Community & Social Welfare - 2007 Honourees

Community & Social Welfare 2007 — By csr on May 26, 2008 at

At the inaugural 2007 PM’s CSR Awards, the quality of Intel’s CSR Programme outshone all those shortlisted and the company took home the trophy in the Community & Social Welfare category.

intel-volunteer-480xIntel has had a number of programmes that aim to empower the underprivileged - its Back to School Program provides children with school basics; its Annual Adopt-a-Child Campaign provides funds for two homes to cater to the needs of residents; while its Volunteer Matching Grant Program sees employees giving tuition and taking part in various school projects, with the US-based Intel Foundation donating US$80 for every 20 hours contributed by an employee. In the PC Pal Program, employees keep in email contact with students to enhance both their English & IT skills. In addition, Intel runs four community centres in Penang.

All the programmes are either renewed yearly, or are long-term investments such as the Community Computer Centres. Intel’s CSR initiatives are very much driven by its employees. To date, almost half of Intel’s 10,000 employees have participated in CSR activities. In fact, a Community Perception Survey in 2005 voted Intel as one of the top CSR companies in Penang and Kulim.

It would appear that Intel’s community work is very much centred in Penang because of the personal contact which is a hallmark of its programme. However, Intel also provides support to communities all around the country and even in neighbouring countries that have been afflicted by natural disasters. These include the devastating floods in Johor in 2007 and the Yogyakarta earthquake.

The two companies that received Honourable Mentions in 2007 were Procter & Gamble (M) Sdn Bhd for its Open Minds programme which focuses on the needs of special children, and CIMB Group for its innovative Community Link which supports causes identified by its customers.

pg-150xSince 1999, P&G Malaysia’s Open Minds project has helped to improve the lives of special children by providing them with effective education tools and programmes. From 1999 to 2004, the company has contributed RM4 million to help 3,000 autistic and dyslexic children in 57 schools and special education centres nationwide. In 2005/2006, the company raised RM2 million through corporate fund-raising and employee voluntarism for 10 beneficiary organisations. This approach also served the dual objective of raising awareness about the education needs of special children.

Open Minds is presently in the process of developing a national special education blueprint. It is also helping to develop a model school for special education, as a benchmark for other schools and centres.

Management and staff have been actively involved and have individually set targets for fundraising. Leadership is one of the most important elements of CSR initiatives and P&G’s CEO is no exception - he raised RM56,000 by successfully climbing to the summit of Mount Kinabalu.

By giving special children in Malaysia access to programmes that help develop self-esteem and life-skills, Open Minds is helping them to succeed in life. The project helps support the Government’s efforts to ensure that all Malaysian children receive the education they need.

cimb-vision-possible-220CIMB’s Community Link project aims to empower communities and enrich lives. Customers are encouraged to propose projects. Upon adopting a project, the bank allocates a pre-determined sum to fund it and customers contribute by transacting with the bank. Each transaction translates into a contribution by the bank towards the target amount.

Community Link projects straddle the areas of community welfare, environmental awareness and education. Since its launch in 2006, projects nominated for support by CIMB customers have included the purchase of vans and essential supplies for homes catering for the disabled, free medical camps for the underprivileged, dialysis machines, building of wheelchair ramps in parks, academic excellence awards, computers for a school resource centre and many others. CIMB has also supported sports development and assistance to flood victims.

Community Link is an ongoing initiative. The bank keeps in touch with relevant administrators to ensure current needs are met and future requirements taken into consideration. As the project operates through its bank branches there is a high level of management and staff involvement as well as interaction with customers and the project recipients.

The Prime Minister’s CSR Awards, launched by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development in 2007, aims to recognise companies that have made a difference to the communities in which they operate through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes. Download the Official Entry Form. Tags:

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