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Since its creation, the Rexel Foundation has supported projects in around 13 countries in Europe, South America and China. Intended

to facilitate the distribution of energy efficient solutions among disadvantaged communities, these programs proliferated in 2014.

COMMUNITY PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

To ensure the relevance and effec- tiveness of its initiatives, the Rexel Foundation systematically works in close collaboration with NGOs, so- cial enterprises, public agencies or other corporate foundations. The Foundation led three large-scale projects with these partners in 2014.

A GREEN IT CLASSROOM IN CHINA In China, the Rexel Foundation joined forces with Faurecia, a ma- jor automotive equipment manu- facturer, and Maverlinn, a consult- ing firm specializing in responsible projects, to provide a green IT classroom for San Xing Elementary School, located in Hebei, a remote and impoverished mountainous region in northern China. Faurecia collected and refurbished 25 com- puters, while Rexel installed a solar energy plant. Employees from both companies were involved in carry- ing out the project. The school s 230 students, most of whom are

boarders, now have access to com- puters and the Internet. The school benefits from a clean, free energy source, which provides electricity continuously and reinforces the re- gion s frequently unstable local electrical network.

NEW PROJECTS WITH ELECTRICIANS WITHOUT BORDERS The Rexel Foundation had already led an initial mission alongside Electricians Without Borders, an association with around 30 years of experience in community proj- ects related to energy access. With the involvement of employees from BizLine, a Rexel subsidiary specializing in supplies and con- sumable products for electricians, a school and a health clinic located in a Peruvian village were provided with solar energy. In 2014, a new partnership was developed around two projects: a study co-financed by the Foundation and Hager on the

For San Xing students, having access to computers and the Internet is a revolution. It also provides an opportunity to deliver powerful messages about environmental preservation, renewable energy sources, and recycling. We are currently studying the possibility of replicating the experience in schools and orphanages around Shanghai.

MARION BERGER Communications and Sustainability Officer, Rexel Asia Pacific

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