Foundation

Starting on Monday 19 August, all micro-donations made via "ARRONDI en caisse" (price round-up system at the till) will go to the Brainforest association, in collaboration with "Man & Nature de Noé", to support the project "Combating deforestation in the Gabon through cacao".

Selected in the 2019 Maisons du Monde Foundation's Call for Projects for three years of support, this project is being coordinated by the Brainforest association in partnership with the "Man & Nature de Noé" programme. On 1 January 2019, the merger of two associations, Man & Nature and Noé, gave rise to the "Man & Nature de Noé" programme. This is designed to help local populations manage their natural resources sustainably by teaching them sustainable farming practices through cacao growing. 

The Brainforest association's project is taking place in Minvoul, in north Gabon, not far from the Minkebe national park, which contains part of the Congo basin. Brainforest wants to assist women in harvesting produce that grows on trees, such as fruits, and to relaunch cacao growing in Minvoul.

The overall long-term objective here is to combat the deforestation now seriously affecting the Congo basin, the third largest tropical basin in the world.  

Through this project, communities and especially women can earn a stable income for their families while protecting the forest's natural resources.

Funding from the Maisons du Monde Foundation will make it possible to:

• Introduce agroforestry plantations in the shade, including cacao trees
• Boost 25 producers' capacities in terms of good farming practices and commercial management to increase their autonomy
• Diversify marketing with forestry produce, so that communities are not solely dependent on cacao harvests

For more information, see the association's website: http://www.brainforest-gabon.org/

7 new projects were chosen by the Foundation’s Selection Committee, namely 23 projects supported by the Foundation in a total of 11 countries over the year.

A budget of €953,539 was allocated to the Maisons du Monde Foundation in 2018, €413,877.66 of which was collected via the ARRONDI en caisse operation.

€3,271,277 of donations were made by our customers thanks to the ARRONDI en caisse operation for the benefit of 4 associations supported by the Foundation and chosen by you, the staff, during the 2018 Favourite vote: Forestever, Envol Vert, Ishpingo and finally AICO.

1 highlight:  The first edition of the “Aux Arbres !“ event was held on 8 and 9 June 2018 in Nantes, gathering together 5,000 visitors to share in the challenges of preserving forests and biodiversity.

We invite you to take part in the second edition of the event on 20, 21 and 22 June 2020 in Nantes!

For more information about our actions in 2018, take a look at the 2018 annual report here (in French only).

Selected during the 2018 call for projects by the Maisons du Monde Foundation, GERES (Groupe Énergies Renouvelables, Environnement et Solidarités) is the new association presented to customers at French stores via the Arrondi Round up operation. GERES has benefited from the visibility brought by the Arrondi operation and customer generosity: about one customer out of every two participates in the solidarity Arrondi Round up operation at Maisons du Monde.

GERES is a development NGO specialising in sustainable energy and environmental protection. In Cambodia, it intervenes in a country where the rate of deforestation is one of the highest in South-East Asia. Located in one of the richest biodiversity reservoirs in the country, the project supported by the Maisons du Monde Foundation has a dual challenge: to restore forestry ecosystems and promote the sustainable management of natural resources.

The association supports local populations in restoring their forests whilst also raising their awareness about the resources responsible for their exploitation. In particular, the GERES teams help them to develop income-generating activities based on sustainable forestry management practices.

Thanks to the generosity of customers, the sums collected with the Arrondi Round up operation will help to:

• Deploy forestry restoration activities and investment in the area’s natural capital
• Raise awareness and train local populations in forestry activities
• Develop buffer zones via community market gardens and, thus, offer revenue for communities
• Set up partnerships with the textile industry, which is partially responsible for the country’s deforestation, in order to develop lasting economic models such as, for example, the production of bamboo incense.