Orange Belgium launches Orange Belgium Fund, a corporate fund to foster digital and social inclusion, marked by a structural partnership with ToekomstATELIERdelAvenir (TADA)

As a responsible operator, Orange Belgium decided to go one step beyond in its engagement for digital and social inclusion and offer it a long-term commitment. It recently created Orange Belgium Fund, its own corporate fund under the umbrella of the King Baudouin’s Foundation with the aim of supporting local initiatives. It now kicks off the operations of this fund with a major partnership with ToekomstATELIERdelAvenir, a Brussels-based association which accompanies and coaches socially vulnerable teenagers to help them acquire skills and maximize their chances on the job market.

Orange Belgium is strongly committed to fostering digital and social inclusion in Belgium, as it believes a telecom operator can play a major role to face societal challenges. In recent years, it multiplied initiatives, be it on the sustainability of its activities or to support socially focussed local initiatives.

The corporate fund, under the umbrella of the renowned King Baudouin’s Foundation, aims to support local initiatives with a strong focus on digital and social inclusion.

And to kick-off the activities of this fund, Orange Belgium decided to extend its existing partnership with Brussels-based association ToekomstATELIERdelAvenir (TADA). TADA is a local, bilingual network that involves citizens, civil society and private companies in the integration and emancipation of Brussels’ socially most vulnerable teenagers and their relatives by organizing, among others, weekend schools and individual coaching sessions in the long term, with the objective of offering equal chances for development to all.

Supporting 700 children

Orange Belgium already engaged with TADA, with employees participating in some workshops and, more recently, by offering to its customers the possibility to turn their loyalty gifts into donations for either TADA, either environment-focussed projects.

Now Orange Belgium’s teams will be directly involved in the development of some extra-school activities, to add up a layer of digital skills in the offering of TADA to its alumni and their relatives. This project is in line with the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) objectives, a European initiative creating a safer and better internet for children and young people.

During the 2022-2023 period, the partnership between Orange Belgium and TADA, with 5 weekend schools focused on digital skills, will impact 700 children, and reach about 1.000 alumni and about 350 parents.

Bernard Clerfayt, Brussels Minister of Digital Transition: "In 2021, the Brussels Region was the first to launch a Digital Ownership Plan, whose ambition is to bring the citizen closer to the digital world by focusing on the accessibility of digital tools, training from an early age and support towards a digital transformation accessible to all. I am therefore particularly happy today with Orange's partnership with TADA, which will help improve the digital skills of many young people in Brussels, and thus give them every opportunity to develop and find their place in society."

Isabelle Vanden Eede, Chief Brand, Communication & CSR of Orange Belgium: “The digital gap is a reality in Belgium, as in many other countries, and as a telecom provider, we strongly believe it is part of our role to help communities face this challenge, by financially but also operationally support local initiatives. This first partnership with TADA is a great example of what we want to achieve with our corporate fund, as it also allows us to engage our employees, to leverage on our own skills and expertise, to the benefit of those needing it the most.”

Christophe Zeegers from TADA: “Digital skills are an essential key in the journey of socially vulnerable youth to facilitate their integration into society and, later, into the labor market. We look forward to cocreating new classes with the experts at Orange Belgium so we can boost their appetite for learning and their digital skills.”