they hand-planted various native plants of Taiwan under guidance, hoping to attract insects and animals and create a richer ecological environment.