For Local and
Global Needs, MBAs Donate Their Time
Solidarity in Action
On December 26, 2004, a tsunami devastated
the Southeast Asian coast. It was the first global tragedy of
the 21st century, which gave rise to the first great wave of solidarity.
The IESE Solidarity Club in Barcelona and Madrid leapt into action.
On December 26, 2004, a tsunami devastated the Southeast
Asian coast. It was the first global tragedy of the 21st century,
which gave rise to the first great wave of
solidarity. The IESE Solidarity Club in Barcelona and Madrid leapt
into action.
The MBAs’ response to the tsunami was swift
and effective. Through various initiatives, students collected
more than €9,000, which they donated to the charity Caritas.
Yet, the club doesn’t limit its efforts to
global catastrophe. Its initiatives often have a local bent. For
example, 14 teams of MBA students worked over the course of the
academic year with a group of families in the Raval, a low-income
district in Barcelona’s city center. Each group involved
in the “Raval Project” was assigned a family to visit
and assist at least once a month for six months.
“Sometimes it doesn’t take any effort to make someone
else happy. Some lonely souls can be cheered up with a few friendly
words. It’s just a matter of investing a small amount of
your time,” said one volunteer. Many of the students work
with various social welfare organizations and NGOs over their
summer break.
The NGO, Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, received
the proceeds of the Solidarity Club’s “Thanksgiving
Dinner.” The organization offers a home, food, clothing,
medical help and education to orphaned children in Latin America.
In December, students of the Executive MBA Program
collaborated with the NGO, Cooperación Internacional, on
its “A Smile for Christmas” campaign. The students
brightened the holidays of needy families by delivering what is
called a lote de Navidad, a Christmas “basket” full
of food. To celebrate the initiative’s 5th year, the students
set – and reached – a target: the delivery of 36 baskets.
New initiatives
The latest Solidarity Club initiative is called
“Colonias-Challenge.” MBAs will offer 7- to 11-year
old underprivileged Mexican children the chance to go on a week’s
vacation. MBA students from the Solidarity Club will show the
children how to move ahead in the world by taking full advantage
of the resources available to them.
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