These requests may involve anything from informal care and odd jobs around the house to
walking the dog and painting lessons.
Rabobank is one of the founders ofWeHelpen, which was established in 2012. By the end of
2014, more than 17,000 users were registered on the platform. In 2014, a total of 2,100 public
requests for assistance were posted and 1,100 support networks of people who help each other
were created. Fifteen local Rabobanks are currently members of the WeHelpen community,
along with several large Dutch health insurance companies, around fifteen municipal
governments and healthcare institutions, home care providers and housing associations.
Read more about WeHelpen.nl here.
Services to the healthcare industry
We regard healthcare as one of the cornerstones of any vital community. Rabobank is a leading
bank in this sector, not least because of its knowledge in this area. Indeed, we are the primary
banker of many healthcare institutions and medical professionals. For example, we were involved
in establishing the new Princess Maxima Children's Cancer Centre in Utrecht. Founded at the
initiative of parents of patients and professionals working in this field in the Netherlands, the
centre brings together leading experts in healthcare and research. A bank consortium including
Rabobank and BNG Bank entered into a credit arrangement in 2014 for the construction of the
building and to provide the working capital.
Vulnerable populations in the Netherlands
Ordinary everyday activities such as paying for purchases with a debit card or credit card, using
your mobile or PC for online banking, or withdrawing cash from an ATM seem the most natural
thing in the world. However, this is not so self-evident for society's more vulnerable populations,
such as elderly people with dementia and people who cannot read or write. Rabobank acts as
an advocate for these groups in the Netherlands and makes efforts to remove some of the barriers
that prevent them from performing financial transactions if needed. Rabobank Foundation plays
a particularly important role in financing and driving these initiatives.
Rabobank manages several projects related to financial education. We developed the 'Banking
Together' concept, which supports customers who are incapable of managing their own
banking affairs. The website Steffie.nl makes our financial services accessible to people who
are semi-literate or illiterate. Through Rabobank Foundation, we also support the Home
Administration programme initiated by volunteer organisation Humanitas, which assists people
with financial difficulties.
Besides promoting education, we also seek to raise awareness and encourage a debate on the
circumstances of the various vulnerable populations living in our communities. As part of these
efforts, we donate funds to DementieEnDan ('Dementia: then what?') and Cooperative Dementia
Delta Plan, two programmes dedicated to raising awareness of the many arrangements that
need to be made on behalf of people suffering from dementia. Rabobank and Alzheimer
Netherlands jointly organise information sessions in local communities. The documentary
footage developed through DementieEnDan was used for training courses for our advisors,
using a donation from Rabobank Foundation.
Read more about Humanitas' Home Administration programme here.
Annual Report 2014 Rabobank Group
