U.S. Firms Confirm Commitment To Corporate Social Responsibility
In a conference entitled “U.S. Business Mission to Egypt,” held on the 9th of September, a number of leading American companies working in Egypt have pledged to pursue the social responsibility programs launched before and during the 25th of January Revolution.
Adel Farag, Regional Manager of the North East Africa Business Unit for Pepsico, stated that his company gives special attention to community participation. He added that Pepsico has initiated a program entitled “Temouh” (Ambition) in 2007 to support students who go out of school to be the bread-winners of their families. Pepsico has cooperated with the UN World Food Program to aid approximately 2650 students to continue their education by providing them and their families with food. Pepsico has also launched “Hand in Hand” initiative to help people with disabilities be part of the production line.
Likewise, Jeffrey Avina, Director of Citizenship and Community Affairs Director Microsoft Middle East and Africa, has confirmed Microsoft’s dedication to citizenship. He highlighted that Microsoft has launched a number of programs in the framework of corporate social responsibility, including “Get Online”, “Innovate for Good”, and “Youth Spark.” He also asserted that Microsoft is keen on sustaining innovation in Egypt highlighting that “the level of innovation is strong in Egypt.”
Nevine El –Kady, Senior Manager for Corporate Social Responsibility at Cisco, emphasized that Cisco seeks to get back to the community by organizing sustainable development programs. She pointed out that the Cisco Networking Academy program teaches hundreds of thousands of students worldwide the skills needed to build, design, and maintain networks for improving their career prospects while filling the global demand for networking professionals.
In light of the corporate social responsibility, Andy Wills, Chairman of the Board of ExxonMobil, noted that ExxonMobil has launched the Ishraq (enlightenment in Arabic) Program, in partnership with ExxonMobil, the National Council for Youth, and Save the Children. The program aims at improving opportunities for out-of-school adolescent girls in rural Upper Egypt through an integrated curriculum of literacy, life skills and sports. Since 2008, the program has expanded to 21 villages in Upper Egypt and reached more than 1,000 girls.
To add to that, Coca Cola asserted their genuine interest in taking part in Egyptian society development. In this respect, Coca Cola has organized a program for developing 10 villages annually, providing them with infrastructure, small scale industries, and illiteracy programs. Having faith in the importance of education to community advancement, Coca Cola stages a scholarship program, in cooperation with US Embassy in Egypt and the Department of State, to open opportunities for students to study in 50 reputable universities in the US.
