As you will have noticed by now: this Christmas time, LCL is joining forces with SOS Kinderdorpen / SOS Villages d’Enfants. Since December 5th, we have shared posts on our social media channels with #LCLSpreadHappiness. For every post that is shared, LCL will donate € 1.3 to SOS Kinderdorpen / SOS Villages d’Enfants. On December 22nd, we will announce how much money we raised with your help. We spoke to François Dufour, corporate fundraiser at SOS Kinderdorpen / SOS Villages d’Enfants, about the significance of this campaign.

François, for those who don’t know: what does SOS Kinderdorpen / SOS Villages d’Enfants do?

François: At SOS Kinderdorpen / SOS Villages d’Enfants, we want every child to grow up with a family where they feel as safe, respected and loved as they deserve to be. In a stable, warm family environment, children can grow up, develop, and become strong young adults. We do this by supporting families in difficult situations, creating a safe environment for children and adolescents who are left to fend for themselves, and fighting for better care for young people, among other things. We help children in over 135 countries all over the world, including Belgium.

How many children and young people need your help in Belgium?

François: In Belgium, 1 in 25 children still have to grow up without the love and care of a family. We’re talking about children facing issues of violence, abuse, neglect or poverty. 1 in 25 children is a lot more than most people think, because their difficulties are often a lot less visible. The stress brought by covid and the economic crisis, for example, didn’t make their situations any easier, so these young people absolutely need our help.

Do you do anything special for the children during the holidays?

François: Definitely. Our organisation offers support year-round, but the holiday season is a very special time. We want the children and young people to enjoy it and make sure they receive gifts, get to go on holiday or get to do a fun activity. We do everything in our power to help them forget their situation or trauma for a while. That way, they can feel the holiday spirit and more importantly: they can feel just like other children.

How important is fundraising by companies for your organisation?

François: Their financial support is very important to us, because it allows us to improve the quality of our projects. On top of that, by diversifying our funding sources, we remain independent. We are very grateful when companies want to collaborate with us, because it creates extra visibility with a lot of people. That means that we can spread our message even further. When we see that employees are committed to our cause, when they often have more than enough to do, it makes us proud. It’s a plus when we can work with companies that share the same values as SOS Kinderdorpen / SOS Villages d’Enfants. That’s the way we feel about working with LCL: as a company, you strive for a better world, not only when it comes to sustainability, but in all areas. Plus, a datacenter must be safe, which is also how we want our children to feel. We are very happy that, with #LCLSpreadHappiness, you are helping to spread the word about our cause.

When the #LCLSpreadHappiness campaign is done, you will still need support. In what other ways can people support you?

François: Of course, people can donate at any time. Each donation means that we can make a difference in the lives of more children and care for them. Just like LCL, people or companies can also organise their own campaign to raise money and create awareness. Another possibility is to sponsor children, which means you support our projects with a monthly contribution. For more information, you can visit our website, sos-kinderdorpen.be.

What important goals for the future do you hope to achieve with SOS Kinderdorpen / SOS Villages d’Enfants?

François: one of our main goals is to create social awareness about the problems faced by many children in Belgium. Aside from that, we also want to improve the quality of care for children and young people in difficult situations. To achieve that, we need to create a unifying movement, but we also need political support. We strive towards individual support for each child, because they all have different experiences. We want to build a bond of trust with every child and work towards their dreams and futures individually. This requires a lot of effort, but we are committed every day to building a better future for children and young people in need.