• 100,000 health care professionals in 20 Dutch hospitals received Fairtrade easter eggs from us as a thank you for their hard and meaningful work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  
• Affected business owners and households in the flood areas in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, received cleaning products and other goods.
  
  
• €100,000 was raised for the UMC Cancer Centre Amsterdam, by 300 employees running the Amsterdam Marathon together with our suppliers.
  
  
• Five centres for Afghan asylum seekers in the Netherlands received a variety of materials such as rain boots and hygiene products from our donations to the Red Cross.

Our contribution to society goes beyond our international partnership with SOS Children’s Villages. On a decentral level, Action is developing a plan to set up local community initiatives with an active role of local store management and staff. In 2021, we begun this focus by responding and supporting the following issues close to home.

• In the Netherlands, we support Simba Family Care, which has a goal for children to return home from an unstable family life.
  
  
• In Germany, we support the SOS Children’s Village in Dortmund, which provides a safe home and living space for children to grow up in a child-friendly way.
  
  
• In France, we contributed to the expansion of the SOS Children’s Village in Gemozac, so more children can grow up in a loving environment with their siblings.
  
  
• In Poland, we funded the roof renovation of three SOS family houses.
  
  
• In Austria, we support the SOS crisis accommodation in Barbakus, which helps children when there is a major crisis in their family.

Together with the local SOS initiatives, our total donation in 2021 amounted to € 591,100, benefiting a total of more than 11,000 children.

Every country office donates €10,000 to SOS Children’s Villages projects in their country. Examples of supported local initiatives include:

Arian Buurman, director of SOS Children's Villages in the Netherlands.

“Right now, partnerships are more important than ever. Action's contribution allows us to provide everything children in our care need to grow up in a safe and loving environment. A house, a caring family, food, medical care and the possibility to go to school, make friends and enjoy sport activities.” 

• Partnership extended with SOS Children’s Villages
  
  
• 1,737 SOS Children sponsored in Asia, Poland and Czech Republic
  
  
• €25,000 donated to the UNICEF COVID vaccination programme

CONTENT PARTNERSHIPS PILLAR

Our donation of €25 per month per child contributes to the daily costs of these children and to their villages - this includes food, education, medical care and sports and play. In short: everything that a child needs to grow up. As our partnership with SOS Children’s Villages has been so fruitful, we have committed to partner with them for a further three years. Continuing to work together to create a loving home for vulnerable children across the globe.

To make an important impact in the countries where we source our products and where we operate, we partner with global charity SOS Children’s Villages. They work to keep families together, to provide alternative care when needed, to support young people on their path to independence and to advocate for the rights of children. Since 2018, we have sponsored a child or village in Asia for every one of our stores and distribution centres. To increase local involvement, we also donate to local programmes in the countries where we have an office. As our store network grows, so does the number of villages we support.

In 2021, we sponsored 1,737 children growing up in an SOS family in a children's village in Asia, Poland and Czech Republic.

Action wishes to make a significant positive contribution to people’s lives, beyond our role as a supplier of essential and good quality products at the lowest price. As a rapidly growing retailer, we consider ourselves part and partner of society. As children are our future, we particularly aim to support children. We also support local community activities in the countries where we operate.