A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business. – Henry Ford
“I couldn’t complete my education, and it’s why I am still struggling to earn a living. But I don’t want the same for my daughters. They should have a firm standing in society,” says Amjad, a rickshaw driver from Karachi.
While Amjad struggles to make a decent wage, his daughters are carving their own paths to a better future. Having studied from TCF Schools, three of Amjad’s daughters are pursuing their tertiary education in some of the best institutions of the country.
TCF, short for The Citizens Foundation, is one of the biggest chains of schools for the under-privileged. It runs largely on donations with the corporate sector among its top donors. Corporate sector organizations including SSGC provide monetary support to non-profit organizations such as TCF under the banner of Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR, which is how companies manage their business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society.
Cynics might dismiss the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility or as a mere public relations tool. They may question whether the corporate sector, whose main objective is maximizing profits, can be trusted to work for the socio-economic well-being of the common people. The good news is that CSR today is now seen as among the key business objectives and one with a heavy dose of human touch.
Take SSGC for example. While the Company’s prime objective is ensuring an uninterrupted gas supply in its franchise provinces, it is also obligated by the Regulator (OGRA) to allocate a nominal amount through social investments in the areas of education, health, environment and community development. The premise behind each intervention is driven by the urge to improve the quality of life of the local community and society at large.
SSGC has been dedicatedly undertaking CSR-related interventions for the past 15 years or so. Skeptics question whether the corporate sector which is primarily driven towards making profits can totally justify indulging in CSR activities. By taking the mission of transforming lives committedly, SSGC has demonstrated that profit taking and responsible corporate citizenship need not be mutually exclusive.
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Need analysis, scoping, planning, site surveys and ultimate execution by SSGC are carried out either on solo basis or through strategic local partnerships with key governmental, non-governmental, not-for profit, educational and health institutions. SSGC can safely say that its collaborative CSR partners are those organizations who have an exceptional track record in changing the lives of the communities around it, be it in the area of education, health, environment and community development.
SSGC undertakes implementation of CSR projects in two basic ways; one, by providing monetary support to organizations of high repute, adequate local presence and relevant experience. These organizations approach the CSR Unit and submit their proposals. Proposals are then reviewed to assess the need, scope and overall impact of that particular project on the community.
The second approach involves providing brick and mortar support to educational institutions. In addition, scholarships are provided to deserving and meritorious students of the Company’s franchise areas. Before embarking on any project, the CSR Unit studies and investigates the proposals received, carries out the required assessments and monitors the projects in terms of progress, delivery and impact on the beneficiaries. At the end of the day, cohesion, consistency and transparency are ensured.
SSGC’s major focus has always been on undertaking educational initiatives.In the beginning, the Company’s focus was primarily on monetary and brick and mortar support to educational institutions for giving them a new lease of life through renovation of their structures. Then the Company moved on to providing scholarships to meritorious and deserving students enrolled in reputed institutions located primarily in its franchise provinces of Sindh and Balochistan. Many of these students are now gainfully employed and zealously following their passion.
SSGC has also expanded its support to NGOs and non-profit educational institutions to help educate their physically challenged students. Similarly, in the field of healthcare the Company has partnered with NGOs and leading health care institutions such as like Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre, SIUT and Edhi Foundation. In the area of environment and community development, SSGC has moved towards undertaking sustainable projects with positive long-term impact. The Company has collaborated with IUCN in its drive to conserve mangroves by planting samplings, embarked on projects with Thardeep Rural Programme that were aimed at providing clean drinking water through dug-wells, solar water panels and solar light systems and only recently collaborated with WWF for setting up bio-gas plants at localities in District Thatta. The project was aimed at providing alternate energy to local communities who lacked basic facilities for cooking. SSGC has been very conscious about a sense of deprivation that exists in Balochistan and many of its CSR projects are aimed at the marginalized communities of the areas in Balochistan.
SSGC considers CSR to be a serious business aimed towards a positive outcome for the community. And this sense of community is driven by a sense of caring.
[box type=”note” align=”” class=”” width=””]The writer is Chief Manager, Corporate Communications, SSGC[/box]