The iPoint Group already has a well-established tradition of using the Christmas season as an opportunity to financially support non-profit and charitable organizations. As in previous years, we have chosen to skip Christmas gifts or cards for customers and partners and instead sponsored various national and international organizations and projects and thus supported several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2022, iPoint donated to the Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK), Kindernothilfe, and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). A big thank you to our employees for these suggestions!
The Red Cross movement stands for humanitarian aid and support all over the world and, with over 192 national associations, is the largest humanitarian organization in the world. The German Red Cross (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz) is also part of this worldwide community and has been providing the extensive help that people need in crisis situations, disasters, and medical or even social emergencies for over 150 years. The DRK is democratically structured and supported by volunteers, which is why it was particularly important to us this year to direct our donation there. The more than 100 million volunteers and members worldwide, of whom 3 million are active in Germany alone, act selflessly, charitably, and in accordance with the DRK statutes. Support is provided exclusively according to the degree of need to set an example for humanity. Life, health, protection, peaceful coexistence, and the dignity of all people are given top priority. Thus, through our donation, we also support the following SDGs: 3 (health and well-being), 10 (fewer inequalities), and 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions).
Kindernothilfe is active in over 33 countries on 4 continents worldwide and has a total of 346 partner organizations. Through project work, the most important part of Kindernothilfe's work, more than 2.3 million children and young people have already received support and assistance. Here, through systematic planning and monitoring, they receive exactly what they need in their individual life situation in order to achieve sustainable change. The focus here is on education, a healthy diet, protection from violence and a strong environment. The 530 projects implemented so far could only be carried out with the help of the 66 million euros in donations, grants, and subsidies, which is why we are particularly pleased to have made a contribution this year and thus to have come a little closer to SDGs 2 (no hunger), 3 (health and well-being) and 4 (quality education).
UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) works to protect and assist people fleeing war, brutality, and persecution around the world. They support the Geneva Refugee Convention, the principal document protecting refugees, and monitor compliance with it worldwide for the benefit of millions of refugees. UNHCR employs approximately 19 thousand staff, more than 90% of whom work outside of Germany. This results in 137 countries in which they are active worldwide. The teams are made up of qualified professionals in the fields of legal security, administration, community services, public affairs, and health. They constantly monitor the number of people fleeing so that they can act faster and better in crisis situations and, most importantly, help. UNHCR is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions, and we are proud to count our donation among them this year. This helps cover ongoing operations and additional programs for emergencies such as the impact of the Russian war in Ukraine, the Syria crisis or large-scale repatriation operations. It also enables us to support the achievement of SDG 3 (health and well-being), SDG 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions).
Learn more about iPoint's commitment to sustainability here.