{"id":25759,"date":"2013-04-26T06:27:46","date_gmt":"2013-04-26T06:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prelive.ceosuite.com\/news\/who-benefits-from-csr\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T07:42:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T07:42:59","slug":"who-benefits-from-csr-2","status":"publish","type":"new","link":"https:\/\/prelive.ceosuite.com\/en-my\/news\/who-benefits-from-csr-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Who benefits from CSR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Who benefits from CSR<\/h1>\n \n
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\n Apr 26, 2013<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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U.S.-born Jiway Tung gets along easily with teenage boys who previously roamed the streets of Jakarta or provincial towns as he works side by side with them on a two-hectare organic farm in Bogoru2019s Puncak area.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnAged 13 years on average, the boys are participating in an organic farming program designed to help them become independent persons with the necessary skills to live in society. They were taken off the streets by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who provide shelter for street children.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu201cWe want to give them the skill necessary to work as a team member, take responsibility and make plans. Ere they learn mathematics, language and computer skill,u201d says Jiway, who works fir Boston-based NGO World Education.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnUnder the organic farming program designed by World Education, 27 street children are undergoing training for six months, which will possibly be extended for up to a year. Growing up on the streets of big cities and towns and facing a harsh life, it required great effort on the part if the children to adjust to their new situation.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu201cMy palms have abrasions because I am not used to farming as I grew up in Jakarta,u201d saya Jaya, who is being sponsored in the program by Rumah Kita Foundation, which provides shelter for street children in Jakarta.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnThe cool mountain weather certainly poses a challenge for Jaya and the other boys, aside from the tough farming schedule of 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., followed by various activities including drama, handicraft-making and music recitals up to 4 p.m.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnBrought to Jakarta when he was barely six months old by his mother and father from Sumatrau2019s Lampung region, Jaya did not enjoy the warmth of a family for too long as his father and mother separated not long after. After his motheru2019s house in East Jakarta was demolished, aya has to face the harsh reality of life at an all too young age.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu201cI like being here in this organic farming program because I love plants. I hope tp have my own farm somewhere in Lampung when I finished this program,u201d says Jaya.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnJaya and his friends may have found new hope for the future, which otherwise had only gloomy prospects. Jiway and his team are able to rum the program due to the financial support of not a big multinational corporation such as Freeport Indonesia or LG Electronics Indonesia, but fast-growing serviced-office operator CEO Suite.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnKorea-born CEO president Mee Kim underlines that what matters most are good intentions and concrete action, not the amount or appropriated time to start sharing.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu201cThere will never be a perfect time for sharing, not if we wait until we have enough ourselves,u201d says Mee Kim, whose company has two serviced office facilities in Jakarta and is expanding services to China.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnFollowing the worldwide trend among companies to enhance their role as part of the community surrounding their facilities, Indonesian corporations have also started to experiment with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnThis phenomenon has been welcomed by NGOs that ware more than willing to help in the planning and implementation of CSR projects. Hendro Suwito, communication manager fo World Vision International u2013 Indonesia, appreciates this trend.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu201cThe government has very limited financial and human resources. Meanwhile, many NGOs in Indonesia cannot implement significant programs because of very limited access to financial or other resources. Growing CSR awareness can play a significant role in filling these gaps,u201d says Hendro.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnHendro was touched by Citibanku2019s initiative when scores of the banku2019s employees started to regularly teach street children in Jakarta. Also, he once saw all the employees of Schneider here calculate how much they earned in an hour and donate that amount to a humanitarian program in Papua.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnIn December last year, the Matahari Group invited its business partners to jointly donate funds for social purposes, Hendro said. They collected a substantial sum of money and donated it through scores of charity and development institutions to help fight poverty and backwardness.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnHowever, a successful and sustainable CSR program certainly goes beyond collection donations. In fact, companies need to do their homework, including carrying out feasibility studies of projects in terms of their own resources and expertise.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu201cWhen it entails more complex social-humanitarian initiatives, especially when the sites are far from the corporationsu2019 offices, it would be much more effective and efficient to channel the funds through NGOs working in the targeted areas,u201d says Hendro.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnCorporations still need to monitor everything so that implementation and schedule are carefully followed and the program has the expected impact on the community.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnSome people are still skeptical and suspect the motives of corporations in carrying out such programs. They doubt whether the programs really benefit the people, saying most programs tend to serve as camouflage for the corporationsu2019 darker activities, such as spoiling the environment and exploiting workers.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnIn fact, some giant multinational mining companies that have bragged about heir good CSR programs have turned out to be polluters of rivers and destroyers of the environment. No wonder some are suspicious of their CSR programs.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnHowever, well-intentioned programs that are designed around the understanding of the communityu2019s needs often prove to be helpful. Even established NGOs welcome corporationsu2019 CSR programs and readily assist in accordance with their respective fields.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu201cI have no objection to CSR programs as long as they have clear objectives and really understand and meet the needs of the community,u201d says Jiway, who serves as the organic farm project manger.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnOn the side of corporations, running CSR programs is not only a matter of carrying out their responsibilities as good corporate citizens but is also a form of investment. In the words of then chairman and representative director of Omron Corporation Nobuo Tateisi in his book Good Corporate Citizenship: Community-minded Management for the 21st Century, it is a way of boosting a companyu2019s stature within a community and widening business prospects for the futures.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnThen vice president of Honda Toshikata Amino was quoted by Tateisi in his book as saying that community activities are actually something done not for the community, but for yourself, for you received as much as you give.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnIndeed, far from viewing CSR programs as simply a costly obligation, some corporations realize that the programs benefit their companies. CEOu2019s Mee Kim says her teamu2019s life more fulfilling.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu201cThis involvement has also mad a small difference in someoneu2019s life,u201d said Mee Kim.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnThe CSR program carried out by Mee Kim through her financial support and staffu2019s involvement will certainly boost the morale of all CEO employees. The awareness that they work for a socially responsible company not only gives them a sense of pride but will also make them loyal to the company.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnCEOu2019s involvement in organic farming in the companyu2019s CSR can help other companies realize that CSR is not just for giant and multinational corporations. A well-intentioned and sustainable program may prove to be beneficial for both the recipient as well as those who are willing to share their recources.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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