ÖLEND + FOUNDAWTION

Starting in November 2021, Ölend dedicates 1% of its yearly earnings to backing the work carried out at Foundawtion.

Foundawtion is a non-profit body whose social mission is described as ‘operating within a spirit of cooperation, advancing development and social action, and lending support on questions tied to construction, physical, environmental and social infrastructure, housing, the environment, town planning, education, design and architecture.’

From the very start, Ölend has aimed to act as a conscientious label — championing small, nearby businesses and crafting products that are well made and lasting. Yet we sense there is more to give, and it was through our friends Marc Morro and Pepi de Boissieu that we came across Foundawtion. We are fond of the initiative and feel a kinship with what it stands for.

CEM KAMANAR Project — Photo by Coke Bartrina

MAIN OBJECTIVES

Delivering projects that address architectural needs in economically disadvantaged regions.

Delivering projects that respond to design needs on a social scale.

Sharing know-how and building educational initiatives
in the places where the foundation is active.

Energising communities and shaping alternative futures through
architectural work, design and education.

Bringing about positive shifts in society, drawn from
the tools that architecture, design and education provide.

CEM KAMANAR Project — Photo by Claudia Mauriño

The Foundawtion board is made up of David García, architect and founding trustee, Luis García, lawyer, Carmen Revilla, president and media officer, Lluís Morón, resources and logistics, Marc Morro, furniture design, and Javi Royo, head of education.

VALUES

(1) Quality
Respect and Local Integration
Grasping the reality of the place where work happens and drawing the local community into the architectural, design or educational efforts.

(2) Support
Offering material backing for the initiatives carried out in the community where our projects take shape.

(3) Exchange
Encouraging a sharing of experiences and cultures between where we come from and where we work (for African projects, between Africa and Europe). We hold that this is a mutual experience, both for the volunteers who travel to the areas where we operate and for the local people in the project zone.

(4) Communication
Setting up two-way channels of communication around how projects progress.

(5) Equality
Equality on every level is among our core values — above all when it comes to equal opportunity. We work so that women's communities in the countries where we operate gain a larger role, more autonomy and greater empowerment.

(6) Development
Every Foundawtion effort exists to advance the community as a whole, with particular care for the most vulnerable within it (for instance, children and women).

More information: foundawtion.org