ULMA Foundation initiatives channel the Solidarity and the Commitment of ULMA Group members

The broad range of initiatives promoted by the ULMA Group during the first part of the year via ULMA Foundation involved a charity collection organised with ACOES Honduras (Asociación Colaboración y Esfuerzo), a trip for members and workers to Illumbe to see the Gipuzkoa Basket Club play a basketball game, a series of photography and painting exhibitions, a campaign organised with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and a trip to the Arrikrutz caves in Oñati.

ULMA Foundations year end initiative was backed by the solidarity of a large number of ULMA Group’s members and workers, who provided bags full of essential food and hygiene products, which were collected and added by members of ACOES to a container that was distributed amongst the most needy homes in Honduras last march.

Mercadillo Solidario ULMA

March was also host to the annual trip to Illumbe which was well-attended by ULMA Group members and workers, who set off in three coaches from Oñati to enjoy the sporting event together with their families.

One of the novelties this year involved the adaptation of the ULMA Group reception area to host different exhibitions in which partners and workers could express their artistic tendencies. The space was inaugurated with the work of ULMA Construction worker-member Natxo Santos. ULMA staff and the general public alike were able to enjoy Natxo’s artistic sensibility and rediscover corners and landscapes of Oñati through his personal vision. The exhibition included nearly 20 photographs in which buildings created a dialogue with the spectator through reflections in water or silhouettes created by sunrise.

Exposición ULMA Fundazioa

This new initiative has been well-received by visitors and according to Natxo Santos “is an excellent idea as there are so many people creating all kinds of art but who don’t really have anywhere to show it. Opening up an exhibition space at the company’s offices is a great chance for us to display our work”.

Natxo Santos’ work was exhibited at the “Oñati en el Recuerdo” [Memories of Oñati] exhibition, which managed to maintain a welcoming and melancholic atmosphere in the ULMA Group reception area during its first photographic exhibition. This second exhibition, comprised of old photographs of Oñati, will remain open to the public until 24 September, when another exhibition will take its place.

Exposición ULMA Fundazioa2

Another ULMA Foundation international cooperation initiative that took place during the first part of the year was inaugurated on 22 May in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The initiative consisted of raising money via SMS for malnourished and displaced refugee children. The money raised has been used to help distribute Plumpy’nuts, a fortified peanut butter-like paste containing minerals and vitamins, to ensure the nutrition of children up to 12 years old, and their healthy development. Three bars of Plumpy’nut a day provide one kilogram of weight a week and cost 1 Euro; a clear and direct message disseminated via digital and physical ULMA Group media, and one which judging from the participation of a large number of members and workers has contributed to the success and effectiveness of this pioneering campaign.

ACNUR ULMA PlumpyNut6

All messages were entered into a draw for 10 sets of two tickets for a guided tour of the Arrikrutz caves, the latest activity organised through the ULMA Foundation in the first half of the year, which included a special off-route caving trip known as “espeleolotxiki” for the whole family to enjoy.

Fundación ULMA Espeleolotxiki