Continuing its support for communities in the fight against COVID-19, BIC teams in Africa recently donated more than 100,000 pens to supply organizations helping citizens affected by violence and to help children learning from home during the pandemic.
In North Africa, BIC donated 28,000 writing and colouring items to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The IOM, which serves millions displaced by violence in the region, promotes positive coping mechanisms and resilience by allowing men, women and children to express their emotions through artistic workshops.
The donated stationery items—primarily coloured pencils, pens and whiteboard markers—can be used in both educational settings and activities that can help reduce anxiety and stress.
Meanwhile, BIC East Africa has given more than 100,000 pens to Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports. As the government looks to support families during the lockdown, the donated items will help them provide school supplies and study materials for students continuing their education at home due to COVID-19.
These donations are only the latest in BIC’s continuing efforts to help communities and families worldwide. Since March 2020, BIC has donated more than $1.5 million USD in stationery and shaver products to aid frontline healthcare workers and NGOs fighting the pandemic, in addition to manufacturing thousands of units of personal protective equipment (PPE).
BIC also donated up to $50,000 in the United States to the Kids In Need Foundation while spreading cheer and positivity with its BIC 4-Color Garden campaign, and BIC France is currently coordinating donations with the Soprano Foundation as part of its “Write, Erase and Reinvent Your Dreams with BIC® Gel-ocity® Illusion® and Soprano” contest.
BIC, a world leader in Stationery, Lighters, and Shavers, is manufacturing personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers to address the shortage of this essential equipment in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19). Face shields are being made at several BIC production sites around the world and then donated to local hospitals or governments.
The Company is also partnering with other businesses and academic institutions to produce a full-face mask with air filtration to be donated to hospitals and is donating more than €1.3 Million (more than $1.5 Million) at a retail value of pens, colouring products, other writing instruments, and razors to support local communities, hospitals, children and the homeless.
“As a global company with thousands of team members in communities around the world, we strongly believe that we have the opportunity – and the responsibility – to make a meaningful contribution to our communities during this global health crisis,” said Gonzalve Bich, BIC CEO. “Our thoughts are with all those who have been impacted by COVID-19. We send our heartfelt gratitude to all the doctors, nurses, paramedics, factory workers, and first responders putting themselves on the frontlines to protect our communities and economies.”
BIC began producing face shields at its lighter facility in Redon, France, at the end of March. The team there is producing 3,000 per day using raw materials the company already has in its possession, including packaging plastic, rubber and more. The first batch was donated to the local hospital and police force.
Production of these and other face shields have expanded to facilities in Brazil, Greece and Tunisia for local hospitals and government agencies.
Production has begun on an adaptor to transform the Decathlon EasyBreath full-face snorkelling mask into COVID-19 personal protective equipment for healthcare workers in hospital reanimation units. The mask completely protects the eyes, nose and mouth and filters the air, if there is a lack of conventional masks and goggles.
This project, which leverages a solution developed by Professor Manu Prakash from Stanford University, results from a partnership with researchers, engineers, doctors, industrialists. Today 50 masks and adaptors were delivered to the Brest hospital and 10 to the Redon hospital in France for use in reanimation units.
BIC teams in France are also using 3D printing to produce frames for safety glasses, as requested by a local hospital.
