A1 Belarus begins to implement ecological projects

A1 Belarus has announced an expansion of its corporate social responsibility strategy. Ecology will be among the existing priorities, namely, helping children and supporting national self-identification. One of the first steps in this direction will include the organization of a large-scale environmental conference in 2020, which will unite the best Belarusian practices and the advanced experience of the countries of the international A1 Telekom Austria Group.

The corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy of the company was presented in 2014. It was developed with the participation of employees and was approved by top managers. A number of large socially significant projects have been implemented at the initiative and with the participation of A1 over the last five years. They include the "Run to Help Children" charity program (#velcombegom), the "I Can See!" large-scale charity project in cooperation with the Belarusian Children's Fund, as well as many years of support for the "i" Family Inclusive Theater, which promotes social adaptation among children with autism.

The company is gradually promoting initiatives to support the Belarusian language and national culture. In particular, the "Read in Belarusian with velcom" educational project for schoolchildren and the MOVABOX project in support of modern Belarusian literature have been implemented. The support has been also provided for the "Belarusian Weekend" project for the translation and film distribution of foreign films in Belarusian. "Classics at the Town Hall with A1", a traditional summer festival, has become an event of the cultural life of not only Minsk, but also other Belarusian cities.

Starting from August 2019, A1 has launched a number of new CSR initiatives, such as the "Pershyya" (The First) social and educational project for Belarusian high school students, Buduchynya (Future), an art project for creation of murals in Minsk by artists from different countries, as well as support for the "A1 Junior" children's football club. The company also acts as the general partner of the 100th season of the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater and actively participates in the #UNOVIS100 project for the anniversary of UNOVIS, an internationally acclaimed art association from Vitebsk.

"Positive changes associated with the rebranding of the company in the outgoing year could not but affect our activities in the sphere of corporate social responsibility. We sincerely believe that our efforts in the CSR sphere do not just change the lives of definite people for the better and solve social problems, but also build trends to some extent, in accordance with which public opinion develops. The topic of ecology is diverse and with each year becomes more and more noticeable. We will take into account the Belarusian and European expertise for the preparation of effective green projects", said Helmut Duhs, A1 General Director.

Activities of A1 in the CSR sphere have been recognized more than once at major professional festivals and competitions. For instance, in November 2019, A1 was given a New Responsible Business Practices Award at the Public Hearings of socially responsible companies of Belarus.