ISSUE 11 / APRIL - Vodafone Fiji

More documents

Recommendations

Info

What is Vodafone Red AlertVodafone Red Alert is a global facility established to respond to disasters.Vodafone Red Alert is a programme of Vodafone ATH Fiji Foundation on VodafoneFiji Limited Platform which aims at helping customers help others through SMSfundraising. Vodafone Red Alert generates support amongst employees andcustomers in the immediate aftermath of emergencies and disasters.This is a free service and all funds donated goes to those affected by CycloneTomas through charitable organizations in Fiji selected by the Board of Trusteesof the Foundation. Vodafone ATH Fiji Foundation also donates to this course.What happens to your donationThe Vodafone ATH Fiji Foundation Trustees have the responsibility to passall donations to ultimate benefi ciaries which will be pure donations withoutdeductions. The amount of funds collected via RED ALERT will be made public atregular intervals during the initiative, as will its distribution.The amount donated will go to those affected by the disaster, throughcharitable organisations and in the process building capacities and ensuringsustainability of your contribution. Volunteers have been mobilised and will beassigned to communities in convening the priority community need assessmentand helping those requiring assistance.Vodafone’s commitment to the community fl ows from our core values andprinciples. To us, social investment is at the heart of how we engage with thecommunities where our customers, employees, investors and suppliers live.A Labasa farmer shows damage to his crop by Cyclone Tomas.EVERYONE CAN MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCEDisabled develop planThe International Day for Disabled Persons celebrationsThe Fiji Disabled People’sAssociation Youth group hasdeveloped a action plan for theyear 2010 to provide memberswith a range of activities to ensurethe increased participation ofyouth with disabilities.The FDPA Youth was given afunding of $50,220.00 last yearto carry out the International Dayfor Disabled Persons’ activitiesand realize the development ofthe action plan.A total of 120 members willbenefi t from this action plan. Theyouth group plans to recruit 20percent more members throughactivities outlined in the plan.“There was never a youthgroup project before VodafoneATH FIji Foundation stepped in toassist,” said FDPA Youth PresidentMoshmi Artika.“In the fi rst phase of theplan, the youths are planning toempower their peers to attendawareness programmes ontheir rights and responsibilities,advocate on burning issues facingthem, capacity building in thefi eld of leadership, managementand supportive communication.”“The second phase willembark on positive mentalattitude development whichwill uplift their morale, raise selfesteem, change mindset andgenerate talents.”The third phase is to identifytheir potential through useof participatory tools with anexpectation to acquire life skills,embark on fi nancial literacy,saving and identifying fundraisingand income generationactivities.The plan also includesexecuting voluntary activitiesunder Duke of Edinburgh AwardsProgramme for which they havealready attended trainings.The plan was developed with30 youth members representingvarious affi liates.Technology-enabled giving - 21 countries embrace Red Alert programme21 Vodafone Foundations around the worldhave agreed a partnership with Vodafone operatingcompanies worldwide to initiate an emergencySMS fundraising programme called Vodafone RedAlert. The programme started from 1st April 2010and is focussed on enabling Vodafone employeesand customers to give free of charge via SMS inresponse to disasters and emergencies.During the recent Haiti earthquake, manywitnessed the power of SMS fundraising toraise large amounts of funding for disaster reliefprogrammes in a short space of time. In responseto requests from its foundations, 14 Vodafonecompanies around the world were engaged inSMS fundraising, utilising SMS giving alone whichenabled Vodafone customers to give in excess of£4.6 million for Haiti Appeals. The Foundationsthemselves contributed £275,000 towards theappeal.Vodafone Foundations are keen to facilitatefuture SMS giving, and its companies in thefollowing countries have agreed to implement theVodafone Red Alert programme.Albania, Australia, Czech Republic, DemocraticRepublic of Congo, Egypt, Fiji, Germany, Ghana,2 l www.vodafone.com.fj/foundationVodafoneRed AlertHungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, NewZealand, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, Spain,Tanzania, Turkey, UK.All Vodafone SMS charges associated with a RedAlert campaign in each of the abovecountries will be waived.The request to launch a Red Alertin one particular country will rest withthe local Vodafone Foundation andtheir Trustees. For a Global Red Alertthe decision will rest with the VodafoneFoundation Trustees in the UK. TheTrustees (both local and global) willmake their decision on the basis ofa set of criteria which draws on theknowledge and expertise of those engaged infundraising for disaster relief programmes and isavailable on the Vodafone Foundation website.These include the size and scale of the disaster,the requests of support from the humanitarianrelief organisations, the grounds for thinking thatVodafone customers and employees will respondand fi nally that Vodafone Foundations are alreadycontributing.Commenting Andrew Dunnett, Director of theVodafone Foundation stated, “If you immediatelyask people for help and can fi nd a way of enablingthem to give funds which is simple, you can raisemillions very quickly.“We learnt a lot‘Helping youhelp others’through providingthis for Haiti andhave now put inplace measures toenable VodafoneFoundationsand companiesto respond inpartnership infuture”.
Passion for service is explicit in theactivities of the National VolunteerCentre, which is supported by theVodafone ATH Fiji Foundation.Whether it is helping to ensurelife skills are available to womenprisoners, or setting up a garden, orworking towards cleaner and bettersurroundings, the passion to make adifference is inherent in the activitiesof the volunteers of the NVC. TheNVC is an initiative of the Fiji Councilof Social Services.For example, members of theNVC Hibiscus group in Suva spendtheir Saturdays at the Women’s WardCorrectional and Rehabilitation Unit.Through funds given by theVodafone ATH Fiji Foundation, theHibiscus group bought scrubbingbrushes, steel brushes and paintscrappers for use in maintenancework and painting of the sewingtraining room for women to learnskills to survive after serving theirterm. The volunteers also created afood garden for the inmates.Volunteers in the groups arelargely unemployed who worktowards building up experiencetowards getting a job. Says EmaDaveta of the Hibiscus group: “It isnot only about doing voluntary workbut also gaining something in return.What we did at the prison was an eyeopener for the group also.”Other groups like Frangipani(Father Law Home) Tagimoucia(Basden College), Rose (Pearce Home)EVERYONE CAN MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCEVodafone fueling passion for serviceVodafone is readying to launch its mostimportant social project to date: the World ofDifference programme in which individuals will beselected to execute their own charitable projectsin Fiji for a year, and be paid to do so by VodafoneATH Fiji Foundation.The World of Difference inauguration willbe done on 27 April 2010 by Mr. Russell Hewitt,Vodafone Fiji Board of Director at 168 Princes Road.A call for expression of interest from interestedindividuals in the 20-45 age bracket will be madeshortly after.The World of Difference is a global fl agshipprogramme with local roots increasing appreciationof creative ideas and achievements and currentlyoperating in 18 countries across the globe. It is asocial investment that is targeted at creative researchand programmes that can help to provide replicablesolutions to some of the most pressing problems insociety. The solutions must have the potential to makea world of difference for all people in Fiji and be highimpact,measurable, and sustainable beyond the lifetimeof the initiative.“The World of Difference programme is all aboutfi nding 36 passionate people who want to work helpingcivil society organisations, and get paid to do it,” says MrHewitt.Volunteers: VlTOP: :GGarden project at tBBa aHHospital. BOTTOM: TOM:CCleaning seawalland Sunfl ower (Dilkusha Home)spend their weekends cleaning up orenhancing facilities at their places ofoperation.The respective groups plantedEnabling ideas to make a World of DifferenceVodafone’s new initiative to push for creativity and achievementVodafone ATH Fiji Foundation will call for applicationsfrom passionate people who wish to work shorttermand long-term in a capacity building role with acharitable civil society organisation with all expensesand a salary paid. The programme’s particular focuswill be to enhance organisation effectiveness with aparticular focus on building social leadership in youthsand communities.The World of Difference programme is aboutempowering to make a positive change and givesrecipient an opportunity to make a difference/an impact,get paid to volunteer and learn about themselves, saidMr Hewitt.radish, carrots, tomatoes, dhania andbhindi and made fl ower beds (FatherLaw Home); created an assemblyarea, provided income-generatingequipment - BBQ set and portablestove (Basden College); set upsustainable food gardens (Dilkusha)and cleaned up surroundings (PearceHome and Samabula Old PeoplesHome).In the West, volunteers in Rakiraki,Tavua, Ba, Lautoka, Nadi and Sigatokaworked at the Rakiraki, Tavua, Baand Sigatoka Hospitals, the LautokaSpecial School and the Nadi TownCouncil Library. Much of the workinvolved giving a facelift to thepremises or planting a vegetablegarden.E. C. Walesi took part in the NadiLibrary voluntary activities, by helpingwith pre-schoolers on 19 February. Henow teaches the pre-school kids on aregular basis and is enjoying everymoment of every day with them as avolunteer on behalf of FCOSS.“Doing volunteer work is anexciting experience and it plays animportant part of my daily life,” saysWalesi. “Volunteer work encouragesus to step out of our own ‘littlebox’ and go out in to the world asindependent leaders to help ourneighbours, brothers and sisters.”$0.25m free servicefrom volunteersWith $14,000 spent in the last 3months, we have contributed almost$0.25million value of free services tothe economy of Fiji, says Neil Maharaj,Project Offi cer of the National VolunteerCentre (NVC).The NVC was a dream of FCOSS headMr Hassan Khan who nominated Maharajto attend the 12th IAVE Asia Pacifi cConference so that the knowledge couldbe utilized locally to start NVC.“This centre will seemingly reduce anumber of social issues such as drugsabuse, unemployment, self esteem,and so on facing youths of today,” saysMaharaj. “To eliminate this diffi culty, theyare getting exposure, are committed andhave less leisure time to engage withillegal activities.”Cost-benefi t analysis of the volunteerhours calculated: $3.50/hour X 16 hoursX 13 projects X 303 volunteers assignedtask = $220,584.00 value of free servicesprovided. “My message to our leadersand communities is to show youthsthe light, give a pat on their back andyou will see where they take Fiji. Pleaseencourage them,” said Maharaj.www.vodafone.com.fj/foundation l 3
Page 1: JeevanISSUE11 / APRIL-JULY 2010enri
Page 5 and 6: Staff charge in to help those in ne
Page 7 and 8: EVERYONE CAN MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFER
Page 9 and 10: EVERYONE CAN MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFER
Page 11 and 12: Passion for the Vanuaby Aslam KhanF

ISSUE 11 / APRIL - Vodafone Fiji

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?