Fortis holds International Challenge and supports SOS Children's Villages

 

On Saturday 2 June 2007, Jos Clijsters, a member of the Fortis Executive Committee, presented a cheque for €270,970.77 to SOS Children's Villages, the international charity for orphans and abandoned children. The presentation took place at the Fortis Challenge - a special weekend for Fortis employees from all over the world.

 

Fortis staff from 20 different countries met in Austria's Mayrhofen to participate in the Fortis Challenge, comprising a range of outdoor sports and tests of strategic skills and intelligence. In addition to boosting employee involvement and company pride, the underlying aim of the Challenge was to position Fortis as a single, international company to its workforce.

 

At the same time, Fortis was looking to give greater visibility to its corporate social responsibility profile. Jos Clijsters comments: "We've asked the people who signed up for the Challenge to raise money for SOS Children's Villages. We had massive numbers of people keen to partcipate: 160 teams competed in the qualifiers, with 75 actually making it to the Challenge in Austria. We were thrilled by the sheer drive and enthousiasm our colleagues displayed in raising money for the charity."

 

"On behalf of children and families, we applaud this initiative by Fortis. What makes this international team-building event so special is that you are reaching out your hand to the children of SOS Children's Village Hemeiusi," said Richard Pichler, Secretary General of SOS Children's Villages. "You will have an impact not only this year, but for the next 10-15 years, when today's children walk out of the children's village having experienced a childhood, a mother and an education to build their futures on." The money raised by the Fortis Challenge will be spent on building the Hemeiusi Children's Village in Romania.

 

The Fortis Challenge team that raised the most for SOS Children's Villages will travel to Romania later this year to report on the work done at Heimeiusi. The money will be put towards building a Fortis family home and activity centre and will also help finance an educational programme.

 

SOS-Kinderdorpen is part of SOS Children's Villages International, a non-governmental private organisation providing care for orphaned, abandoned and destitute children all over the world, regardless of race, religion or ethnic origin. For nearly 60 years, SOS Children's Villages has provided family-based care in which orphans grow up with their SOS mother and brothers and sisters. The schools, medical and social centres run by SOS Children's Villages directly contribute to the quality of life of the local community. The organisation operates over 450 villages and provides daily care to over 60,000 children. For more information about the organisation go to www.sos-childrensvillages.org

Fortis is an international financial services provider engaged in banking and insurance. We offer our personal, business and institutional customers a comprehensive package of products and services through our own channels, in collaboration with intermediaries and through other distribution partners. With a market capitalisation of EUR 40.3 billion (31/05/2007), Fortis ranks among the twenty largest financial institutions in Europe. Our sound solvency position, our presence in 50 countries and our dedicated, professional workforce of 60,000 enable us to combine global strength with local flexibility and provide our clients with optimum support. More information is available at www.fortis.com