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KONE 2015 | SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
CREATINg ADDED VALUE
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gIVINg BACK TO COMMUNITIES
Having a corporate conscience is more than
an add-on strategic initiative. It is a mindset
that shapes KONE’s social behavior and guides
the company to pursue an active role in
communities around the world.
The KONE Centennial Foundation (KCF),
an independent, non-profit organization
founded by KONE in celebration of its 100th
anniversary in 2010, is an example of this.
KCF’s mission is to advance and support
developmental, educational, and cultural
activities for children and youth around
the world. The Foundation gives priority to
projects that serve the neediest children and
youth. It cooperates closely with strong local
partners to plan projects, aiming to ensure
efficient resource allocation and respect for
local culture and priorities.
The Foundation focuses on innovative services
that can be replicated and may one day
become self-sustainable. KCF has a long-term
commitment to all of its projects and also
devotes effort to attracting support from other
public and private sources in order to improve
sustainability and replicability. The Foundation’s
projects are located only in countries where
they are most needed and where local KONE
units can contribute practical support.
The Foundation’s latest project is the Xico Arte
art against violence initiative in Mexico. Xico
Arte are a group of young people interested
in art who come from a community on the
outskirts of Mexico City burdened by crime
and unemployment. KCF is working with local
NGO Tanesque
A.C.tohelp Xico Arte become
an independent NGO that works closely with
the Xico Museum to bring local art and history
to the area’s children and youth.
The Xico Museum was founded by local people
who realized that their poor neighborhoods
were built on land containing archeological
treasures. The museum now displays over
5,000 objects unearthed in construction
projects in the Valle de Chalco area. Together
with Xico Arte, the Museum organizes lessons
and workshops for local children and youth
on the significance of the museum’s objects to
local history and traditions. The archeological
objects are also used to inspire children’s
artwork in nearby schools.
At the end of 2015 the Foundation’s other core
projects included a mobile library initiative in
China, a youth center offering educational and
health services in an inner-city slum in Chennai,
India, and a one-stop shop of opportunities and
services for youth in a drug and crime ridden
area of Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Foundation also supports other projects
that share similar goals with KCF and have
a proven level of high performance. These
include educational and cultural exchanges
and cooperation with universities, as well
as matching funds contributed by KONE
employees, such as support for the Singhadevi
School in rural Nepal.
As the number of refugees globally and in Europe
rose and impacted the Foundation’s home
country, Finland, in an unprecedented way in
2015, the Foundation helped collect winter coats,
shoes and other much-needed items from KONE
employees for refugee youth in Helsinki.
YOUTH ACTIVATION
KCF helped found the innovative
Westbury Youth Center in 2012.
Located in a poor Johannesburg
community with a history of gang-
related crime and drug problems, the
center brings nonprofit agencies and
skills development programs under one
roof to create a one-stop shop where
young people can find a wide range of
services and opportunities.
Art against violence: Mexican kids taking part in the Xico Arte project, supported by the Foundation.