Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
THIS may be the season of goodwill but for one group of telecom employees the message rings out loud throughout the year.
When Viva Bahrain isn’t busy making the dreams of young Manchester United football fans through its sponsorship deal with the English Premiership giants it is building bridges within the community through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm called Jusoor.
Jusoor, which literally means ‘bridges’, was launched by the company in January 2011 with the aim of connecting and empowering young people in the kingdom as well as those with special needs through various initiatives while keeping true to its promise ‘to help people live every moment’.
Its core philosophy is aligned with two key guidelines, Bahrain 2030’s economic vision and the empowerment of the individual.
Layla Mohammed Janahi, Viva’s CSR director, said: “Every organisation needs to give something back to the community. Without them there is no us.
“We may still be young in the market but we are always on the lookout for opportunities – unlike other programmes we see a need … and fill it!
“Normally people think CSR is all about sponsoring charities by giving money to the organisation and then that’s it, no involvement after that. That’s not how we see it.
“We want to be directly involved in helping the needy and the young of Bahrain and we do it by initiating our own projects.”
As a result 90 per cent of Viva’s 140 employees have registered to volunteer in the various initiatives, co-ordinated by two full-timers.
Already the company has launched initiatives such as providing 50 per cent discount on post-paid bills for people with special needs in Bahrain, supporting the ‘Silver-Craft Production’ with the Bahrain Deaf Society and the Autism SMS Campaign for Alia Primary Intervention, as well as organising the Viva Youngstars event and more.
Mrs Janahi explained: “All our initiatives are in line with the Ministry of Social Development. For example, the ‘Silver-Craft Production’ was a six-month project focused on empowering deaf people by teaching them how to work on silver arts and crafts that can become a source of income for them in the future. We not only funded them but also provided them with the proper resources such as laptops and connectivity.
“During our Autism Campaign we wanted to raise awareness and we did so through print media awareness and donations were also raised by VIVA subscribers through SMS charges and then given to Alia Primary Intervention. It was so successful that we supported them again this year.
“We also held other events such as a Ramadan ghabga for the elderly and another for the orphans registered with the Royal Charity Organisation. More than 100 elderly women attended and it was such a great experience. It was the first time I had ever been involved in such an event and I loved it.
“When I saw the elderly smiling and laughing that was reward enough. These events have hit the hearts of our team at VIVA and many members have stepped in to volunteer – even our chief executive is a volunteer!”
Bahrain Deaf Society chairman Mahdi Al Nuaimi was full of praise and said: “On behalf of the members of our society, I would like to extend my sincerest thanks and appreciation for VIVA’s constant support. The bridge has been built between us and they are continually supporting and encouraging our members as well as other individuals with special needs to further develop their skills in order to achieve great things.”
Aside from helping the disabled, Viva is also focusing on the future leaders of tomorrow. It recently sponsored the kingdom’s biggest academic and professional annual event, Career Expo 2012. It marked the telecom providers’ first participation in the fair which attracted young people from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to explore various academic opportunities.
Leveraging its collaboration with the National Society for the Support of Education and Training, the company aimed to empower the youngsters of Bahrain through career counselling sessions, training guidance workshops as well as offering them a platform to enhance their personal and professional skills while interacting with experts from Viva.
School and university students and job seekers were encouraged to visit its pavilion to take advantage of the various career development sessions organised by the company and explore job possibilities across several business units.
Mrs Janahi added: “We are committed to empowering the youngsters of Bahrain and preparing them for what is to come. Our Viva Youngstars event for example, featured young individuals learning the ropes at our headquarters.
