General overview
Creation
Created in December 2014, the ACTIVA Foundation aims to contribute to the social development of our continent. This objective is the continuity of the vision of the ACTIVA Group, which for 20 years has been contributing to the economic and social development of several countries in Africa.
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Giving a smile to African communities is a necessity for the ACTIVA Foundation, a simple yet powerful act. This desire has been ingrained in the ACTIVA Group for many years. In 2014, the ACTIVA Foundation was created with the aim of coordinating all the Group’s social and societal actions by acting in five areas: health, education, culture, environment and sustainable development. From the outset, we have been committed to supporting the efforts of governments in the countries where the ACTIVA Group operates in the fight against urgent health crises. Examples include the Ebola epidemic in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in 2015, and more recently COVID 19. In addition, the ACTIVA Foundation has deployed some forty projects to the great benefit of communities initiated directly by it. These include donations of medical and laboratory equipment to hospitals and universities, empowerment of women, the fight against breast cancer, and many others. All this dynamism cannot be achieved without the involvement of around a hundred volunteers; ACTIVA Group staff who work alongside the foundation when necessary to help communities. Working together with the subsidiaries of the ACTIVA Group enables us to take advantage of human resources on the one hand, but also to offer our customers and partners the opportunity to take part in the Corporate Social Responsibility approach, in order to have a wider impact and visibility in our countries of operation. This year, the ACTIVA Foundation celebrates its 10th anniversary. To mark the occasion, more than 22 social and environmental projects will be carried out in the fields of health, education and the environment, to the great benefit of communities. More than in the past, through strong governance and a structured, high-performance organization, the Foundation is accompanying and improving lives one day at a time. Although our indicators are satisfactory, we will spare no effort to leave our mark on people’s minds with our presence wherever needed. This is also made possible by the social commitment of over 100 Group employees and our many partners, NGOs and local associations. A THANK YOU to all of them would not be enough to express our gratitude to each and every player in this social commitment. Working together to make life better, one day at a time. Doctor Marie-Pierre LOWE Chairwoman of the ACTIVA Foundation |
Pink October program
It aims to organize breast cancer awareness days in all Activa Group countries of operation. This action focuses on two points: prevention and screening.
Prevention activities :
- Awareness-raising by doctors on popular radio stations,
- Distribution of awareness flyers,
- Raising awareness in markets and on our premises,
- Awareness-raising on social networks,
- Sports walking.
Screening activities :
- Screening by palpation carried out by physicians,
- Mammograms offered free of charge to women showing signs after palpation.
Reforestation program
Almost all African countries have set up national reforestation plans, with or without the support of international non-governmental organizations such as WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and FoE (Friends of the Earth). This project is therefore fully in line with the objectives of the governments in our countries of operation.
Deforestation is a very worrying problem. As an illustration, in Cameroon, in 2019, the “growing deforestation rate” was estimated at 0.0168% of the country’s total forest area. Ghana is estimated to have lost around 1.3 million hectares of its forest cover between 2001 and 2020.
Through this ecological restoration program, the Foundation aims to reconstitute the forests that once existed in a given area, but have now disappeared or been degraded.
More than a cup of water program
On average, more than a third of the African population has no access to drinking water. 80% of diseases are waterborne (cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, malaria, etc.). Water is directly or indirectly at the heart of all the sustainable development objectives, ensuring a connection between them. People have to travel miles to get water, and it’s hard for them to get clean drinking water.
This program aims to build drinking water points by drilling. Boreholes are one of the best ways of obtaining drinking water, enabling people to drink water without any risk to their health.
If they are well designed and maintained, boreholes are less vulnerable to droughts or drops in water levels when they reach deep aquifer formations. The water supplied to the population is therefore permanent and constant.
The fields of action of the ACTIVA Foundation touch on several sensitive sectors, i.e:
Health
The public health system is very precarious in our countries of operation. According to the WHO, an African is twice as likely to die at birth as any other person on earth.
The environment
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, Africa is facing serious environmental problems, including land degradation, deforestation, loss of biodiversity and extreme vulnerability to climate change.
Sustainable development
Encouraging eco-sustainable production and consumption, combating poverty, inequality and environmental degradation, and promoting prosperity, peace and justice for all.
Education
According to Amnesty International, the education system suffers from several ills: dilapidated infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, a high level of school wastage, and school and university curricula that are ill-suited to the professional needs of the population.
Culture
The promotion of African cultural heritage (traditions, dances, music, history, culinary culture, etc.) is neglected, resulting in a loss of values and landmarks, making it difficult for communities to adapt to the demands of today’s world.