
Last December, we had our annual lunch with the entire team of Etnia Barcelona to celebrate the arrival of Christmas.
Taking advantage of the opportunity that we had our whole team together this year at a time as special as Christmas, we decided to present our new project. A project that we have been preparing for the past few months and are delighted to be working on: Etnia Barcelona Foundation.
David Pellicer, founder & CEO of Etnia Barcelona gave a speech to explain the implementation of this exciting project: Today is a special day as we are all celebrating altogether.
I am very pleased to share the establishment of FOUNDATION ETNIA BARCELONA with you.
Some years ago, we started working with some NGOs focusing on countries without resources in a superficial manner. We have now reached this point and true to our decision, we believe that it is important and necessary to address this conclusive topic, because currently Etnia Barcelona generates approximately a 7% stock of discontinued glasses.
We want to undertake solidarity projects focused on children and adults by GIVING ACCESS TO VISION. 25% of children currently cannot read properly and nobody knows what the matter is. They need glasses! This is happening in developing countries.
Vision problems are an obstacle in school, at work and in social relations. Etnia Barcelona Foundation is committed to focusing our work on children to help them learn and to improve their chances in the future. We also wish to reduce the number of people that do not have access to eye care. 1 out of every 7 people in the world do not have access to eye care either due to no access to a medical centre or for economic reasons, which is a very high number. We will ensure that glasses are distributed, we will monitor this and we will supervise their good use.
Etnia Barcelona will help the work and objectives of the foundation through economic donations and stocks of discontinued glasses. Furthermore, and together with the foundation, we are developing the CSR (corporate social responsibility) department in order to improve some aspects related to the sustainability of the company, environment and working environment. This will mean improvements in the short, medium and long term, such as: Create a better day-to-day for our employees, suppliers and customers. Foster teamwork and collaboration with the company. Promote mechanisms/actions to induce a transformation in values. Be more ecological. Use and respond creatively to change. Stop producing waste. Enthusiasm and enjoyment in our work. Stop using more resources than necessary. Be ethical in our daily practices.
And as a start to this social change, today, 18 December 2015, I would like us to plant this little olive tree together as a symbol of the roots of the new project and foundation” Cheers and a Merry Christmas to all!
And as David said, to welcome this project, we are each planting a tree as a symbol of the roots and beginning of this new project with the commitment of looking after them so that on 2nd April, we can all go together to replant the trees in their natural habitat.