For three days, 25 employees from Veolia's North American entities gathered in Haworth, New Jersey, for training in humanitarian response. Their training coincided with the launch of the Veolia Foundation's first Veoliaforce hub.
There was Tiffany, Faustin, Angela, Mike, Leanne, Marco, Keith, Matthew, Caroline, Daniel, Kyle, Daryn, Quentin-Marie... Twenty-five employees from Veolia North America, Veolia Canada, and Watertech successfully completed the three-day Veoliaforce training program.
What did they do?
They learned how to deploy Aquaforces, mobile water treatment units designed by the Veolia Foundation for humanitarian aid. The goal: to produce drinking water for 2,000 people in just a few hours. The program included assembling and dismantling the Aquaforce 2,000 and 15,000 units, learning about water chemistry, and discovering the humanitarian sector. Several representatives were also present to raise awareness of their activities: the American Red Cross and the International Rescue Committee shared their experiences.
What next?
These volunteers may be called upon by the Veolia Foundation as Veoliaforce volunteers to intervene in humanitarian situations in North America or internationally and contribute their expertise in water treatment, sanitation, waste management, and energy. This skills-based sponsorship, orchestrated by the Veolia Foundation for the benefit of its humanitarian partners, has already enabled more than 200 missions around the world.
👉 This training of employees on the American continent also marked the launch of the Foundation's first international hub.
The Veolia Foundation is internationalizing its activities and is launching regional platforms to intervene more effectively and sustainably with vulnerable populations. The Foundation is opening hubs to pre-position mobile water treatment units (Aquaforces) as close as possible to where they are needed. The first of these hubs was inaugurated last week in Haworth, alongside the training of North American volunteers. The aim is to improve the responsiveness and effectiveness of interventions by relying on equipment and a growing number of employees trained in emergencies and extreme crises.
What is the Veoliaforce skills sponsorship?
It’s the skills sponsorship program of the Veolia Foundation. Veolia employees spend their working hours on a mission provided by Veolia Foundation for her NGO partners. Before those Veoliaforce volunteers could be sent to disaster areas worldwide, they are trained: they familiarize themselves with the latest emergency intervention techniques and learn to work together in conditions close to the field. That’s what happened in Haworth, New Jersey, last week.