Saudi Telecom Company (STC) was awarded the Leadership Award for Corporate Social Responsibility in the Middle East at the recently concluded 5th CSR Summit in Dubai. The award crowned STC's efforts in supporting community outreach programs as well as the company's success in developing a clear CSR strategy and the implementation sustainable programs that yield both benefit and value to the community. The event was attended by key executives from various companies in addition CSR specialists. Regional and multi-national companies competed for four awards in four categories which included Best Environmental Program Award, Best Community Program Award, Best CSR Practices Award, and CSR Leadership Award. Eng. Saud Al-Daweesh, president & CEO of Saudi Telecom, said the award highlighted the company's commitment to CSR in the Kingdom crowning STC's continuous efforts to serve the community. The award also coincided with the establishment of a dedicated CSR and Community Services Department,” Daweesh said. The rationale behind setting up this department comes from the Company's accelerating commitment to serving the community and the nation. He added that “Saudi Telecom takes its responsibilities seriously toward individuals and the community at all levels as a leading national company realizing its responsibilities and the magnitude of social activism it is required to take part in. STC is honored in implementing an integrated package of CSR programs in various fields, making it one of the leading organizations locally and regionally. He said the department will ensure follow up and execution of STC's strategy in addition to CSR and community programs. The new department will also recommend the launch of new ideas and concepts fulfilling the company's social objectives. Furthermore, there will be a series of visits and locally commissioned research to benefit from successful case studies. He also indicated that the CSR team will also identify community projects and programs that need support for the Company to review and adopt. One the most visible private sector CSR programs is Saudi Telecom's Al-Wafa which began with the launch of Al-Wafa Healthcare in a unique partnership with the Ministry of Health which entailed building and equipping a series of healthcare centers across the Kingdom with an investment of SR100 million. This program comes in line with STC's mission to become part and parcel of the community and reflect the values of Saudi Arabia and its development economically, socially, and culturally, In spite of the magnitude of Al-Wafa Healthcare project, STC extended the program by launching Al- Wafa Education, a training initiative to prepare Saudi nationals for the workforce in partnership with the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training. Al-Wafaa Educational program reaches out for both males and females with an objective to train 2,300 students in various technical, administrative, and vocational disciplines providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge in order to prepare them for the workplace in addition to encourage entrepreneurship and support small businesses. The signed agreement also included a diploma for those with special needs with hearing and visual impairment in addition to practical training programs that last from 1-6 months. Beneficiaries of these programs included sons of martyrs, charity organizations, and children of prisoners. During the phase of the agreement, more than 1,473 participated in 60 short practical training programs which included PC and its applications, designing web pages, printer maintenance, in addition to retail and book keeping/maintenance. __
