CAIRO: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become more than just a fashionable affair to the corporate world. Gone are the days when CSR was an option that corporations entertained when wanting a slight facelift. Today, it is a veiled imposition that, under no circumstance, can be ignored.
Unfortunately, while the global private sector has become a CSR citizen, many companies do no more than talk the talk. When it comes down to the gist of it, their image-building programs are usually flighty, short term and lacking in ability to make real, sustainable change.
Similar to its third world counterparts, Egypt is a goldmine for CSR activities. The many poor communities that stand side by side with the modern glint of steel office buildings provides an eye-opening, if not somewhat painful, reminder that while globalization has affected the private sector, it has not touched those who live just outside the glass revolving doors.
Fortunately, not all great corporations think alike. In recent years, many big corporations in Egypt have realized the importance of community service. These companies have taken it upon themselves to make a sustainable difference, without thought of profit, or the tacky branding that belies the essence of the cause.
The Four Seasons Nile Plaza, part of the worldwide Four Seasons chain of hotels, ‘adopted’ an orphanage for handicapped girls in April 2006.
“We wanted to adopt a place for life, like adopting a family, and that’s what we did with the orphanage, says Hibba Bilal, PR manager at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza.
According to Bilal, the hotel was adamant that the CSR project they undertake be a long-term cause.
“We did not want to get into something you do once, and then walk off, says Bilal.
The orphanage for handicapped girls, located in Old Cairo, is a public entity that houses what Bilal coins as the lost and forgotten women of Cairo. Ranging in age from 10-40, these females are living in very poor conditions, sleeping in cramped quarters (8-12 beds stuck side by side in small rooms), with insect infested kitchens and dirty bathrooms.
“When we toured the orphanage, we saw that it needed lots of work, and that immediately drew us to it, says Bilal.
According to Bilal, every department in the hotel has gotten involved in the project. The engineering department (which pooled in money and bought the girls pajamas) along with the food and beverages (F&B) department (which provided catering on Orphans Day and plans to send their chefs to teach the orphan’s cooks how to cook certain meals), housekeeping, (which provided shampoo, soaps and towels), among others, have all gotten on board.
“Nothing we give is monetary, says Bilal. “The items within the means of the hotel, we give away. The other things, we purchase and put in ourselves, she adds.
The hotel has purchased and installed fans for the girls, and is in the process of retiling the bathroom floors and changing the doors.
The hotel’s infectious enthusiasm has reached their suppliers. The hotel’s kitchen supplier, BASCO, is donating ovens and their landscapers are doing the garden work at the orphanage.
Internally, the 1,300 employees of the hotel are either donating money, or rolling up their sleeves and delving into the work themselves.
Up next on the hotel’s agenda is an extension for the orphanage. On September 20, the hotel will hold a black tie gala dinner. Proceeds will go directly to the construction of an extension.
“It’s all about changing and bettering the livelihood of these girls. They have their heads shaved off, for hygiene and safety reasons. And it breaks your heart because they look like little boys, lost and alone. Whose going to take care of them? states Bilal.
Another corporation working in CSR is Exxon Mobil Egypt, which has been working with Injaz (Achievement), a project under the umbrella of Save the Children in Egypt, since 2004, as one of their CSR initiatives.
“What drew us to Injaz, is that it provides youth with the curriculum needed to enter the job market, says Nihad Shilbaya, treasurer and public affairs team leader, Exxon Mobil Egypt.
According to Shilbaya, the schooling system has not integrated economic and occupational education into the school curricula and that is where Injaz comes in handy.
The Injaz curriculum encompasses classes that teach youth the role of business in a global economy; the commitment of business to environmental and social issues; the relevance of education in the workplace and the impact of economics on their future.
In the two years that Exxon Mobil has been involved with the program, for one hour a week for a period of 10 weeks, more than 51 of their employees have volunteered to give workshops and regale the students with their professional experiences in five schools around Egypt.
“Our main objective is to make a change from the beginning, says Shilbaya. “Educating the future generation is the key to change in this country.
British Gas (BG) is also taking an active interest in the community, albeit with a project closer to home. Among their CSR activities is the Road Safety campaign, which has become the company’s poster child for their CSR activities since it was implemented two years ago.
To avoid driving accidents, BG launched their first road safety campaign in Idku, east of Alexandria, where the company owns an LNG plant, their largest operation in Egypt.
Working with health centers, schools, mothers and teachers, BG also distributed reflective strips for the children’s school bags and placed road signs on the streets. In the span of two years, hospital records from driving accidents showed a 72 percent reduction in road accidents. “The results from the campaign were very successful and very encouraging. So by extension, what we are hoping to do is launch a major national campaign, joining forces with other companies to promote safe and defensive driving here in Egypt, said Nagwa Shoeb, policy and corporate affairs manager at BG said in a previous interview with The Daily Star Egypt.
BG has also undertaken several safety measures and actions. The company, which provides training courses to it’s staff annually courtesy of international trainers, has taken it upon itself to train bus drivers for school such as the British School in Maadi, where the company’s offices are located.
“We have trained drivers in private schools such as [the] British school because we have direct access to them. Because we have the training already for our drivers, we were able to extend, said Shoeb.
According to Shoeb, BG is willing to extend its training services on a national scale by assisting the government in training microbus drivers and the likes.
“It s a productive partnership between the private sector, NGO’s and the government. Step by step, we can change things. Obviously it will take time and money, but no one said it has to be done in one day, she added.
The truth of the matter is, big corporations are being asked to become good corporate citizens, and some are proving that they are.
