All the employees of IBSA Institut Biochimique and IBSA Farmaceutici Italia wanted to make a tangible commitment to support families hit hard by the serious economic crisis caused by the pandemic by creating the COVID-19 Fund to raise money on an individual and voluntary basis.
Thanks to this awareness and generosity on the part of Swiss and Italian colleagues, the Fund has raised a total of 245,000 Swiss Francs, given to charities committed to providing help to families in need. A huge personal contribution in addition to the institutional support already provided by the IBSA Group, which has donated half a million Swiss Francs to support healthcare facilities in the hardest-hit areas.
“The solidarity and generosity shown by our colleagues is a great source of pride and testimony to the fact that caring for people, their needs and their health is a core value held by all IBSA’s people”, says Silvia Misiti, Head of Corporate Communication & CSR at the IBSA Group.
In Switzerland, the money raised is going to Caritas Ticino and to three associations engaged in offering practical and emotional support to people in difficult circumstances: Tavolino Magico (Magic Table), which retrieves food going to waste and distributes it to people in need in Switzerland; Scoutismo Ticino, which through the commitment of young scouts, offers a range of services to people who are alone and in need; and L’Ape del Cuore, which uses a fleet of Piaggio Ape (Italian for ‘bee’) three-wheeled vehicles to collect food and other goods to deliver to families in need in the Canton of Ticino.
In Italy, the beneficiaries have included Caritas Ambrosiana, supporting families in difficulty by distributing food free of charge through its Empori della Solidarietà (social supermarkets in which points are spent on goods), and the Capuchin missionaries in Milan to help those left alone and in need because of the pandemic, supporting the charity campaign entitled “Emergenza COVID-19, soccorri l’orfano e la vedova” (COVID-19 emergency, helping orphans and widows).
IBSA’s engagement in this initiative once again demonstrates its commitment to people and the strong sense of responsibility it feels towards the community, healthcare and people.
