Sanofi Bridging the Gap between the Homeless and Society via Futsal

Sanofi hosted the founding ceremony of the homeless futsal club ‘Dream’ and organized a friendly match as a part of the Helping Hands program

Sanofi employees and ‘Dream’ members interacted through the friendly match

Sanofi has carried out social responsibility activities targeting the homeless and housing vulnerable groups since 2011

Sanofi in Korea[1], the Korean subsidiaries of the global healthcare company Sanofi, hosted the founding ceremony of the homeless futsal club ‘Dream’ together with Dalpengyee, a nonprofit organization, to promote self-sufficiency among the homeless.

At the founding ceremony of the ‘Dream’, held in Seongsu-dong, Seoul on the 17th, the club’s first game was a friendly match against a football team consisting of Sanofi employees. Sanofi sponsored the foundation of the ‘Dream’ as part of its decade-long homeless program Helping Hands, wishing to go beyond protecting rights to health, and highlight the cultural and sports rights of the homeless.

Helping Hands is Korea’s largest homeless free flu vaccination program operated by targeting the homeless and housing-vulnerable groups in medical service blind spots. Sanofi has operated this program since 2011, contributing to preventing social disconnection of the homeless in addition to promoting the right to health of the homeless.

Through sponsorship, Sanofi seeks to support the social activities of the homeless and ultimately contribute to helping the homeless rebuild a positive self-image via sports, and encourage confidence. Following the founding ceremony, the ‘Dream’, will continue its activities by completing registration as an official futsal club in the Korea Futsal League.

Pascal Robin, General Manager, Sanofi Korea’s Vaccine Business Unit: “13 years ago, when the homeless issue was shunned in Korea, Sanofi was the first company to recognize and approach the issue. The establishment of Helping Hands, free flu vaccinations for the homeless, led to a change in social awareness of the homeless within Korea, allowing other Korean companies to join in improving the right to health of the homeless. As we did with Helping Hands, Sanofi seeks to better the diverse rights of the homeless through sponsoring the foundation of the homeless futsal club ‘Dream’, hoping to contribute to creating a society that is more inclusive and understanding.”

Yun Geon, President, Dalpengyee: “For the homeless, engaging in cultural and sports activities such as joining a futsal club can be a life-changing opportunity, as they start to interact and engage with the society, which they once chose to dissociate with, taking a big step toward building self-reliant lifestyle. In that sense, it is truly meaningful for us to take part in the foundation of the futsal club and have Sanofi join us for a friendly match.”.

Meanwhile, Dalpengyee, a nonprofit organization aiding self-support of the homeless through culture and art, founded the ‘Dream’, hoping to bridge the social gap between the homeless and the public.

[1] Among the Korean subsidiaries of Sanofi, sanofi-aventis Korea (General Manager: Kyung-eun Bae), Sanofi Pasteur (General Manager: Pascal Robin), and Opella Healthcare Korea (General Manager: Gyeong-hui Jeong), this press release was issued by sanofi-aventis Korea.

About Sanofi

We are an innovative global healthcare company, driven by one purpose: we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives. Our team, across some 100 countries, is dedicated to transforming the practice of medicine by working to turn the impossible into the possible. We provide potentially life-changing treatment options and life-saving vaccine protection to millions of people globally, while putting sustainability and social responsibility at the center of our ambitions. Sanofi is listed on EURONEXT: SAN and NASDAQ: SNY

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Haekyung Lee [e-mail]