Above image is of Aruna Children’s Shelter in Mumbai, the site of one of four of QRT’s Splash Projects this autumn
International business invests in Splash Projects in London, Mumbai, Singapore and Hong Kong, supporting the work of four life-changing organisations
This autumn, global investment management firm, Qube Research & Technologies (QRT), is going above and beyond for its staff’s training and development and its commitment to affecting positive social change.
Headquartered in London, with offices plotted around Europe and Asia, the firm knows that if you invest in your people and unlock their potential, they’ll invest in you, and unlock your potential.
They also know that making Corporate Social Responsibility a core part of their business strategy sets them apart from those who don’t, and will lead to a far stronger Return on Investment.
Through experiential learning, a Splash Project facilitates the dovetailing of these two foresights, and QRT is investing in its staff through four projects this October and November, in London, Mumbai, Singapore and Hong Kong.
The projects (outlined below) will involve participants building much-needed timber infrastructure to improve the lives of countless disadvantaged young people living in these cities, including disabled children, ostracised young pregnant women, and children rescued from prostitution.
The lives of the participants will also be changed, not only through experiencing social impact firsthand, but through the learning objectives they’ll be challenged to consider, focusing on real world problem solving, teamwork, leadership and communication.
The Splash Projects
London, 150 participants, two days
The Charity:
Kids, Hackney Adventure Playground
Based in London, the charity, which runs four adventure playgrounds around the city, provides safe spaces and support for disabled children and young people between the ages of 6 – 24, and their siblings.
Kids is passionate about enabling disabled children to build on their strengths, abilities and talents and overcome barriers to engagement and to develop their own resilience and capability.
The Challenge:
Build a series of play structures including a boardwalk, stepping logs, balance beams, a bug hotel, sand pits, seating and a treehouse to vastly improve the existing play area.
Hong Kong, 50 participants, one day
The Charity:
Mothers’ Choice is a refuge for pregnant girls and women under the age of 25. For more than three decades the charity has supported 54,500+ girls through a crisis pregnancy.
Despite their remarkable impact, the need for their services is growing in the city as sex education among teens continues to be so limited.
The Challenge:
Create an outdoor sanctuary including tables and chairs, a covered seating area and planters, to promote relaxation among the young residents.
Singapore, 25 participants, one day
The Charity:
The Asian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA) School
AWWA was founded in 1970 by a group of volunteers supporting low-income families and has since evolved into one of Singapore’s largest multi-service social service agencies.
AWWA’s multi-professional team supports the integration and inclusion of children with developmental needs, families with complex social issues, the elderly, and persons with additional needs so that they may live out their various dreams and aspirations.
AWWA School provides special education to children aged 7 to 18 with multiple disabilities and children with autism, to improve their quality of life and maximise their potential for independence.
The Challenge:
Construct a rooftop garden and shaded seating area to provide the pupils with a variety of learning experiences outside the school’s structured curriculum. The space will also provide an area for multi-sensory learning experiences and reflection.
Mumbai, 15 participants, one day
The Charity:
Salvation Army, Aruna Children’s Shelter
Children of women working in the sex industry in Mumbai are at high risk of abuse and exploitation. The centre provides a home for girls rescued from the industry.
Mumbai’s Red-Light District has more than 3,000 young women and girls trapped in prostitution, but they are not the only ones in danger. While poverty has led them to work on the streets and in brothels, their children are often neglected and left vulnerable to brothel owners and traffickers.
Many of these children are malnourished, unprotected, and face barriers to education that could help them escape a future on the streets.
The Challenge:
Build a long communal table and seating within an attractive shelter, and planters, creating a fun place for the girls.
