With a Heart for People

Transcription

With a Heart for People
Social Commitment at Grünenthal
When a life-threatening illness
makes life difficult, there is still often
room for a smile, for a moment of
happiness or the fulfillment of a
dream.
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SOCIAL COMMITMENT AT GRÜNENTHAL
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About Grünenthal
Founded 1946
Corporate Executive Board
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The Bundesverband Kinderhospiz gives a national
voice to the facilities and initiatives that are organized under its umbrella.
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The Kinderhospiz Sterntaler is a place for recovery,
for relief from the daily routines of children with
life-shortening illnesses and their families.
The Grünenthal Group is an independent, family-owned, international researchbased pharmaceutical company headquartered in Aachen, Germany.
CEO: Prof. Dr. Eric-Paul Pâques
CFO: Sascha Becker
CCO: Dott. Alberto Grua
CSO: Dr. Klaus-Dieter Langner
Research and Development
Global Presence
No. of Employees
Germany (Aachen)
Latin America (Santiago, Chile)
The Grünenthal Group has a presence in 32 countries total, with companies
in Europe, Australia, Latin America and the United States of America.
Grünenthal products are available in more than 155 countries.
~5.300 worldwide (~600 in Research & Development)
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Following the provision of emergency aid, sustainable rebuilding is now the focus in Nepal.
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I Bambini delle Fate finances projects for children
and adolescents with autism and disabilities, as well
as for their families.
Content
Greeting
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Focus
A Voice for Life
A Place to Revisit
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Projects Overseas
Hope for Nepal
Little Superheroes A House for Angélica Support for Fairy Children
Miscellaneous 20
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Germany
A Vacation from Pain
Thalidomide
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Further Information
Legal Notice 34
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Dear Sir or Madam,
Even when a life-threatening illness makes life difficult, there is often still room for a smile, a moment of happiness
or the fulfillment of a dream. Grünenthal supports individuals and organizations that commit themselves with
heart so that such moments become possible.
For the Grünenthal Group, social commitment is not just a fashion, but has been part of our culture for
decades. This means not only financial support for nonprofit organizations, but that we bring people together
who can achieve more collectively than acting alone. It means encouraging and supporting employee engagement in volunteer activities. It also means that we enter into sustainable partnerships so that people can rely
on us and our support.
In this report we want to bring these people and organizations and also their commitment closer to you. The
particular focus in this issue is on the people who accompany children with life-shortening illnesses.
Best regards,
Heinz-Gerd Suelmann
Global Human Resources
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Big dreams ... for little souls
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A Voice for Life
BUNDESVERBAND KINDERHOSPIZ
BRINGING TOGETHER CHILDREN and
hospice care is difficult: children represent life and the future, hospices dying
and death. And yet in Germany alone,
there are about 40,000 children with serious, life-shortening illnesses. They will
not reach the average age for hospice
patients. However, they need help, need
guidance of the type that hospices provide. The Bundesverband Kinderhospiz
gives them and their families a voice, a
voice for life.
Above:
Sabine Kraft is CEO of the Bundesverband
Kinderhospiz, an association of 70 impatient
and outpatient children’s hospice programs.
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Even the vocabulary is different. Sabine Kraft, CEO of the Bundesverband
Kinderhospiz, does not speak of dying
children. Instead, she uses the somewhat
unwieldy term “Children with life-shortening illnesses.” Precisely therein lies an
important difference between hospices
and children’s hospices: for hospice
guests, a hospice is somewhere they
go right at the end of their lives. Most
live there just a few days, maybe weeks,
seldom months. They come to die. By
contrast, a Kinderhospiz (children’s
hospice) assumes the role of a guide
over several years of life. Due to serious
illnesses, the children who go there have
life expectancies that are markedly lower
than those of their peers. They receive
palliative care, they can escape their
daily routines and their families get some
respite. And most return home after a
few days.
Often funding agencies are not set
up for this difference. Sabine Kraft has
come across many examples of this.
“For instance, on one occasion when
the condition of a deathly sick young
man from Freiburg improved at the
Kinderhospiz in Olpe and he was able
to return home, the health insurance
provider did not want to pay the transportation costs,” she says. That is simply
not included in the usual calculation for
a hospice stay. “We had to fight for a
long time to prevent the family from
being burdened with that too,” said
Kraft.
The case indicates two reasons why
children’s hospices are networked in
the Bundesverband: Only by working
together do the members of what are
presently 70 inpatient and outpatient
children’s hospices have a voice that is
so loud that they also get heard by the
large funding agencies and lawmakers.
And by working together nationally
they enable the young patients who
desperately need palliative medical care
to find help more easily – even if it is not
always offered right around the corner.
“If the Bundesverband Kinderhospiz
did not exist, it would be necessary to
create one,” says CEO Sabine Kraft. She
has led the organization since 2005. At
that time, the development of children’s
hospices was at a turning point. The
many committed self-help groups out
of which facilities for the treatment of
children with life-shortening illnesses
had developed were reaching the limits
of what they could do with increasing
frequency. In addition to expert medical
and caregiving treatment, the administrative and association work was also becoming more professional. As a trained
social worker, Sabine Kraft brought not
only her professional experience from
work with children and adolescents and
as an executive with the federal association Pro Familia, but also her experience
with an early death in her own family.
When one of her nephews died suddenly at the age of two and a half, she
experienced in her private life how hard
it is to deal with the dying and death
of children. Each family member tried
to process the loss with varying degrees
of success. Her own search uncovered a
gap in suitable offerings of help. Finally
she found her way to mourn and also
to let go.
“At that time I became aware of how
very much dying and death accompany
me in my life,” says Kraft. “I learned from
that a very conscious way of dealing with
it.” That gives her a strength and persuasiveness that serve her well in her job.
She has managed, for example, to make
the Bundesverband Kinderhospiz heard
in the legislative process to improve the
provision of hospice and palliative care.
Meanwhile, the Bundesverband has
undertaken many initiatives and campaigns, e.g. the Oskar Helpline, where
people seeking help can get information
and advice pertaining to children with
life-shortening illnesses at no cost, 24
hours a day. The association is involved
in promoting professional pain therapy
for children and adolescents, offers qualifications in children’s hospice work for
employees and volunteers, and is constantly strengthening its network. “It is
precisely through the exchange between
the different facilities organized within
the Bundesverband that they all learn
from one another,” declares Kraft. “The
individual homes, services and initiatives
determine their own areas of emphasis
donors prefer to support concrete hospice work locally, where they may also
have a personal connection. It is more
difficult for the Bundesverband to reach
sponsors – yet without its work the
loud voice for children’s hospice work,
which wins an audience nationwide for
local facilities and initiatives, would be
missing.

It is not simply a matter of direct treatment for children
with life-shortening illnesses,
but also of care for their families.
and in that way gather experience from
which others can also benefit.” It is not
simply a matter of direct treatment for
children with life-shortening illnesses,
but also of care for their families: The
parents are especially burdened with
worry and the responsibility of caring
for their sick children. Siblings often feel
neglected. And even when a family has
known for a long time that a child will
die, the loss at the end is very hard to
take.
Information about the core of
children’s hospice work is now provided by a series of films entitled “Little
Stars” in which the Bundesverband has
participated. The films portray children
with life-shortening illnesses. Dying and
death do not determine their stories, but
rather a lust for life, such as when young
Benedict makes music with Daniele Negroni, star of DSDS [the German version
of American Idol], or when 16-year-old
Lucy imagines her future as a famous
artist. Because that is the point of children’s hospice care: not to close one’s
eyes to illness and death, but not to let
death alone determine everything – to
make it possible for children to live life
to the best of their ability.
It is often hard work for the Bundesverband Kinderhospiz because it
relies only on the contributions of its
70 members and on donations. Most
Families find relief at a children’s hospice.
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With its sounds, scents and melodies, the Snoezelen room invites dreams.
A Place to Revisit
KINDERHOSPIZ STERNTALER
In the colorfully decorated rooms the siblings, too, experience recovery and a change of pace.
A children’s hospice is, above all, a place where children with life-shortening illnesses and their families can recover from their daily
routines.
A CHILDREN’S HOSPICE is, above all, a
place of recovery, of relief from the daily
routines of children with life-shortening
illnesses and their families. Once they
have been there, they are happy to come
back, because it is a place where they
can relax, find relief and gather new
strength for life.
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No, they thought it was a slap in the face
when the doctor recommended a stay at
a children’s hospice for their son. Their
darling should be sent away to die? At
least that is how the mother perceived
the advice. It was not until two years
later that she came back to the recommendation and accompanied her son to
the Kinderhospiz Sterntaler. “When the
two of them left us a few days later, the
mother said: ‘If I had understood before
that a children’s hospice could give us so
much good and strength to live, I would
have come sooner,” says Linnford Nnoli,
head of public relations for Kinderhospiz
Sterntaler, about this discussion with a
Sterntaler mother.
What this mother experienced happens
to many who come into contact with a
children’s hospice for the first time. They
have in their minds a picture of a hospice
as a place where guests go to die. But a
children’s hospice is place for living and
a place to revisit.
Whoever comes to Kinderhospiz
Sterntaler in Rhineland-Palatinate’s Dudenhofen feels this. The old mill, which
was remodeled in 2009 by the Verein
Kinderhospiz Sterntaler to be the first,
and until now, only impatient facility of
this type in Rhineland-Palatinate, radiates a relaxing calm. On crossing the
barely noticeable bridge over the gently
flowing Woogbach creek, one enters a
sheltered courtyard. Buildings surround
it on three sides. An arbor closes off the
fourth side along the creek. Toys and
a set of colored chalk give a hint that
children here can let their fantasies roam
freely. A child’s bicycle leans against the
wall. In the middle there is a fountain
made from a millstone. A few chairs invite one to while away some time. Here,
families are not just welcome, they also
feel comfortable.
The same is true inside of the mill. A
long counter marks the reception area. It
is left over from the last use of the facility, before Sterntaler took over: The building was a restaurant and a small hotel.
It served as a communicative gathering
place for its guests. Nothing about that
has changed today. It has only
become more restful and contemplative. And probably more
colorful – because right behind
the counter, going up a steep
staircase, one arrives in a true playroom
paradise with stuffed animals, foosball,
sitting areas and everything about which
children dream.
“Siblings find relaxation and a change
of pace here,” explains Linnford Nnoli.
“They often feel pushed aside because
their family life centers so much on the
sick sister or sick brother. This is their
place, where they, as much as possible,
can be children free of concerns.” Part
A connection that invites return
visits. And that outlasts death
of the concept of a children’s hospice is
to offer relief and recovery for the entire
family of a child with a life-shortening
illness. Above all many parents find some
peace here – while siblings are allowed to
play loudly – the professionals from the
Kinderhospiz work on providing optimal
care for the sick children.
Until recently, Kinderhospiz Sterntaler
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had three beds for children with life-shortening illnesses and rooms for those
accompanying them – for their parents,
siblings or grandparents. With strenuous
financial effort the sponsoring association
replaced the old barn with a new building
in order to be able to offer help to more
children and families. Twelve children’s
care rooms with individual lighting effects, one designed as a room in which
explains Sterntaler employee Frank
Schmenger, coordinator for the new
building. Many of the children repeatedly
need an oxygen mask or have had a tracheotomy, meaning that they have cuts in
their windpipes through which they can
be provided with oxygen.” Thus, to breathe, they need not only clean air, but air
that is the right temperature. Dry heat or
a draft from an air conditioner can wor-
to say goodbye, and a large lounge area
with a glass front facing the interior courtyard comprise the new housing. Complex building systems with heating and
cooling elements in the ceilings provide
the right climate for the patients.
“The subject of air and breathing
is quite challenging for children with
life-shortening diseases in particular,”
sen their symptoms. “For that reason, in
our new building we have placed special
value on being able to offer our children
the best climatic conditions possible.”
The children’s rooms are designed to
be friendly, colorful and bright. Special
children’s care beds are set in the center
of the room so that the young patients
can be given optimal care. For their
protection, they can be surrounded
with pillows so that they will not hurt
themselves, for example, during epileptic episodes. A comfortable armchair is
nearby so that visitor or accompanying
family members can stay in the room
longer and talk with or read to the
children. A modern floor lamp made
of whitewashed branches emphasizes
the close-to-nature atmosphere of the
millworks. A comforting difference from
technology-dominated hospitals.
In the new building, the Sterntaler
hospice also has taken into account the
special demands on the care personnel.
They can call upon the most modern
support installations, so they can do
their demanding work well. “Most of
the children here require ‘round-the-clock
care, often even one-on-one care,” states
Linnford Nnoli. “It’s best for our young
patients and their families if they know
the care and support personnel – and vice
versa. That contributes to the quality of
the stay. It creates a trust relationship, and
also friendship.” Sterntaler pays special attention that employees do not miss work
due to illness, aiming to create a work
environment that supports personnel
optimally. That is how the Kinderhospiz
arranges for the important constancy in
the care of its young patients.
Two new installations are still to be
completed in the new building: a therapy
bath and a salt cave. “Many of our children feel especially good when they are in
water. The weight-bearing capacity of the
water lightens the burden of their illness
at least a little bit, and that’s why they often don’t want to come out of the water,”
says Nnoli. And the salt cave, which is
being made possible by a donation from
Grünenthal, creates a special, healthy atmosphere, which makes breathing easier
for many sick children.
“Unfortunately, such installations are
not part of the catalog of services that are
paid for by health insurance,” says Nnoli.
“They only pay a daily rate that comes
nowhere near covering the cost of caring
for a sick child.” There is no money for
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A wall is dedicated to children who passed
away. This offer helps many parents to
handle their pain.
facilities such as the therapy bath and salt
grotto or the housing, care and support
of families. Nor can the daily rate finance
investments such as the 3.7 million euros
spent on the new building. That is why
children’s hospices are extremely dependent on donations. They make possible
the many services provided in addition to
the immediate medical care for the sick
children. But it is precisely these offers
that are the strength of children’s hospices: Support and care for a sick child
take a lot of strength. As a result, parents
are driven to and over the brink of their
endurance. Many leave their jobs in order
to dedicate themselves fully to the care of
their children. A task that requires their
full attention 24 hours a day, seven days
a week, often over several years. At a Kinderhospiz, they can recharge their stores
of energy. Here, they are not forgotten;
they are always included.
“With our work, we not only provide
concrete help to the children and their
families, but also to society,” adds Frank
Schmenger. “Because we take in entire
families and give them strength, society
saves on a lot of expenses. For that reason, the work of the children’s hospices
actually ought to be better financed.”
The work of the children’s hospices in
Germany must thus be better supported
and financed.
Happily, many donors agree. They
make it possible for families of children
with life-shortening diseases to come
back again for a few days, sometimes
for a few weeks. Unfortunately, they
cannot always find a place when and
where they need it: In Germany, there
are in total just 14 inpatient children’s
hospices, which typically, like Sterntaler,
offer around 12 spots. And yet there are
about 40,000 children in Germany who,
along with their families, have a pressing
need for these few spots of regeneration
and strength building.
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This is another reason why the children’s
hospices work closely with one another.
Sterntaler has looked at many facilities in
order to be able to make the right decisions for the new building. The network
also works well with outpatient facilities
that provide nursing care to seriously ill
children and their families. Sterntaler
is one of the few that offers both: the
Mannheimer Verein progressed from
outpatient care to support the inpatient
children’s hospice right next to the cathedral city of Speyer. “If we can arrange it,
the same employees that provide outpatient care provide care for the children
when they are at the inpatient hospice.
And if that is not possible, then we still
always take care to ensure a good patient
transfer process and the necessary information exchange with the supportive care
service at home. That ensures continuity
in the care of the children,” says Linnford
Nnoli. And it strengthens the connection
between the children’s hospice and the
family. It grows over many years... if the
child lives so long. A connection that invites return visits. And that outlasts death in
many cases.

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“Thanks to the commitment of employees from the
Grünenthal Group, more than 100 people are being given a new home.”
Christian Michalski, Habitat for Humanity Germany
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NEPAL
During the monsoon, Habitat for Humanity arranged for more than 5,000 temporary accommodation
options.
“The involvement of the employees of the Grünenthal Group, which will
give new homes to more than 100 people, really touched us. For that, in
the name of all of those affected, we say thank you!”
CHRISTIAN MICHALSKI,
Habitat for Humanity Germany
Hope for Nepal
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
The goal of Habitat for Humanity: to help provide shelter for people in situations of need worldwide by building modest and affordable
houses.
IN APRIL 2015, an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 shook Nepal. As a consequence
of the quake, more than 8,000 people
died; tens of thousands were injured.
The global relief effort kicked in quickly,
but the cleanup work was made more
difficulty by the many aftershocks. The
strongest occurred barely two and a half
weeks after the first quake and again
had fatal consequences for the small
country. In total, more than a half million
houses were completely destroyed.
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Many employees of the Grünenthal
Group expressed the wish jointly to make
a small, sustainable contribution to help
daily life return to normal in Nepal. As
a result, the company decided to work
together with Habitat for Humanity
Deutschland. Habitat for Humanity is
an international aid organization with
projects and representatives in more than
70 countries. The organization was founded in the USA in 1976. Its goal: to help
provide shelter for people in situations
of need worldwide by building modest
and affordable houses. Over and above
that, the organization is active in disaster
preparedness and relief.
All Grünenthal employees worldwide
could participate in the firm-wide effort
in Nepal by making a donation. The
amount donated was then matched by
Grünenthal so that overall it was possible
to transfer 66,000 euros to Habitat for
Humanity. “We are happy that the idea
was accepted so positively by the employees. The readiness to support those in
need in Nepal was very high,” declares
Dr. Heinz-Gerd Suelmann, Head of Global Human Resources.
The firm’s donation was then used to
build houses and local infrastructure in
the Kavrepalanchok district in the Bagmati zone southeast of Kathmandu. “After
the devastating earthquake in Nepal in
April 2015, emergency help was initially
the focus of the media. Based on our
many years of experience, however, we
from Habitat for Humanity know that
the reconstruction that takes place after
the initial injection of emergency aid is
the more substantial part of the process,
and must be undertaken with great care
and far-sightedness,” declares Christian
Michalski of Habitat for Humanity. “With the ‘Build Nepal’ program, we now
plan to support 200,000 households
across the entire country within three
years.” The houses will be built with
environmentally friendly, local materials
to withstand vibrations from stronger
earthquakes. Sidhi Maya Magar, the
71-year-old resident of a Habitat house,
reported after the earthquake: “I was in
the garden, harvesting vegetables, when
the earth began to quake. [...] The house
where I lived before suffered numerous
cracks, but the Habitat house did not.”
The future residents of the houses obligate themselves not only to build just under 50 percent of their home themselves,
but also to finance part of the construction costs. This money then flows into the
financing of further houses. In this way,
the Nepalese government, the strategic
partner of Habitat for Humanity, would
like to promote the reconstruction long
term.

The houses are built with environmentally
friendly, local materials to withstand the
shocks of even stronger earthquakes.
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SPAIN
The children receive a case that contains items relating to their chosen superhero.
superpowers and must believe they are
strong enough to master the treatment
successfully. To succeed, however, they
must regularly imbibe the “Heroes’
Potion” – basically the medicine that is
the main component of the treatment.
Since it started in Madrid, the initiative has found increasing resonance in
Spanish hospitals. By now 12 hospitals
have taken up the idea and are persua-
Little Superheroes
THE HEROES’ POTION
WHEN CHILDREN SUFFER from
life-threatening illnesses, doctors and
families are confronted with demands
completely different from those they
face with adult patients. Children often
experience the atmosphere in a hospital as threatening. They must leave the
familiar surroundings that give them
security and stability.
Above:
Actors dressed as superheroes convey
to the children that they too can have
superpowers and must believe they are
strong enough to master the treatment
successfully.
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Many children cannot completely understand what is happening to them, and
this uncertainty – combined with many
anxieties – can make it harder to get a
successful result from something like
chemotherapy. Also, parents are often
overwhelmed by the situation and full
of worry about their child. Under the
circumstances it is naturally difficult for
them to convey confidence to the child
that all will be well again. For this reason,
any support that the young patients and
their family members receive from outside is a great help.Kinético“ In Spain in
2014, the initiative “The Heroes’ Potion,”
in which Grünenthal Spain participates,
was launched. It aims to change the
perception children and their parents
have of cancer. To reduce their anxiety
before the often lengthy treatment and
strengthen their belief in a successful
outcome. It seeks to harness the power
of imagination in supporting treatment
with psychological means. The initiative
focuses on six superheroes: “Muchacho
Invisible” [Invisible Boy], “Señorita
Muralla” [Miss Firewall], “Chico Elástico”
[Flexible Boy], “Linda Rayo” [Linda Sunbeam], “Guapo Kinético” [Kinetic Kid]
and “Chica Fuego” [Fire Maiden]. Each
of these figures has its own superpower,
in order to beat the villain – cancer. The
children select “their” hero and are given
a box with several items relating to him
or her. These include a comic book that
describes the hero’s adventures, a stuffed
animal intended to be a constant companion for the young patient during any
hospital stays, a poster for the sickroom,
a pin to wear on pajamas and a special
passport that is stamped at the end of
each cycle of treatment. In addition, both
caregivers and volunteers are trained in
how best to guide and support the effort.
In the first step, actors dressed as superheroes meet the children in a special
room in the hospital. The actors convey
to the children that they too can have
support. At Christmastime the employees visit the cancer wards of children’s
clinics to decorate them for Christmas. By doing so, they help to make
the distance from home during these days a little easier to take for the
young patients.
The aim is to reduce anxiety before the often lengthy
treatment and strengthen belief in a successful outcome
ded of its positive effect on treatment
success. “We will work on it further, to
improve the children’s situation, because
we cannot forget that the true heroes
are the children who must fight daily
to beat their serious illnesses,” says
the medical advisor for the Valencia
district government, Manuel Llombart.
The commitment of employees of
Grünenthal Spain goes beyond financial
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ITALY
ECUADOR
GRÜNENTHAL ITALY HAS supported
the foundation “I Bambini delle Fate”
[Fairy Children] for some years. This
nonprofit organization was founded by
Franco Antonello, a former journalist
at the Italian financial magazine Il sole
24 ore. The organization
finances social projects that
are organized by parents’
associations, institutions or
hospitals for children and
adolescents with autism and
disabilities and their families.
The projects financed by “I
Bambini delle Fate” focus on rehabilitative and social inclusion to improve the
lives of people that suffer from autism
and disabilities and offer respite to their
families.
Andrea, the son of founder Franco
Antonello, is autistic, and they travel
throughout Italy together to find sponsors for their work. The foundation has
a project in each city in Italy: each supporter, whether corporate or individual,
Support for
Fairy Children
A House for Angélica
I BAMBINI DELLE FATE
pays a small amount monthly to provide
constant and continuous funding for
the project in their own region. As of
December 31, 2014, more than 500
companies have financed 22 different
projects in seven Italian cities with their
donations.
In Milan, where the offices of
Grünenthal Italy are located, the supported project is called “Dalle Stelle alle
Stalle” [From the Stars to the Stable].
The goal of this project is to sensitize
autistic and disabled children to environmental problems. The project
offers them the chance to build a
positive and constructive relationship with the horses at the rehabilitation center Vittorio di Capua, which
is part of the hospital Niguarda Ca’
Granda, and to acquire knowledge and
respect for the environment.
GRÜNENTHAL-STIFTUNG ECUADOR
I Bambini delle Fate founder Franco Antonello, his son Andrea and the Italian fashion entrepreneur Renzo Rosso.
Angélica‘s dream came true: she is leaving her children a proper house to live in.
Grünenthal-Stiftung Ecuador a private non-profit organization. Its mission is
to make medical and social aid available
to Ecuador’s underprivileged population.
As part of its untiring efforts to provide
disadvantaged individuals and families
with a better life, the foundation took
steps to change the life of Angélica
Quishpe and her six children.
“A year ago, Angélica Quishpe was
diagnosed with endometrial cancer,” states Dr. Luis García, executive director of
the Grünenthal-Stiftung Ecuador. “She
was told that despite chemotherapy, her
illness would be fatal, and she was sent
home to her children.” The family lived
in a house that was in terrible condition.
The roof leaked, and the incoming water
would wet the only bed in the house,
in which the mother and her six children slept together. “My illness is in the
final stage, and my health is worsening
rapidly. I have six children: my eldest is
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fourteen, the youngest has just turned
four,” the 32 year old told members of
the foundation. “In the old house, it was
extremely cold at night because the walls
were made of plastic and cardboard, and
we had to divide up the space in order
to have a small kitchen.”
“When her story reached the foundation, we did not wait one second in
making her dream – to leave her children
a proper house – a reality,” says Dr. Luis
García. He shared Angelica’s story with
the employees of Grünenthal Ecuador,
and it resulted in a team project with an
ambitious goal: to make a proper and
fully equipped house available to Angélica and her children in a very short time.
“I told Angélica’s story to my family,
and we all wanted to help,” reports
Eduardo Gutierrez. The employees and
their families came together to clean
and paint the house. They managed to
provide Angélica’s house with six beds,
clothing for all of the children and kitchen fixtures. In addition, they arranged
for the children and Angélica to have a
store of groceries that would last for
some time. “I am so proud to be part
of this team and a firm that supports
this type of project,” says Lorena Baquezea. “We have the chance to alter
other people’s lives. This case was really
something unusual: The six happy and
laughing faces were the best payment
that one can imagine.”

25
from all over the World
Miscellaneous
EACH YEAR, colleagues from
Grünenthal USA volunteer with Habitat
for Humanity to build houses. Habitat
for Humanity is an international, nonprofit non-governmental organization
that was founded in 1976. The houses
are built entirely by volunteers and
“regulars” – people who often come
to the construction sites and help where they can. Some of these are retired.
Many are college students and come
during the summer holidays, a few are
homemakers – they all want to give
something back to society.
environment. Habitat contributes to
this in that it builds affordable houses
for people who otherwise could not
afford a house.

USA:
To build a house means
to build a future
then sold at no profit. However, the
organization does not simply “gift”
the houses to those in need: Future
homeowners buy the homes from Habitat for Humanity. They must be in a
position to pay their mortgages, must
prove they have a regular income and
be creditworthy. Habitat for Humanity
brings people together to build things
up – houses, communities and hopes.
In 2014, Grünenthal employees painted the walls and doors of the house
that they had helped to build the previous year. They were supported by
The Grünenthal employees had the
opportunity to get to know the
children who are going to move
into the house they built. They
are already very excited about
moving into their new home
soon and having their own
rooms that they can paint in
the colors they choose – for
example in pink or purple.
Studies have shown that
children do better in school
and are more successful in
life if they grow up in a secure
The JADE PROJECT (“Journée Action
Douleur Entreprise”, meaning Company Action Day against Pain) was
established in October 2013 by eight
colleagues from Grünenthal France,
to allow a range of employees to
contribute voluntarily for a
good cause. The goal
was to bring
together
outside
sa-
France:
Company Action Day
against Pain
les employees and office workers
away from the work environment and
to offer them the opportunity to collaborate for a good cause in the area
of pain medicine.
In the first year the project team decided
to dedicate JADE to children. In doing
so they made contact with the pediatric
services of a number of large hospitals
throughout France. The team organized activities such as drawing
and painting, where the aim was
to depict the project motto: “A
Superhero against Pain.”
“JADE is a fantastic human adventure,” says Nathalie Perrin
from the project team. “Helping
hospitalized patients with pain,
trying to provide them with
energy and joy to improve their daily
lives – even if it is just for a short time – is
a very emotional experience. That is why
the JADE-team works so intensely on this
project; it is an exciting and inspiring
experience.”

Spain:
Day of the Clean Office
IN APRIL 2014, there were two major
seaquakes off the north coast of Chile. The quakes, with Richter readings
of 8.2 and 7.6, resulted in tsunami
alarms, while countless people were
through the Chilean city of Valparaíso.
850 hectares were destroyed by the
blaze. The fire destroyed 2,500 houses
and left 12,500 people homeless.
Colleagues from Grünenthal Chile im-
Chile: Joint help
for disaster victims
traumatized by the seaquakes and
suffered their consequences. Just
two weeks later, a huge fire burned
26
mediately sought a way to help the affected people and organized a donation drive. Urgently needed goods such
as
clothing
and blankets
were collected and
donated to the Chilean
Red Cross. Grünenthal headquarters
matched the efforts of the Chilean
employees.

WITH EACH PASSING year, the employees of Grünenthal Spain show more
and more social responsibility, donating
their time and demonstrating solidarity. In one campaign, for example, the
employees removed all of the materials
that were no longer needed and thereby
supported a charitable organization that
distributed to people in need groceries in
the same quantity as the trash that was
collected. In 2014 that meant 11,000
kilos of trash were converted to 11,000
kilos of groceries. Several colleagues also
work voluntarily for a campaign in supermarkets. They were able to assemble
3,300 kilos of food for the Madrid food
bank.

27
„Here the young patients gather strength
for their difficult clinic visits.”
Dirk Zurmühlen, Nursing instructor
28
29
The young visitors care for the horses enthusiastically.
FÖRDERKREIS FÜR KREBSKRANKE KINDER UND JUGENDLICHE BONN E. V.
A Vacation from Pain
CANCER LEAVES NO age group
untouched. Even very young people
experience what it is like when illness
determines the course of one’s day,
when operations and chemotherapy
burden the young body and when family members accompany children full
of worry and sadness. Often the path
of suffering continues after the first
treatment cycle. Additional steps are
then needed in order to bring the young
patients back to health.
It is thus even more important
after these often serious physical and
spiritual impairments to recover again
and learn to live confidently with the
illness as well as accepting the further
therapeutic measures. The Förderkreises
30
für krebskranke Kinder und Jugendliche
Bonn e. V. [a society for the support of
children and adolescents with cancer]
offers something particularly special in
this regard: a week of free time at the
Reiterhof Hirschberg [Hirschberg Stables] in Großalmerode, north Hessen – a
location at the foot of the mountain
Hoher Meißner that is magical and idyllic
in equal measure.
The one-time manor offers ideal conditions for forgetting the daily routine of
hospital life and the painful experiences
connected with it. The seclusion of the
forest provides a relaxing environment:
three renovated residential buildings, a
large riding hall and four stables offer
many opportunities for distraction and
small adventures. The facility offers
multifaceted sensory experiences to
children between the ages of six and
14. In addition to the horses and ponies,
the children also have contact with many other animals: rabbits, guinea pigs,
chickens, cats, llamas and even a camel
are also among the animal residents
of the property. These are nurtured by
the children, whom it is not uncommon
to see communing with the various
animals. “My favorite was the rabbit,
‘Hasi,’” reports a nine year old visitor. “I
miss him so much that I would really like
to go again next year.”
“All of the challenges and the suffering are forgotten when the children
arrive here and meet with animals, play
The riding vacations offer recovery for body and soul.
and adventure,” relates nursing instructor Dirk Zurmühlen. “Being around animals stabilizes the young patients in body and soul. The week’s riding vacation
gives them strength to better deal with
the difficult periods of hospitalization.”
For the young patients, who often
already have lengthy stays in hospital
and challenging treatment behind them
as well as in some cases still before
them, it represents a diversion from their
illness and recovery for body and soul.
They take a “vacation from pain.” And
the effects are palpable. “My daughter
was much more even-tempered when
she came back from the riding camp,”
relates the mother of one girl. “I think it
is a wonderful thing.”
However, the time at the riding camp
is not just important for the children. It
also gives their family members an opportunity to take care of themselves and
their needs again, and that without the
fear that they are not providing enough
support for the sick child.
At Grünenthal, the support of this initiative has a long tradition. Every year for “My daughter was much more even-tem20 years the company
pered when she came back from the
has been helping enriding camp”
able vacations at the
Reiterhof Hirschberg.
As specialists in pain therapy, it is a
wonderful feeling to help with forgetting pain – at least for a short time.
31
Thalidomide
– a part of our company‘s history
IT WAS ALMOST 60 years ago that the
then-new company Grünenthal introduced the active ingredient Thalidomide
as a sedative, a move that brought about
the Contergan tragedy.
Today there are about 5,000 people
who were born at that time with in
some cases serious abnormalities. Over
the years, Grünenthal has made more
than 100 million euros available to those
affected. Many of our licensing partners,
that cover these costs. However, by now
many of those affected have taken early
retirement, and do not have access to
these resources. Therefore, it is important for us to offer this help to people affected by Contergan who do not receive
any support. Mobility is an important
factor for participation in social life and
it provides autonomy. The employees
of the Grünenthal Foundation receive a
lot of feedback from affected persons
about how
having
a
People affected by Thalidomide are often
personal
dependent on help because of their physical
vehicle has
limitations.
changed
their lives
often in cooperation with national and how important it is for the disabled
governments, have likewise provided person’s feeling of self-worth to have
autonomy. Not to have to ask others,
services to support those affected.
At the end of 2012, Grünenthal es- but rather to be able to act on one’s
tablished another institution, the “Grü- own, is important for many.
This also applies to being able to
nenthal-Stiftung zur Unterstützung von
Thalidomidbetroffenen” [Grünenthal lead one’s life between one’s own four
Foundation for the Support of Thalido- walls. People affected by Thalidomide
mide Victims (Grünenthal Foundation)] are often dependent on help because
in order to improve the living conditions of their physical limitations. The less they
of those affected in a sustainable way. need to make use of this help, the betAbove all, the Grünenthal Foundation ter they can live with these limitations.
concentrates on the retention of mobility as well as having autonomy in one’s
living situation. People who suffer from
abnormalities of the arms or legs generally cannot use public mass transit. If no
seat is available, they have only a limited
ability to hang on, and just getting into
many busses is a major barrier to use.
As a result, they are dependent on their
own vehicles. However, these vehicles
must be expensively and individually
adapted so that a person affected by
Thalidomide can drive the car safely in
traffic. For disabled people that are employed, there are institutions in Germany The team of the Grünenthal-Foundation
32
That starts with personal hygiene and
continues with meal preparation. For
that reason, the Grünenthal Foundation
supports disability-compatible retrofitting of bathrooms, kitchens and living
rooms.
Nowadays there is an extensive selection of special assistive devices and
alterations that allow people with disabilities to live at home as autonomously
as possible.
In many discussions with people
affected by Thalidomide, employees of
the Grünenthal Foundation have found
how important it is to listen and look at
each living situation and each need for
support individually. The foundation’s
offerings of support are available to
anyone affected by Thalidomide who
has been recognized by an official
institution.
With our foundation we try to
help make the life of affected persons
somewhat easier, for Thalidomide is and
remains part of our company’s history.

Initiatives
2015
The Grünenthal-Stiftung zur Unterstützung von Thalidomid-Betroffenen has supported more than 600 requests from affected persons. The payments made by the
Conterganstiftung [Contergan Foundation] to those affected amount to more than
600 million Euros.
2013
Grünenthal organizes a round table with representatives of those affected at which
the concrete needs of the people and the possibilities for support are openly discussed.
2013
After a study by the Universität Heidelberg paints a drastic picture of the health
situation of those affected by Contergan, the German federal government significantly increases the level of financial support provided to them.
2012
Grünenthal establishes the “Grünenthal-Stiftung zur Unterstützung von Thalidomidbetroffenen.” Grünenthal supports those affected by Contergan by assuming
the costs of items provided and offers projects for sustainable improvements in the
living situations of the affected persons.
2012
During the dedication of a Contergan memorial in Stolberg, the then CEO of Grünenthal, Dr. Harald F. Stock, apologized in the name of the company, the employees and
the owners for the fact that for almost 50 years we had not found a way to reach out
person to person, but rather had remained silent. After that, a dialogue with those
affected by Contergan was started, and continues to this day
2011
Grünenthal starts a hardship initiative through which, for the first time, the enterprise offers support services to Contergan victims other than money payments to the
Contergan Foundation.
2009
Grünenthal transfers a voluntary payment of 50 million euros to the Contergan
Foundation. From this money, special annual payments are made by the Contergan
Foundation to recognized affected persons.
2007
A first meeting between representatives of Grünenthal and the Bundesverband der
Contergan-Betroffenen takes place. The goal is to join with the federal government
to find better ways to care for those affected.
2003
After Grünenthal had supplied Thalidomide to the WHO for many years for use in
leprosy hospitals, the supply of Thalidomide by Grünenthal was finally ended.
1990s
Discovery that Thalidomide has an anti-inflammatory effect on the immune system
and inhibits the formation of new blood vessels. Use to combat serious illnesses such
as AIDS and cancer.
1972
Grünenthal pays 100 million German marks (ca. 50 million Euros) to the government’s
Contergan Foundation.
33
Contact:
The following organizations and institutions
were introduced in greater detail in this report:
Bundesverband Kinderhospiz e.V.
www.bundesverband-kinderhospiz.de
Cruz Roja Chilena (Rotes Kreuz Chile)
www.cruzroja.cl
Förderkreis für krebskranke Kinder
und Jugendliche Bonn e.V.
www.foerderkreis-bonn.de
Fundación Grünenthal Ecuador
www.fundaciongrunenthal.es/grt-fundacion/165300205.jsp
Habitat for Humanity Deutschland
www.hfhd.de
Habitat for Humanity USA
www.habitat.org/where-we-build/
united-states
Publisher: Grünenthal,
52099 Aachen
Editor-in-chief (v. i. S. d. P.):
Tom Hermes, Tel.: +49 241 569-2742,
[email protected]
Editorial: Tom Hermes, Dr. Tanja S.
Romich, Susanne Schmitt-Degenhardt
Additional Author: Christian Merten
Design: Petra Eich
Printing: A. Ollig GmbH & Co. KG, Köln
Run: 2500
Pictures: ©Fotolia.com,
Titel: detailblick-foto, page 11 Superingo,
page 26/27 Rawpixel.com, page 28/29
Zlatan Durakovic.
I bambini delle Fate
www.ibambinidellefate.it
Kinderhospiz Sterntaler e. V.
www.kinderhospiz-sterntaler.de
Reiterhof Hirschberg
www.reiterhof-hirschberg.de
Tom Hermes
[email protected]
+49-241-569 2742
34
Imprint
Susanne Schmitt-Degenhardt
[email protected]
+49-241-569 3699
35
Grünenthal GmbH | 52099 Aachen | Deutschland | www.grunenthal.com