Press Releases Solidarity and generosity in the face of COVID-19 : the King Baudouin Foundation is assessing the result of initiatives taken in response to the COVID-19 crisis

Solidarity and generosity in the face of COVID-19 : the King Baudouin Foundation is assessing the result of initiatives taken in response to the COVID-19 crisis

Now that the first peak of the pandemic has passed, the King Baudouin Foundation is assessing the result of initiatives taken in response to the COVID-19 crisis, with regard both to those taken through its own Funds and also in its role as a facilitator of donor generosity. Between March and May, the Foundation distributed over 15 million euros to projects in Belgium, Europe and Africa. Parallel to this, it facilitated cross-border generosity and philanthropy. More than 8,6 million euros were collected via KBFUS and KBFCanada and transferred to projects in Europe and Africa.

Supporting solidarity

From the start of the COVID-19 crisis, numerous organisations rallied to come to the aid of the most vulnerable people in society. The King Baudouin Foundation wanted to be part of this surge of solidarity.

In Africa, the Foundation provided support of 200,000 euros destined notably to projects of awareness-building and prevention in Burundi and the DR Congo. As part of the Business Partnership Facility programme that it manages together with Belgian Cooperation for Development, the Foundation will distribute 2.5 million euros over the next few months to SMEs that are developing projects as a response to COVID-19 in developing countries.

In Europe, the Foundation has co-financed exceptional support of 150,000 euros to front line associations in contact with migrants (essentially in the Greek islands) via the European Programme for Integration and Migration (EPIM). This support is aimed at helping them to meet emergency health and safety needs.

In Belgium, the help provided to actors in the field has reached almost 15 million euros, and has been given in particular to organisations fighting poverty and homelessness, front line support and care organisations and those that provide support to care homes.

Facilitating generosity
During this period of crisis, the King Baudouin Foundation has also facilitated generosity and philanthropy from the most local to international levels.

KBFUS and KBFCanada have thus been able to help people wishing to show cross-border generosity. Over 8.6 million euros have been given by American and Canadian donors and transferred to projects in European countries that have been particularly affected by the pandemic, as well as in African countries that run the risk of being seriously affected. Among the organisations supported are hospitals facing an enormous influx of patients, lack of equipment and basic materials, but also front line associations working with vulnerable groups such as the elderly, those living in poverty and the homeless.

In Belgium, almost 20 million euros from private citizens, businesses and institutions have been collected for the Foundation’s own initiatives and those of third parties – of which almost 10 million euros have been destined for hospital facilities. In Brussels, the heart of Europe, personnel working in the European institutions launched their own EU Staff COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, a fund-raising operation to provide support for areas of Europe particularly hard-hit by the coronavirus crisis. This initiative has already resulted in 150,000 euros being distributed to ONGs providing medical and food aid in Spain and Northern Italy.

The King Baudouin Foundation would like to express its heartfelt thanks to all of the donors as well as the Belgian National Lottery – its partner for many years – for their support, whether this has been to help during the crisis or for the work of reconstruction later on. No matter whether a donation is small or large, every donation helps make a difference.

Now, the Foundation is putting emergency aid to one side in order to concentrate on what is essentially our own DNA, namely medium- and long-term strategic action designed to initiate structural and sustainable change in society.

Contact

Press contact:
Erika Racquet
02-549 02 56
0477-77 88 02

Cathy Verbyst
02-549 02 78
0478-75 01 41

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