Volunteers most precious gift – their time

In Switzerland, Philip Morris International has been supporting many projects over the years. These are run by longstanding local partners, to reduce poverty, eliminate domestic violence and improve education, particularly in Neuchâtel, where PMIs Swiss branch is located.

Philip Morris International (PMI) supports charitable giving programs that improve living conditions in places our employees reside and work, as well as in the farming communities where we source our tobacco.  We focus our efforts in five areas of giving that are among the most critical issues affecting the countries where we operate:  hunger and extreme poverty, education, rural living conditions, domestic violence, and disaster relief. These areas parallel many of the UN Millennium Development Goals.

We select and manage our programs ourselves, working directly with local NGOs. The process starts with the recommendations of our employees, who we feel are best placed to recognize their communities' needs. This approach allows us to directly follow the results on the ground. 

"We want to know the rationale and concrete results  for each project. We also require a sustainability plan, as we want to ensure that a project will live on once our funding stops", explained Andrew White, Vice President Contributions, PMI. He added : "When necessary, we also guide our local partner NGOs in the preparation of grant requests and report evaluations, in accordance with international standards, thereby furthering their capacity to obtain funding from other sources."

 

Charitable programs in 31 countries

 

In Switzerland Philip Morris has been supporting many projects over the years. These are run by longstanding local partners, to reduce poverty and hunger, eliminate domestic violence and improve education, particularly in Neuchâtel, where the factory is located. For the past 25 years there has also been support for the professional integration of persons with disabilities through a special workshop in the Neuchatel factory. Philip Morris was one of the first companies to integrate such an initiative in its factory with the creation of the Foundation Alfaset workshop in 1986.

 

The company also supports employee volunteer activities in the countries where we are present around the world. In 2010, PMI employees volunteered in charitable programs in 31 countries, including Switzerland.

 

As an example, we support Cartons du Coeur, a Swiss NGO which provides food to families in temporary need of assistance. PMI's financial support is enhanced by the efforts of PMI volunteers to help the charity's day-to-day operations. Volunteers help collect groceries that shoppers donate at supermarket entrances. They also pack the items into individual cartons and telephone the families to tell them that their carton is ready for pick-up. From start to finish, all work is performed by volunteers. "Volunteering to help a program like Cartons du Coeur is good for the individual employees who devote some of their time to the project. We all benefit from a real spirit of contributing and camaraderie. It's a wonderful, maturing experience", says Colette Bremi, PMI volunteer.

 

Over the past few years, the Association has provided vital, temporary assistance to over 6,500 families in Lausanne, and in the current economic environment, the number of families needing help is going up. "We are so grateful to the volunteers who help us get this important work accomplished", says Pascal Rouge, Cartons du Coeur President.

Another example is the support provided by  Anne May, a PMI volunteer, to create the new website (www.vifa.ch) for  the "Fondation Jeunesse et Familles". This NGO aims at building awareness among the public about domestic violence, an important but often silent problem in society.  During her free time Anne expanded the NGO's one-page website into a more structured and ineractive site which, in addition to providing information about the oranization, also helps build awareness around this issue and provides victims information on how to find assistance.  Anne learned of Vifa's need to revamp its website thanks to a list of volunteering activities available to interested employees.  She continues to regularly update the site. 

 

Around the world

 

Similarly throughout the world, PMI employees volunteer as part of charitable company initiatives. For instance, following a volcanic eruption and flooding in Guatemala in May 2010, PMI funded the construction of 125 houses for disaster victims in and around Guatemala City and more than 200 employees spent two days building the homes.

 

Another example can be seen in Mexico where employees have joined to launch "Grains of Sand", an initiative in which 20 employees meet on a regular basis to coordinate volunteering activities for the rest of employees in the Mexican affiliate. A total of 200 employees have participated in different volunteering activites such as organizing book donations for charitable organizations and collecting funds for disaster relief.  Grains of Sand also organizes a day with the local organization "Pro-Mazahua Foundation" in which employees dedicate their time to teach and play with children from poverty-stricken communities.

 

In 2010, PMI funded 298 charitable contribution initiatives in 61 countries, benefiting more than three million people and making a tangible difference in communities around the world.

 

Monica Montero, Philip Morris