Assuming social responsibility and giving back to communities is one of the key principles guiding the work of the Wilo-Foundation. Especially now, where societies are facing major challenges, solidarity and social cohesion have become more important than ever. So far, the Wilo-Foundation has provided support to the following assistance programmes in countries that have been particularly affected by the pandemic.

A consortium of water researchers from Aachen (FIW), Frankfurt virologists, ecotoxicologists and evolution researchers (Goethe University) has now shown in Germany for the first time that SARS-CoV-2 genetic material can be detected in treatment plants using modern molecular methods. In vitro cell tests revealed that the SARS-CoV-2 fragments detected in the wastewater are non-infectious. However, due to the high loads and low retention capacity of conventional treatment plants, the behaviour of SARS-CoV-2 in the water cycle should be investigated in more depth. The research team was supported by the Wilo-Foundation, among others.

A large donation of 30,000 euros went to the Covid-19 research activities of Stiftung Universitätsmedizin Essen (Essen University Medicine Foundation). The funds are being used for a coronavirus research project at the Medical Faculty of the University of Duisburg-Essen. As part of the project, funding is provided to the German-Chinese research centre in Wuhan (China), which has been in operation for many years and is currently focusing all its efforts on coronavirus research.

The Wilo-Foundation made donations to overcrowded hospitals in the Italian Covid-19 hotspots of Milan and Bergamo to enable them to purchase medical equipment and to support the medical staff working in these hospitals.

As part of Habitat for Humanity’s Covid-19 relief project #SavetheSaviors, for which the Wilo-Foundation provided financial support, an emergency centre was built within a short time. The centre, located in Moinești northeast of Bucharest, provides medical care for up to 65,000 people from 11 neighbouring communities.

The donation to Habitat for Humanity’s relief fund helped to carry out urgently needed repairs on homes of more than 100 families in vulnerable communities of São Paulo and, in this way, improved the housing, sanitation and hygiene conditions for local inhabitants.

In the Indian state of Maharashtra, where Wilo operates a production site in the city of Pune, the Wilo-Foundation provided funding to support a relief project of Habitat for Humanity for the purchasing and distribution of hygiene kits to at-risk groups and families. The kits contained soap, surface disinfectants, detergents and masks.

In response to the Covid-19 crisis, the Wilo-Foundation decided to expand its ongoing support for Enactus, the world’s largest entrepreneurial learning platform for students. For the first time, the Wilo-Foundation made a financial contribution to the #Enactus Cares “Ideas for Impact Contest” for students in India who, through their projects, demonstrated strength, team spirit and resilience in the challenging times of Covid-19. The Wilo-Foundation sponsored the prize money for the best ideas.