Schréder Together Fund

As part of our ambition to align with the United Nations' SDG 11, we regularly help towns and cities to implement lighting solutions that improve safety for vulnerable users and protect the local fauna and flora. Over the years, we have also donated street lights to improve the quality of life in economically less privileged areas or to help disaster-stricken zones. 

In 2021, we took the decision with the Schréder family to go a step further and give a more structured approach to our philanthropic purpose by setting up a global fund, the Schréder Together Fund, hosted by King Baudouin Foundation.

YouthStart (Belgium)

YouthStart helps young people who have dropped out of school gain confidence and develop an entrepreneurial spirit. Through short, intensive training sessions, they unlock their full potential and regain control of their lives and their future.

Over 3 years, we sponsored and provided training for young people with a low level of education to reintegrate them into the labour market and professional life. 

Be.Face (Belgium)

Be.Face is a network of companies that work together to promote the social and professional integration of disadvantaged people. They contribute to the success of their professional project through concrete local actions and in collaboration with local actors. The goal is campaigning for inclusion in the workplace, creating opportunities for students and job-seekers alike.

Petrykiv Regional Municipal Children's Boarding House (Ukraine)

This boarding house welcomes children with disabilities or from disadvantaged areas, offering them a formal education, inclusion, rehabilitation and social help.

The outdoor lighting system around the house was no longer working properly. This created an insecure environment at night and required a lot of maintenance. The Schréder Together Fund provided new outdoor lighting with sustainable LED technology to support this organisation.

Matolweni Early Childhood Development Centre (South Africa)

The centre is run by local women and offers food and education to children and women from the poorest level of society. 
The Schréder Together Fund donated and organised the installation of over 85 energy-efficient LED luminaires for inside and outside this centre. It also contributed towards new kitchen equipment for the school feeding scheme, computer equipment for the women’s computer room and sewing equipment for community sewing lessons.

Mukumbani Village (South Africa)

This project honours the legacy of Wimpie Ludwick, the former General Manager of BEKA Schréder in South Africa, who passed away on 6th August 2021. The village is extremely rural, and was poorly lit, leaving residents vulnerable to crime and safety concerns. Over a three-year period (2022 – 2024), the fund delivered:

• solar lighting solutions in the areas where there is no electricity;
• luminaires in the areas where an electrical supply is available.

This project had the political and tribal blessing of the Vhavenda Head Chief, Kennedy Tshivahse and Chief Mashudu Tshivahse. The local authorities in Thulamela Local Municipality will be responsible for future maintenance. 

Alfa Grup Association (Romania)

Alfa Grup is a non-profit association that supports vulnerable people to participate actively in the development of the community and to combat social exclusion through education and help in finding employment.

With the funding from the Schréder Together Fund, the association was able to provide mentorship for 10 students on specific educational curricula so that they will have access to high school and avoid dropping out of school. It was also able to help 5 young people living in Salacea to start local businesses.

Redes (Peru)

The NGO Redes runs programmes to help the Asháninka indigenous communities to improve their quality of life. As part of the ‘Illumination Communidad El Milagro, Aoti, Impitato, Boca del Ipoki, Somontonari’, the Schréder Together Fund donated and installed luminaires in 7 educational sites and parks in the Asháninka Tsomontonari Alto and Bajo communities in Río Negro, Satipo, Peru. 

This vital lighting now provides safer and more conducive learning and recreational environments, directly supporting the children’s educational opportunities and futures.

Mathonisa Primary School (Zimbabwe)

Mathonisa primary school is located 60 kilometres outside the city of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. They needed funds to help rebuild the community school in Umguza, which was in very poor condition. 

When the funds were released, the school’s headmistress and other members of the school’s governing body bought the materials (bricks, cement, etc.) and members of the local community came together to provide manual labour to build a new school. 

African Angels Trust (South Africa)

The African Angels Trust, based in the Chintsa area of the Great Kei township, receives no state funding and provides education for disadvantaged children in the local community, helping them to lift themselves out of poverty. It also initiates and facilitates many other uplifting projects for the area.

To help the school’s many students make their way safely to and from the school after dark, the Schréder Together Fund donated and installed 6 solar-powered floodlights on 8m high poles in the school grounds. The floodlights have improved security in an area that regularly suffers from power cuts. 

Borodyanka (Ukraine)

The village of Borodyanka was badly damaged following the Russian invasion in February 2022. To help rebuild the village’s infrastructure, a lighting plan was drawn up and over 100 energy-efficient IZYLUM luminaires were supplied to improve safety after dark.

The first luminaires were installed around the railway station to give commuters a sense of security and encourage a “return to normal life”. A special focus was also placed on pedestrian crossings to ensure safety for people travelling by foot. Thanks to the high-performance and long life of the luminaires, the local authorities will not need to carry out any maintenance for a long time.

Lviv (Ukraine)

In 2024, as the city of Lviv continues to deal with power cuts, the Lviv Bureau of European Integration made an appeal for equipment keeping traffic lights operational during full blackouts. Cascais Municipality and InnoEnergy responded, identifying C2C-NewCap as a potential manufacturer.

C2C-NewCap developed four uninterruptible power supply (UPS), which feature lithium-ion battery modules and solar panels to ensure uninterrupted operation and enhance road safety. The fund co-financed the UPS systems and organised the logistics to deliver them.