Caritas and Bank Austria open new learning café in Vienna and celebrate 30 years of the Bank Austria Family Fund
- Joint commitment to more equal opportunities: more learning support for children and young people from families affected by poverty
“Around 800 volunteers provide important learning support week after week and ensure that as many children as possible are taken on an educational journey in the learning cafés. The learning cafés are an absolute flagship project and they are urgently needed. Unfortunately, the waiting lists for a place in a learning café are far too long, and the need for free learning support for children from families affected by poverty has recently risen sharply due to increases in rents, energy costs and food. We are very pleased that, together with Bank Austria, we have been able to accompany and support initially 16 children at the new location on the Austria Campus with immediate effect. Because we know: Education is the best way to prevent poverty,” emphasised Caritas Director Klaus Schwertner at the opening ceremony.
The challenge: Poverty and education are still far too often inherited in Austria. Children from families affected by poverty are at a clear disadvantage right from the start of their education. More and more parents are unable to afford expensive tutoring and after-school care for their children due to the increased cost of living. “We know from many studies that without support, these children run the risk of dropping out of school early or failing. These are human dramas and a disadvantage for us as a society and as a business location. We are convinced that all children should have the same opportunities - regardless of their parents’ income or education,” says Schwertner.
Robert Zadrazil, Country Manager Austria UniCredit: “Our aim is to pave the way for young people to successfully complete their school education, prepare for a career or enter working life. UniCredit Bank Austria provides the premises and the entire infrastructure for the Caritas learning café, and Caritas is responsible for its professional organisation and operation, with their usual high level of quality. Moreover, volunteers from our bank will also support the children and young people with their learning and homework.”
Around 800 volunteers in more than 70 Caritas learning cafés throughout Austria currently provide around 1,850 children and young people aged between six and 15 with free support - with learning, homework and preparation for schoolwork and presentations. “In our learning cafés, we also place a special focus on teaching children and young people to enjoy learning, strengthening their German language skills and promoting social skills,” says Martina Polleres-Hyll, head of the learning cafés at Caritas of the Archdiocese of Vienna. “Our experience makes us certain: together we can give the children the support they need. 96 per cent of the children who attended a Caritas learning café last year completed the school year successfully.” Schwertner adds: “The Caritas learning cafés receive funding from the Federal Chancellery, the Ministry of Education, the European Social Fund and the state of Lower Austria. Without the important donations from companies such as Bank Austria and private donors, and above all the hundreds of volunteers, the learning cafés would not be possible. Many thanks to everyone who helps out here and makes this free learning support possible.”
30 years of the Bank Austria Family Fund - help for 800 families in acute crises
Caritas and Bank Austria also took the opening ceremony of the learning café as an opportunity to emphasise their successful cooperation with regard to the Bank Austria Family Fund. This fund, founded in 1994, enables the social counselling centres of Caritas of the Archdiocese of Vienna to support families in crisis situations quickly and unbureaucratically. The assistance ranges from support with moving house, purchasing furniture for children’s rooms, energy costs to keep the home warm in winter, to securing livelihoods and preventing eviction in particularly serious emergency situations.
Robert Zadrazil: “As we all know, those who help quickly help twice. Thanks to the Bank Austria Family Fund, Caritas has been able to support 855 families with underage children in need with over one million euros over the past 30 years. My heartfelt thanks to Caritas for the many years of excellent cooperation with regard to the Bank Austria Family Fund, which has already benefited so many families in crisis situations!” Schwertner adds: “Many thanks to Bank Austria for the valuable decades of cooperation, which has made a real difference in the lives of many families.”
Enquiries:
UniCredit Bank Austria Media Relations
Matthias Raftl, Tel.: +43 (0) 5 05 05-52809;
E-mail: matthias.raftl@unicreditgroup.at
Caritas of the Archdiocese of Vienna
Michaela Ritter, Press Officer, Tel: +43 676 4634932;
E-mail: michaela.ritter@caritas-wien.at