Social Responsibility | About company

Strategy

The corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy of the A1 company was presented in 2014. It is based on the aspiration to contribute to solving societal problems and to provide assistance to those who need it most. To achieve this, the company uses not only its own resources and capabilities, but also strives to attract the widest possible range of its subscribers and residents of Belarus in general to the ideas of charity and socially responsible behavior.

When developing A1's CSR strategy, the opinions and preferences of the company's employees were taken into account. They suggested the areas of social policy they considered to be the most significant. A1's CSR strategy was revised and expanded in 2019.

Directions

The priority areas of A1's corporate social responsibility strategy are helping children, supporting national self-identification, and green living.

Many of A1's CSR projects are charitable in nature and are aimed at helping various social and medical institutions. The company strives to provide the same opportunity, i.e., to help those who need support, to all its subscribers, offering convenient and user-friendly tools for that purpose.

Assistance in fighting against COVID-19

In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, A1 makes every effort possible so that its subscribers can stay connected, solve working tasks on a remote basis and run their business. But it is equally important that they can get any help they need and provide it to those who are particularly in need today.

Short charity telephone numbers

A1's subscribers can provide help to Belarusian healthcare professionals. All transfers are commission free and accumulated in the charity account of the Ministry of Health. When sending a USSD request *222*19#, 2, 5 or 10 rubles can be transferred in favor of healthcare professionals fighting against the COVID-19 epidemic. In order to help medical workers, you can also send an SMS to a special short telephone number 219, as well as using the A1 banking application.

Free working communication for medical institutions

In the spring of 2020, A1 provided Belarusian healthcare professionals involved in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 with smartphones and free working communication. Communication kits are designed for personnel working in medical intensive care units and infectious departments, laboratories involved in COVID-19 testing, as well as for emergency medical care employees who will able to solve working issues and exchange information without using their personal telephones. This allowed for reducing the risk of the spread of the coronavirus outside the infected areas.

Financial support provided to infectious hospitals

In March 2020, A1 transferred 50 thousand rubles to the Minsk City Clinical Infectious Hospital as sponsor support for purchasing the necessary equipment. In November 2020, A1 provided charitable support in the amount of 30 thousand rubles to the City Children's Clinical Infectious Hospital, a healthcare institution which these days provides help not only to children but also to adults with COVID-19.

Free calls to the hotline of the Ministry of Health

In order for each company's subscriber to freely receive the required consulting support on the prevention and diagnosis of COVID-19, A1 made free calls to the telephone numbers of the hotline of the Ministry of Health with regard to the infection caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus. For hotline telephone numbers in various Belarusian regions, please click the link.

Free calls to the information line 201

A1 supported the Dobryi Telefon project organized by the Belarus Red Cross Society and the Imena platform. Starting from March 30, A1's subscribers have been given the opportunity to call free of charge to the information line 201 for elderly people who have to be under self-isolation during the spread of COVID-19. Volunteers are on duty in shifts on the information line; they answer questions of the elderly people, advise how to get the required assistance, and provide psychosocial support.

Free calls to the hotline for domestic abuse victims

A1 supported the initiative of the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) to make calls to the national hotline for domestic abuse victims free of charge for its subscribers. You can call 8-801-100-8-801 free of charge to get social, psychological or legal support from any A1 subscriber telephone number.

Help for the children

The First

The competition is held for students of 9th, 10th and 11th grades. Students from all over Belarus share their vision of how to change the life around them for the better. Any high school student can come up with a specific idea on culture, ecology, technology or inclusion and get a chance to present it in the world famous TED format. That way they can gain some inspiring experience and become the voice of the generation.

100 hours with A1

A new large-scale charity program is initiated by A1. Every concerned individual can challenge themselves and train for at least 100 hours within 50 days. All the while walking, swimming, running, or biking, participants in the sports challenge support the beneficiary. In the summer of 2020, there was a campaign called "100 hours with A1: Support TEAM BY!" together with the NOC of Belarus. As a result, A1 provided sponsorship to the Republican Clinical Center for Palliative Care for Children.

А1 Junior

A1 has teamed up with the Junior football club to create a joint A1 Junior sports brand. This is the first large-scale collaboration between business and children and youth teams in the country. A1's support and active participation in the club's life expands the team's capabilities and helps it train and perform at a qualitatively new level.

National identity

#Karatkevich90

A1 has timed the #Karatkevich90 campaign to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Korotkevich to remind us – through a series of events and online projects – of the famous writer's contribution to national culture and tell about him as a person. On the New Year's Eve, the PashtoukA1 project was implemented where 10 famous and inspiring quotes by Vladimir Korotkevich were illustrated by Nika Sandros, a famous Belarus artist. Postcards were distributed free of charge in all 85 A1 brand stores throughout the country. You can also download them on the A1's website in high quality.

Padkazki

Since 2019, A1 implements the project "Padkazki" in cooperation with the editorial board of the Onliner portal. On the eve of the New Year and Christmas, on a special page, you can find recordings of fairy tales in the Belarusian language, performed by famous actors. The first season of the project contained Belarusian folk tales. The 2020 season was implemented as part of the #Karatkevich90 campaign and was dedicated to the classic of Belarusian literature's creative legacy.

MOVA

This project embodies everything that distinguishes Belarus from other countries where the international A1 holding is present. It combines the latest technologies with contemporary art. The letter sculptures spelling "MOVA" installed in Brest, Vitebsk, Grodno, Gomel and Mogilev remind the people living in these cities of the beauty of their mother tongue. The colors of each art object reflect the cultural and natural characteristics of the region.

#UNOVIS100

2020 marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the famous UNOVIS creative association, created in Vitebsk on the initiative of Kazimir Malevich. Thanks to this event, Belarus is known worldwide as a country where outstanding people who changed the history of art lived and worked. UNOVIS and its artists - Kazimir Malevich, Lazar Lissitzky, Lazar Khidekel, David Yakerson and others - stand for a Belarusian brand of international importance. Returning their names and works to their historical homeland is one of the main tasks of the #UNOVIS100 project, which A1 launched specifically for the anniversary of the association in tandem with its partners.

100th Anniversary of the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater

Supporting projects dealing with national identity, Belarusian language and culture is one of the priority areas of A1's social policy. For the Kupala Theater, this is the mission chosen by its founders a century ago. Therefore, it is not surprising that the 100th anniversary season of one of the country's oldest drama theaters was supported by the company. One of the most striking joint projects for the 100th anniversary was a series of free live broadcasts on the VOKA video service.

Classics at the Town Hall with A1

A1’s desire to represent the Belarusian culture at the international level in various formats has contributed to the fact that there has been a tradition of holding street concerts of classical music in Minsk for more than five years. Since 2015, over 250 thousand Belarusians have watched 37 free concerts, many of which were dedicated to the work of domestic composers. In 2019, the project reached the national level and musical evenings were also held in Vitebsk, Grodno, Gomel and Brest.

Future

A joint initiative of A1, Urban Myths street art activists and the Frunzensky District Administration has united street artists from Belarus, Serbia and Spain. Vivid images inspired by their impressions of the modern Minsk and its inhabitants, as well as the rich history and culture of our country have become the subjects for three murals on the facades of 12-storey buildings in the Kuntsevshchina microdistrict (at 134, 136 and 150 Pritytskogo Street). The combination of tradition and technology as the foundation for movement towards future has become the main theme for each of the artists.

Charity

Ecology

А1 Green

In December 2020, A1 adopted the Environmental Policy. In accordance with the ESG (Environmental. Social. Governance) principles, A1 has established certain goals and tasks that the company plans to achieve between 2021 and 2025 in the three main areas, energy efficiency, the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and garbage footprint reduction. They are included in the environmental policy, which covers all aspects of A1's activities.

Solar energy for Green schools

A1 held a "Solar Energy for Green Schools" competition in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus and the United Nations Development Program in Belarus in summer of 2020. The company has installed solar panels in the autumn in seven educational institutions – one in each region and one in Minsk – so that children can see for themselves how solar energy works and what benefits renewable energy sources can bring.

Get in touch with nature

A1 has implemented a "Get in touch with nature" ecological project in cooperation with the Homeland Bird Protection (HBP) Public organization. Belarus became the first country in the world where 10 birds received personal phone numbers. These are the most common and most recognizable birds in Belarus, which can be seen in parks and sometimes even from an apartment window. Many have heard these voices before, not knowing who they belong to. Calls on all 10 numbers are free for A1 subscribers, except for those in roaming.

Inclusive projects

Inclusive Barista

In November 2020, the A1 digital services center opened the Inclusive Barista coffee bar. This is the first place in Minsk where a barrier-free environment has been created not only for visitors, but also for employees. The coffee bar integrated in the shopping facility ecosystem is equipped with a transforming counter so that disabled baristas are able to adapt to the workplace. Other features of the coffee bar include the Braille script on cups, as well as the menu projected onto the wall instead of the traditional one.

Support of the Family Inclusive Theater “i”

Since the foundation of the Family Inclusive Theater “i” in 2016, A1 supports its activities and the company is its general partner. This cooperation resulted in numerous premiers, thematic forums and events dedicated to the World Autism Awareness Day. All this helps not only unlock the creative potential of children with autism, but also change the attitude of Belarusians to the issues of inclusion at the national level.

Barrier-free environment and employment

A1 is constantly working on the development of the topic of inclusion and a society of equal opportunities within the company. Thus, most A1 offices are areas with a barrier-free environment. Moreover, the company is open to hiring employees regardless of their physical condition. In particular, the hybrid work format allows us to review applications for positions, among others, from people with disabilities who can work both from home and in the office.

Digital Literacy

#ionline

A1 has initiated #ionline volunteer movement. All active users of mobile technologies willing to share their knowledge with others can become volunteers. The volunteers' task is to explain what the mobile Internet can be useful for and help those who find it difficult to use modern communication technologies.

A1 Social Responsibility