WSP contributes to the economic, social and sustainable development of the host countries and communities in which we work by paying taxes, providing local employment and through our technical work supporting and facilitating a wide range of projects that enable communities to develop and grow.
During 2006, we made charitable donations totalling £89,754 (2005: £237,556). Less directly, we try to be supportive of the charitable activities undertaken by staff, and in the UK we aim to increase the publicity and uptake of our Give as You Earn scheme.
Through our master planning and development expertise we make a real difference to communities around the world by supporting them to create new urban environments, improving and revitalising existing towns and cities and designing and managing urban transport systems and links. Our work in the health and education sectors is also fundamental to the well-being of communities, and additionally, some 3% of our projects are funded by international aid organisations, with a focus on sustainable development in emerging economies.
For a number of years, we have promoted the WSP Real World Learning programme which has worked in two of the communities in the Limpopo province of South Africa. During 2006, we supported an HIV/AIDS clinic which cares for orphans by drawing together a team of WSP staff with sustainable development expertise from around the world to construct new food preparation and serving facilities. The clinic, which works with some 70 children, is operated by the community in conjunction with the Lapelle non-governmental organisation. The exercise also helped to advance our sustainable development knowledge sharing ‘virtual community’, bringing them together in one place, sharing experiences, and enabling them to simulate and learn from the challenges of globalisation and diversity that we encounter in WSP.