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phelephepa train

Our Commitment to Corporate Citizenship

As a leading healthcare company, our goal is to continue to develop innovative medicines and diagnostics that address unmet medical needs and are of real value to society. We aim to provide real improvements in patients' health and their quality and length of life - this is our core contribution.

We are committed to achieving our aims in a responsible and sustainable manner and we do this by:

  • Meeting high standards of performance in business practices and ethics by ensuring our values of integrity, courage and passion guide the daily behaviour and decisions of all employees.
    Business Integrity
  • Working with governments and healthcare providers to help develop effective policies relating to public health and access to medicines and diagnostics. 
  • Encouraging employee participation in, and providing corporate sponsorship for a wide range of health, education and social service programs and activities.
    Roche's Children's Walk 

 
You can find out more about Roche's policy to Philanthropic Donations and non-commercial Sponsorship by clicking here.

Corporate responsibility in South Africa

The Transnet Phelophepa health train initiative

Roche South Africa is one of the key sponsors of the Transnet Phelophepa health train initiative, now 17 years in action with an average of 45 000 patients visiting it each year for Primary Healthcare Services. For more information on this initiative click here.

The Charlotte Maxeke Oncology Unit project

Roche has embarked on a number of community projects, such as the upgrading and modernisation of the Charlotte Maxeke Oncology Unit.

The development of the facility not only provided cancer patients receiving treatment with more comfortable surroundings but also ensured that the medical teams continue to provide quality care to in and outpatients receiving treatment at the unit. The isolation wards also increased from 4 to 7 almost doubling the number of patients who could be assisted at one time. For more information on Charlotte Maxeke oncology unit project, click here.

Educare

Apart from refurbishing health facilities, Roche - through its Educare programme - also provides training in oncology for healthcare workers in sub-Saharan African. For more information on Educare, click here.

Working with communities in Africa

Roche’s children walk

The Roche Children’s Walk is the expanded version of what was formerly known as the Global Roche Employee AIDS Walk. The first sponsored walk took place in 2003 as a pilot project with three sites taking part – Basel, Nutley and Palo Alto. A project of the Roche Employee and Charity Trust (Re&Act), it was inspired by employees concerned about the growing number of AIDS orphans in Africa and their desire to personally do something to help. The pilot walk was an overwhelming success, 1 300 employees participated and a total of 330 000 Swiss francs was raised, and has continuously grown since then.

In 2010, 100 sites participated, with over 19 000 colleagues walking. Close to 1.2 million Swiss francs were donated to support the AIDS orphans in Malawi.

Funds raised by the employees are used to implement and support projects run by the European Coalition of Positive People (ECPP) and UNICEF in Malawi. ECPP has used the funds to establish seven orphan centres where children orphaned by AIDS are given food, day care, clothing, the chance of a secondary school education and vocational training. The funds have also enabled ECPP to employ a nurse who is specifically dedicated to monitoring the children’s health. A further share of the funds raised is donated to UNICEF Switzerland to be invested in primary education in Malawi by building classrooms, improving facilities, buying learning materials and supporting teachers’ training at schools attended by children from the orphan centres. In addition, Roche is working with the Malawian government to give access to medication. 

So far, the funds have resulted in the successful rollout of the following:

  • 13,000 children assisted through 5 orphan centres
  • Over 4,000,000 meals provided
  • Nearly 30,000 school uniforms supplied
  • Close to 100 children helped through secondary school each year
  • 18 much needed schoolrooms built to create better learning environments
  • 6,000 books and over 2,200 pieces of classroom furniture provided to schools.

For more information on the Roche Employee and Charity Trust (Re&act) and its activities in other parts of the world, click here.