Mid-July in Bern: In glorious summer weather, a group of children play exuberantly on the lawn of the Wyler outdoor public pool. Some are practicing their skills on the trampoline, others take a long run-up and glide down the water slide they built themselves. Some children sit at long benches and make bracelets out of colorful beads and yarn, others work highly concentrated on a marble run - brand self-made.
This hustle and bustle is made possible by "SoFeWo", short for "Summer Vacation Week": a vacation week for children from 1st to 6th grade in the northern district of Bern, where CSL Behring also has its site and supports SoFeWo financially every year - this time through R&D Global Regulatory Affairs (GRA). The amount ensures the financing of infrastructure, compensation for caregivers, toys and handicraft materials - and thus secures the continuation of SoFeWo
"We are truly grateful to CSL Behring for this financial contribution, because there is a great demand for leisure activities for children in the northern neighborhood, especially during the vacation season," says Andrea Scherler, head of the school secretary's office at the Sprachheilschule Wabern and board member of the SoFeWo association. For 21 years, various socio-cultural organizations (neighborhood work, youth work, open work with children, churches, etc.) have organized SoFeWo together with around 30 young volunteers. And in doing so, they fill a gap: "SoFeWo offers a wide range of activities to children who don't or can't go away during the summer vacations," says Scherler, "and at the same time provides support for the parents."
“Taking an active part in our society by contributing to this noble cause benefiting the children of our neighborhood is a great privilege”, Franck Nicolas, CSL’s Global Head of Regulatory Operations & Business Excellence. “We are honored and humble to have this opportunity to put a smile on children’s faces.”
