“We are providing support to the refugees - quickly and where it’s needed.”

Allianz Deutschland: For Manfred Knof, Chairman of the Board of Management, the situation is clear: “We are helping those affected quickly, directly and where it is needed with donations in kind, personal commitment and money.” It is both about providing urgent first aid and establishing a sustainable long-term support network for the refugees. A special site on the Intranet helps to bundle the strengths of the members of the Allianz family. With its motto of “Allianz – we’re here to help!”, the site acts as an information and exchange platform, where employees can find out how they can help and actually reach the people who need it.

Working together with local aid organizations

Allianz Deutschland has reached an agreement to work together with the German Red Cross (DRK), since DRK’s network operates in the whole of Germany and is represented through local associations at most Allianz locations. Agreements with other local aid organizations are in place in cities where DRK is not in charge of helping refugees directly. Providing long-term and sustainable support to the refugees plays an important role for Allianz. This includes counseling services to psychologically come to terms with traumatic experiences as well as integration projects. A donation account has been set up by the Allianz Direct Help Foundation for this very purpose. The monetary donations collected are given to the Federal Working Group of Psychological Centers for Refugees and Victims of Torture as well as the German Red Cross.

The municipality of Unterföhring will build an air-inflated tent next to the Allianz Campus in Unterföhring in Autumn 2015, where up to 300 people will be able to find temporary refuge. Allianz Deutschland would like to act as any good neighbor would in welcoming the residents, which is why it is already involved in an intensive discussion on this subject with a team of helpers in Unterföhring.

Transforming working time into time dedicated to refugee projects

 

And there are more initiatives to come. Allianz Versicherungs-AG, for example, represented by Allianz Real Estate Germany, is letting the administration of Erftstadt use the building that used to be an Allianz training center rent-free for two years. The municipality wants to use this building as accommodation for refugees. AMOS SE is giving its employees time off in order to get involved in refugee-related initiatives, whereas Allianz SE has launched a campaign amongst its staff to support the refugee project organized by the SOS Children’s village.
 

Back when the influx of refugees was still in its initial phase, Oliver Bäte, Chairman of the Board of Management of Allianz SE, made the following statement: “Every day, thousands of people are flocking to Europe in search of safety and a better life. The tragedy unfolding before our eyes is one that cannot be resolved using stop signs and border closures. Many people have recognized this and are selflessly offering their help wherever it is needed. These gestures of altruism are inspiring and deserve every support. But we Europeans also have to agree on an effective common refugee policy that does justice to all of those involved: the people who are coming here and those who live here. This also includes combating the causes of migration: war, persecution, political failure, poverty, climate change.”
 

When talking to the media, Bäte referred to Lichterkette in Munich, an organization with which Allianz has had a partnership since 1992, acting as its sponsor: “Allianz was lucky to have been able to work with Lichterkette in Munich from the very beginning. The 1992 demonstration against xenophobia, one of the biggest of its kind in Munich, grew out of this initiative. In the 23 years that followed, we have been able to give each other advice, organize libraries, conclude renovation projects and provide job application training opportunities for helpers and those in need of help, raise the public’s awareness and also provide financial help. We’ve learned that everyone needs a little bit of humanity and help every day, which is why Lichterkette extends a warm welcome not only to every single refugee, but also every single helper.”

Nicolai Tewes
​Allianz SE
Phone +49.89.3800-4511
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Petra Brandes
Allianz SE
Phone +49.89.3800-18797
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