A million hours of work to be donated to society

At BNP Paribas Fortis, we’re encouraging each of our employees to get involved, either as an individual or as part of a team, in initiatives and projects that are dear to their hearts. We believe that supporting the charity sector and working for a fairer society is an integral part of our role. And this goes far beyond financing projects and philanthropy. Our energy, intelligence and skills can also make a difference.

Contributing skills

We’ve named this programme 1MillionHours2Help. The basic principle is quite simple: every Bank employee is entitled to devote half a day of his/her working time to a social non-profit or charity, adding up to a total of a million hours across the BNP Paribas Group. Each employee may either support an initiative that most appeals to him/her or donate their skills to one of the organisations recommended by BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation. Following the emergence of the coronavirus crisis, the catalogue of proposed volunteering activities was adapted to enable colleagues to engage remotely, for instance by making protective face masks for non-profit organisations, assisting youngsters living in disadvantaged circumstances with their school work, or providing a sympathetic ear to isolated elderly people.

Thousands of jobs created through microloans

One of the not-for-profit organisations recommended on a permanent basis to Bank staff for volunteering work is microStart, the leading microlending institution in Belgium, which we co-founded in 2011 and which has to date helped to create a total of 6,400 jobs in this country.

Mentoring and coaching disadvantaged people

The staff of the Bank for a Changing World may also provide their skills to one of the many initiatives run by Be.Face. This is a network of companies that work together, through local actions in conjunction with social workers in the field, to help marginalised or vulnerable people to find a job and reconnect with society. Our colleagues may for instance be called upon to assist school pupils from deprived backgrounds, coach new arrivals in this country, or mentor job-seekers.

Justice, environment and inclusion

"The aim of this programme is to enable our colleagues to assist charitable organisations that work on a daily basis to help build a fairer, more inclusive and more environmentally-friendly society," underlines Anne France-Simon, Head of CSR, Engagement & Inclusion, pointing out: "We were already doing this through various in-house initiatives and via the BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation, but we wanted to step up our commitment in this area.

More information

If you have any questions about the 1MillionHours2Help programme, don’t hesitate to contact BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation.