OUR SOCIAL IMPACT
At MONSTRUM, we create playgrounds for children all over the world, providing spaces for play and allowing imaginations to run wild. However, there are still many children who never get this opportunity because they are born in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Our vision is to help these children and contribute the resources we have to places where they are needed the most. We achieve this by donating money to global social initiatives and also by actively supporting local initiatives.
MONSTRUM allocates 10% of the company's annual profit each year for social impact work.
NATIONAL ANNUAL FUNDRAISER
CHARITY PROJECT 2021 & 2022
In Denmark, the annual national fundraising event, 'Danmarks Indsamling', is a televised appeal night, and the funds raised go towards various relevant causes. In 2021 and 2022, the funds raised went towards helping children affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the COVID-19 crisis has affected many people across the world, it is catastrophic in the world's poorest nations. Child morbidity is on the rise, more and more people live in poverty, and the situation is now extreme in areas that were already in great need. It will take several years for the world's poorest to get back to the same level as before the pandemic.
The money donated contributes to ensuring that vulnerable children can access clean water, go to school, and receive the necessary protection and medical care. MONSTRUM wanted to be a part of this important work and donated a percentage of our annual profit to this good cause.
THE HOMELESS BUILD THEIR OWN HOMES
CHARITY PROJECT 2018-2019
Homelessness in Denmark is on the rise, and we aimed to address this issue not only through financial aid, but also by creating a collaborative social space. We began by organizing a design workshop where four homeless individuals worked closely with MONSTRUM to optimize and create plans for their future homes. The design was taken to our workshop and built by the homeless in collaboration with our professional carpenters. Throughout this period, the homeless were invited to join the MONSTRUM crew and contribute their skills and abilities.
As the city undergoes rapid change with increasing property prices, the social divide continues to grow. However, this change also presents new opportunities. Upcoming development projects have left behind passive city spaces that can be utilized for temporary housing. Our four houses are designed to be compact, measuring approximately 3 x 6 meters, and are easily transportable, making them a suitable solution to create mobile communities that can be placed in diverse cityscapes.
The project has been recognized with numerous awards, including the International Design Award with Gold and Bronze in the Architecture categories for "Mobile Homes" and "Conceptual design", as well as the Aarhus Architecture Award 2018.
OUTREACH TO LUSAKA
CHARITY PROJECT 2017
In Lusaka, Zambia, we collaborated with 'Plan Danmark' and 'African Direction' to support a development project in the slums.
"In Lusaka, there is a need for safe havens and play spaces for children growing up in the slums. They require a space that is solely for them. The youth at Africa Directions Center participate in workshops where they make democratic decisions on whether MONSTRUM's donations should be used for a building with play space, a soccer field, a workshop for girls only, or something completely different." - Marie Hecht, Plan Danmark
The result of this collaboration was the construction of a netball court and the renovation and repainting of the surrounding walls. The center now serves over 500 children and young people aged between 4 and 25 years old, offering activities such as basketball, dance lessons, sewing classes, sexual education, contraception education, and business training. The center is the only safe haven for these children and young people, as the slums of Lusaka are not safe places for them. The goal is to keep them away from drugs, off the streets, and other unsafe places. The playing field is established in Mtendere, adjacent to Africa Directions' existing youth center.
