GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

December 15, 2017 | Author: Caitlin Fletcher | Category: N/A
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CORPORATE social RESPONSIBILITY

CASE STUDY  |  COMMUNITY PROJECTS

GIVING BACK TO HOW G4S EXTENDS THE COMMUNITY A HELPING HAND TO THOSE IN NEED With operations in around 120 countries and over 600,000 employees, G4S touches the lives of millions of people. G4S recognises that its influence extends well beyond the working environment and that it has a duty to make sure that its contribution to society is a positive one.

In addition to encouraging businesses around the Group to play their part in improving their local communities, G4S plc provides funding directly to five major, long-term, community-based initiatives in China, Greece, India, Jamaica and Malawi as part of its commitment to investing in the community.

Many of G4S’s specialist business activities deliver immense community benefits. Its Mine Action teams remove unexploded ordnance from former conflict zones across the world, making them safe for farming, housing and economic development.

Other projects are community partnerships, many of them longstanding, that are entirely driven by local G4S companies, both financially and materially. Some are company-inspired, while others are based entirely on employee engagement in the community.

Staff in G4S prisons in the UK, US, Australia and South Africa run rehabilitation programmes dedicated to helping offenders turn away from a life of crime after release from custody, benefiting the communities to which they return.

Whilst team efforts can achieve tremendous results, G4S also encourages individual efforts to benefit those in need. Its Match-It programme does precisely what its name says: for those charitable fund-raising initiatives that qualify under the scheme, G4S contributes the same amount of money as that raised by an employee.

In every country where G4S operates, it seeks to make a positive impact on the local communities where its staff, customers and suppliers live and work. Around the world G4S encourages Its businesses to invest in community projects, whether directly with funding or through staff volunteering, fundraising and provision of G4S services.

In that way, as well as supporting its own choice of corporate charities G4S assists an incredible range of good causes that are special to its employees.

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Private Energy & Utilities

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Major Corporates & Industrials

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“… in 2010, there were more than 38,500 people who received G4S help in some form, including almost 7,000 for whom the help received made a significant contribution to their lives.”

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COMMUNITY PROJECTS

CASE STUDY

A quick look at the statistics behind G4S’s global Community Projects in 2010 tells a fascinating story … though the security solutions group admits that it’s by no means the complete picture. Many of its businesses and employees make contributions to local community projects that go unrecorded.

CORPORATE social RESPONSIBILITY

Projects centred on sporting activities were popular recipients of G4S support – 24 in total. And these, of course, are quite separate from G4S’s various sports sponsorships and, in particular, its G4S 4teen programme, which is the subject of a separate case study.

What we know for sure is that, in 2010, more than 38,500 people received G4S help in some form, including almost 7,000 for whom the help received – regular food, shelter, education or similar support – made a significant contribution to their lives.

There were also 22 health-related projects which provided support to 1,800 individuals. Other initiatives receiving funding included several involving offenders, four of which were specifically aimed at crime reduction, and 25 general community projects.

Similarly, of the 46 projects that gave support to many youngsters, including 14 that provided some form of education to 10,000 people, there were 1,650 young people who benefitted considerably, either by taking a complete tuition course, or whose studies enabled them to qualify and successfully apply for employment.

Statistics are all very well, but they tell us little about the human plight that necessitates voluntary assistance in one form or another. So let us look very briefly at some of the areas in which G4S has made a difference to communities over the past few years.

EDUCATION

fitting doors and windows as well as constructing a kitchenette and renovating a bathroom area. The security officers even contributed to the costs from their own welfare fund.

Among the many schools that are supported by G4S is one that is very special – it was built by G4S in Sangam Vihar, one of the worst slums in Delhi, India. Called G4S Shiksha – the name means education in the Hindi language – it provides schooling to impoverished children, helping them and their families, in the long term, escape from poverty. Opened in 2010, it will teach more than 100 children each year, offering them excellent facilities, including a computer laboratory, and English, Hindi and mathematics are included in its curriculum. The Hope Foundation assists G4S in the running of the school. G4S Shiksha is one of G4S’s five major corporate community projects. Another also involves a school. With its JIFU Action Project, G4S is making a difference at a non-profit orphanage in Shanghai, China, where many of the youngsters have mental or physical difficulties requiring special schooling. With no suitable school nearby, it decided to start its own. The school was established to help 217 orphans with sight disabilities, of whom 93 are school age and the rest are preschoolers. In 2007, G4S offered its support over a six-year period, helping to pay teachers’ salaries and buy equipment. Also, in the first academic year, 2008, G4S supported 12 children, a number that increased to 36 in 2010 and will continue to do so, progressively during the sponsorship, until it reaches 82 children. A third school initiative that has received corporate funding is the Gifts 4 Schools project in Jamaica. Its initials, of course, are the same as G4S. It all started when G4S Jamaica learned of the difficulties encountered by the Roosevelt Avenue Basic School for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children from poor families, located in Swallowfield, just half a mile from the G4S offices. The school had been built by the Seventh Day Adventist Church as a donation to the community but was not completed. So, when it opened, it had no windows or doors and its walls were unrendered and unpainted. The Group’s local management lost no time in embarking on its first community support initiative. Its employees exchanged uniforms for old clothes and set about

Delighted with the success of that venture G4S Jamaica has since established an additional charity programme, SANTA. Its initials represent Seeing A Need, Taking Action, and that’s precisely what they have been doing ever since, with corporate backing. Mustard Seed Communities have been a major recipient of their help, especially its Little Angel Learning centre, a basic school attended by 40 children. The years had not been kind to two of its buildings, so G4S employees carried out similar restorative work to that carried out at Roosevelt Avenue, financed by Gifts 4 Schools. In Bloemfontein, South Africa, G4S Care & Justice Services has partnered with Ikhwezi Community Trust, in providing 620 young learners with the opportunity to take maths and science lessons during their winter holiday. The winter school project is part of the Ikhwezi School Enrichment programme that offers additional classes to dedicated learners every Saturday throughout the year, as well as during the March and June holidays – South Africa’s winter when temperatures in some areas drop to freezing. G4S’s contribution in 2010 was to pay the salaries of 20 educators and also present manual skills training to a further 225 students. G4S and Ikhwezi Community Trust are shareholders in the managing company of Mangaung Correctional Centre (MCC), which is run by G4S Care & Justice Services (South Africa). It’s not only G4S staff at Mangaung who help the community – offenders do, too. When G4S’s managing director at the correctional centre, Frikkie Venter, learned that some disadvantaged schools in Bloemfontein had no money to repair furniture he came up with an enterprising solution. There were offenders at MCC who were learning woodworking and paintspraying skills which could be put to good use in repairing damaged school desks. In 2009, the 1,000th renovated desk was presented to one of 10 needy schools that have been beneficiaries of the scheme over a three-year period. It’s an innovative approach that has won Mangaung an award and is leading to similar ventures in other

G4S | Email: [email protected] | www.g4s.com

parts of the country. The offenders also have the satisfaction of knowing they are making a difference in their local communities whilst serving their sentences. A similar concept in Australia, at the G4S-run Port Philip Prison in Melbourne, has seen inmates of its Penhyn Youth Unit raise over £78,000 for charity. Anne Hooker, G4S Custodial Services’ youth development officer, pioneered the scheme to provide creative ways to engage young offenders. The youth unit set up a T-shirt printing business, Serving Time Inc, which is now in its fifth year. All the jobs, from CEO to packer, are filled by the young offenders, who are aged 18-25 and mentored by business volunteers one night a week. Customers include other prisoners and their families, a refugee charity, and large organisations such as Richard Branson’s Virgin Group. Profits from Serving Time Inc have bought medical equipment for the Royal Children’s Hospital neo-natal unit and the young offenders also plan to help finance the building of a bungalow for Kids Under Cover, which assists homeless children. Schools and education, of course, are just a first step, to prepare young people for life in the outside world. For some, that can be a daunting propsect and they need all the support they can get. Which is why G4S was more than happy to extend a helping hand to the Cascade School for the Deaf, the only recognised institution for hearing-impaired persons in Trinidad and Tobago. The school is committed to providing students with a comprehensive array of learning experiences to develop their work-life skills, to give them a competitive edge when they leave school. G4S’s association with Cascade dates back to 1994 when it provided on-the-job training to a young student, Veronica Mahabir. She displayed an exceptional work ethic during her threemonth apprenticeship and was offered a permanent position as a clerical assistant in the Human Resources Department, where she continues to make a positive contribution. In February 2010 she was joined at G4S Trinidad by another Cascade student, 18-year-old Tasha Bedassie. Born with severe-toprofound hearing loss in both ears, Tasha communicates with sign language and other methods and is studying computer literacy. Her internship follows G4S’s decision to participate in Cascade’s 2009– 2010 Co-operative Education Programme. It has also assisted the school in other ways over the years, including fitting lights to alarms to give a visual warning of danger. The Ministry of Social Development has recognised G4S’s continued commitment to uplifting and employing persons with disabilities in Trinidad and Tobago with an “Achievement in Excellence Award 2009”. In the United States of America, G4S North America has been making a major contribution to education through its government support subsidiary, WSI. The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, which works to ensure that its schools provide the best education possible, has received $500,000 from WSI over a five-year period and the company has been instrumental in assisting the foundation to raise $8 million for rebuilding and renovating the Oak Ridge High School. The G4S subsidiary looks after security operations at the Y-12 Special Nuclear Materials Facilities, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and other facilities for the Department of Energy.

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G4S North America has a remarkable record of raising charitable funds. In December, 2008, its 12th annual golf and tennis charity event, held at Eastpointe Country Club in Pam Beach Gardens, Florida, raised $97,000, which took the total collected during a ten-year period to over $1 million. The funds are distributed to various charities.

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES It is estimated that over 60 per cent of the population in the southeast African republic of Malawi exist on less than US $1 a day, which means their standard of living is below the so-called poverty line. So, when G4S Malawi decided to initiate the Acacia Programme to tackle poverty in rural areas, it soon won corporate backing. G4S named it as one of the five “giving back to the community” projects that it would help fund over a six-year period. The Acacia Project simultaneously tackles two of Malawi’s needs: food and energy. It involves not only the collection and planting of acacia seeds but the rotational cultivation of maize, cassava (whose edible roots are an important source of carbohydrates) and legumes (nutritious beans). The wood from the acacia trees supplies energy, particularly when burnt as charcoal, whilst the other crops are eaten. Initially, in 2006, some 50,000 acacia seeds were collected and cultivated in Blantyre, Malawi’s main commercial and industrial

“… everyone recognises that children are often the most vulnerable and helpless in society and need our protection.”

CASE STUDY

centre. They were then planted out on 10,000 square metre plots of land hedged by jatropha trees in a local community. Rotating different plants helps rejuvenate the soil, ensuring higher yields than farming methods using a mix of chemical and organic fertiliser. And like the acacia seeds that are at its heart, this G4S-sponsored initiative has also grown. It now extends to three villages and supports 12,000 people. An important benefit of the Acacia Project is that it could, if it grows further, reduce the deforestation that is affecting much of the country – wood being the main source of energy. Which is why Malawi’s Minister of Justice, Bazuka Mahango, a former Minister of Forestry, accepted G4S’s invitation to be the project’s patron and a number of organisations have also become official partners.

CHILDREN Age is immaterial when it comes to helping those in need, but everyone recognises that children are often the most vulnerable and helpless in society and need our protection. So it is no surprise that they feature prominently in G4S’s community programmes. In Greece, the fifth of G4S’s corporate-backed community projects is Ark of the World, an Athens-based charity that provides support to children and single mothers. It was established 12 years ago by a priest, Father Papanikolau, who witnessed children being abandoned and then becoming delinquent and joining juvenile gangs. It gives single mothers and their children the chance to stand on their own feet and make something of their lives.

CORPORATE social RESPONSIBILITY

The Ark of the World, which receives no government finance, currently supports not only Greek children but also youngsters and their mothers from 18 other countries. Since 40 per cent of the children are of non-Greek nationality, teaching them the language in the school that it runs is a priority. It has only two paid staff, who are social workers, and survives with the help of enthusiastic volunteers. As well as the school, it provides a safe shelter for mothers needing protection from abusive partners and also gives financial support in the first six months for less vulnerable women to rent a one-room apartment. In addition to G4S corporate support, Ark of the World receives free alarm monitoring from G4S Greece, some of whose staff have also become volunteers. Around 950 people are being helped directly by the G4S funding and the project supports thousands more. Another charity supported by G4S Greece is Smile of the Child which operates a round-the-clock national helpline for children and utilises 50 vehicles, transporting children from the scene of an incident to national first aid centres and – if required – to one of its nine community homes which host over 450 children whose family environment is deemed inappropriate by government child protection services. G4S Greece provides free of charge satellite tracking of 45 Smile of the Child emergency vehicles throughout Greece to ensure the safety and security of the children and the efficiency of the transportation service. Other child-focused G4S projects include support and sponsorship for Family Vision in India and, in particular, a special movie screening for 110 children whose mothers are in prison.

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G4S | Email: [email protected] | www.g4s.com

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In Kenya, G4S senior management marked the “Day of the African Child” in June 2010 by visiting children at Kabete Remand Home on the outskirts of Nairobi. The children, aged between three and 16, have been arrested for committing various crimes and many of them are orphans or victims of neglect who have turned to the streets to survive. G4S Kenya is planning a partnership with Kabete to help with their rehabilitation. Also receiving support from G4S Kenya is the St. Paul’s Children’s Home in Ongata Rongai in Kenya, which is home to over 60 destitute children aged from just two months old. G4S has made various donations of funds and equipment to the home and in 2008 committed to providing it with a means of a sustainable income and improving the diets of the children. Land acquired near the home has now been transformed into a poultry farm, providing eggs not only for the children but also for sale to the local community to raise further funds to meet their growing needs. Early in 2009, G4S representatives and Haile Gebrselassie, the legendary Ethiopian long-distance runner who is G4S 4teen global ambassador, officially opened the poultry farm in this remote area on the outskirts of Nairobi. Helping Morocco’s orphans was a priority for G4S during Ramadan in 2010. G4S teams visited orphanages in Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Marrakech and Agadir to distribute food, bedding and clothes to their young residents. Among those in South Africa joining in Mandela Day, the international celebration of 92-year-old Nelson Mandela’s life, in

COMMUNITY PROJECTS

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July 2010, was G4S Secure Monitoring & Response. The campaign message was simple: “Mandela gave 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity. All we are asking is that everyone gives 67 minutes of their time, whether it’s supporting your chosen charity or serving your local community”. G4S was a Mandela Day sponsor and the monitoring and response team which represented G4S South Africa chose to do that by engaging in fun activities with 350 disadvantaged children and providing lunch for them all. G4S South Africa also supports a wide range of charities and community programmes across the country, many of which are focused on providing help for families and individuals affected by the devastation of HIV/AIDS. Among the worthy causes for which G4S provides funding and support is the Lambano Sanctuary, a home providing care for abandoned or HIV+ children, and Sparrow Ministries, whose children’s homes and hospices provide care for those infected or affected by HIV. Also supported by G4S South Africa are the SOS Children’s Villages, a charitable organisation focused on the care of orphaned and abandoned children in a community environment. G4S has been involved with SOS Children’s Villages for over two decades and has adopted eight houses throughout SOS villages in the provinces of South Africa, where eight to 10 children are cared for in small family homes and raised as brothers and sisters. G4S South Africa also funds Kindergartens within the villages to serve both the village children and those in the surrounding community.

CASE STUDY

CORPORATE social RESPONSIBILITY

annual fundraising event designed to help able-bodied and disabled children, for the past 18 years, since the very first event. Funds raised are donated to various institutions that provide physical and psychological support to and accommodation for disabled children and their families. G4S Cyprus provides funding, marketing support and free of charge security services to ensure the safety and security of those attending the event.

MALAWI

“… the Acacia Project tackles Malawi’s food and energy needs.” Each year in March, G4S businesses across North Africa, Middle East and South Asia set aside one day dedicated to supporting disabled, HIV infected, poor, disadvantaged and deprived children and orphans. Happy Day is planned in partnership with established NGOs and charity organisations resulting in bringing a little happiness, in 2010, to around 7,000 children at 47 locations. In Yemen G4S provides free and low cost medical services to children, notably for cleft palate and other reconstructive plastic surgeries, while in Egypt G4S provides new clothes and gifts to orphaned and disabled children. The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, has been a place of healing and of hope since it was founded in 1875. SickKids is a national treasure, at the forefront of paediatric health care dedicated to improving the health of children. Through a payrollgiving scheme and community events, G4S employees in Canada have donated $123,500 to this charity. G4S Canada also supports a wide range of other children’s charities across the country through an extensive fund-raising and volunteer programme – raising over $100,000 per year in recent years. It has also been the official sponsor for Kids Help Phone (KHP) since 2003. KHP aims to improve the well-being of Canadian children and youth by providing them with anonymous and confidential professional counselling, referrals and information. In 2008, the charity helped Canadian children in need over two million times through their phone and online counselling services. In Cyprus, G4S has been a supporter of Radiomarathon, an

For three consecutive years, 50 underprivileged youngsters in Singapore were given a party by G4S. After party food, they were entertained by a magic show, games and a sing-along. The children are cared for by Sunbeam Place, a charity which aims to change the lives of impoverished children for the better. G4S Hong Kong has been a sponsor of Child Welfare Scheme Nepal (CWSN), an organisation whose objective is “enabling local communities to help themselves”, for many years. Since 1997, it has supported the Saimarang Day Care Health Centre, in a remote Himalayan Village in Nepal, which provides early childhood education, healthcare and a safe place to play for children up to the age of six. In 2008, G4S Hong Kong provided CWSN with a grant to support 20 Early Childhood Development Centres and create 15 Child Clubs in Nepal over three years, which will help over 2,000 people in rural communities. In Peru, G4S focuses on improving the quality of life for children and children’s education projects in the State of Piura, in the north of the country. G4S staff provide around 150 hours of volunteer time and the business provides financial support of some $2,000 per month. The project enables children to improve their reading and writing skills, provides a nutritious breakfast for the children every day and has helped create a sense of pride in the local community. Foundation Pim is a Netherlands charity created to provide care for children with disabilities. G4S Netherlands has provided it with funding towards the construction of a house and the provision of specially-adapted furniture and carers for the children. Funds are provided directly by the company as well as through the efforts of G4S employees who have participated in numerous events, such as marathon running, cycling and other fund-raising activities. Indeed, the individual efforts of G4S employees around the globe have also made an enormous contribution to a host of charities of their choice, raising funds from generous family and friends, and frequently their supportive colleagues as well. We should not overlook the fact, however, that there are times when G4S personnel are also in need. In July 2010, for example, 300 G4S security officers in Pakistan had their homes totally destroyed and their life savings and belongings swept away in the devastating floods that submerged one-fifth of the country. The homes of a further 1,500 G4S personnel were partially destroyed. The company, of course, gave them immediate support and assistance and financial help was also donated by colleagues. Many employees in unaffected parts of the country donated one day’s salary, raising £30,000 – a sum that was matched by G4S Pakistan. Others also gave support, including a £1,000 donation from G4S employees in South Africa. Collectively, G4S’s world-wide community programmes, as well as individual efforts and acts of kindness, confirm that the Group has earned the right to be called “a good corporate citizen”.

G4S | Email: [email protected] | www.g4s.com

CASE STUDY

COMMUNITY PROJECTS

CORPORATE social RESPONSIBILITY

G4S recognises that its ability to provide a safe and secure environment around the world depends on deep and real relationships with the communities and people with whom it works. G4S is therefore committed to being a good corporate citizen. It understands the importance of investing in the communities in which it works and to which it provides services. By partnering with its customers to support community initiatives, G4S can also help raise aspirations and reduce crime in those communities. The company is committed to accounting for the economic, social and environmental impacts of its business, aiming to maximise the benefits and minimise any negative effects in the areas where it can make a real difference. As well as the projects and initiatives outlined in this brochure, the G4S 4teen corporate programme (see separate Case Study) is supporting 14 young athletes from around the world who have Olympic potential. At a local level, G4S also sponsors sporting endeavour in many of the countries in which it operates.

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G4S | Email: [email protected] | www.g4s.com

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