Inditex-UDC Chair of Social Responsibility

The Inditex–UDC Chair of Social Responsibility in A Coruña (Spain) aims to provide a space to think about the community and provide academic training and applied research into social responsibility, as well as support with social innovations within public organizations, businesses and non-profit enterprises. The programme is run.

In 2015, the fourth edition of the Specialization Course in Social Innovation and Responsibility (CERIS), was run for 31 students who were selected out of 90 applicants. Thirteen of these students received grants to cover the cost of the course enrolment with funds provided by Inditex. The course has provided a total of 626 hours of certified training spread over a series of sessions and seminars, workshops, talks and visits to companies. The course was taught by a combination of UDC teachers, as well as those from other universities and also professionals and no less than 37 guest professors.

Village Hope School Programme in China

In 2015, Inditex signed a partnership agreement with China Youth Development Foundation to support the organization’s Village Hope School Programme. The aim of the project is to improve access to education in remote rural areas of China. Specifically, the aim is to build 10 schools in rural areas of Guangxi and Yunnan provinces, as well as to train teachers who will work in the centres. The initiative is still in progress.

Inditex Chair of Spanish Language and Culture in Bangladesh

The Inditex Chair of Spanish Language and Culture at the University of Dhaka (Bangladesh) has been giving Spanish classes since 2011. The universities of Santiago de Compostela and A Coruña oversee this Chair, which runs activities to build understanding of Spanish culture and to promote academic and scientific exchange between the universities in both countries.

In 2015, the Chair ran a Spanish language class for 400 students, up 13% on the number of students from the previous course. A highlight of the cultural activities on the course included a guitar concert by Margarita Escarpa and Víctor Monge Serranito. Around 2,000 attendees took part in both events.

The Inditex Chair in Dhaka is also the examiner of the DELE (Diploma in Spanish as a Foreign Language) of the Instituto Cervantes. In 2015, a total 25 candidates sat the examination -over April and November- for levels A and B1. The percentage of passes was 64%.

Meanwhile, thanks to grants for summer courses, three students have been on an intensive Spanish course at the University of Santiago de Compostela. We have also provided grants for Teaching Assistants on the programme, which employs two students.

EPGO America

In America, the programme has projects in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. They are focused on providing skills and professional support to tackle poverty, as well as access to quality and inclusive education where there is greatest need. Among the most vulnerable groups, work is being carried out with the indigenous population, people with disabilities, young people at risk of social exclusion, migrants and refugees.

EPGO Africa

In Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the poorest regions of the world, the EPGO programme is currently assisting 17,000 displaced people from countries such as Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa and Uganda. Education for children, literacy for women, and professional training courses are offered at refugee camps to promote education in the face of emergency situations and to help foster social and labour market integration of those affected. Professional training is offered to refugees in cities, as well as language training, medical care and legal support for social integration.

“On the Colombian Borders” Programme

In 2015 we renewed our partnership with Entreculturas and with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) to provide support to the victims of the Colombian conflict. This three-year programme focuses on offering opportunities to the most vulnerable border communities, through technical and food safety training, as well as access to education and psychological and legal assistance. A total of 6,000 refugees (as well as locally displaced people) currently have access to this project in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.

WE: Water Experience in China

The WE Water Experience forms part of the three year agreement signed with the Foundation for UNESCO, which promotes the education of Chinese schoolchildren about the global scarcity of water.

The project ramped up in 2015 tripling the number of participating students and extending its geographical scope to eight Chinese provinces, and municipalities including Beijing and Shanghai. Through activities developed by the non-profit organization Thirst, the programme’s message has been communicated even wider, based on the ethos that each person’s efforts can achieve global change.