The corporate social responsibility program for the Accenture Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Community in the Philippines is committed to enhancing employees’ career experience through activities that instill a sense of community and giving. The Accenture Caring for Tomorrow (ACT-BPO) program provides Accenture BPO employees with the opportunity to get involved in socio-civic projects that raise their social consciousness and at the same time, uplift lives of people living in poverty.
The program focuses on four main areas: education, environment, livelihood, and emergency relief. ACT-BPO employee volunteers share their talents, skills, and material resources with their chosen beneficiary groups. Take a quick look at some of the activities engaged in by Accenture BPO employees in the Philippines in 2008.
On August 30, 2008 ACT-BPO organized a field trip to Enchanted Kingdom theme park for the children of the Brave Kids Organization. Project Brave Kids is an organization that campaigns for medical and moral support for cancer-stricken Filipino children. Brave Kids Organization beneficiaries were treated to a whole day of fun, games, and food!
Then in November 2008, ACT-BPO launched a tutorial program dubbed “Feed the Hungry Minds.” The weekend tutorials are part of the growing global network of the corporate-sponsored Food for Hungry Minds program. This program identifies the poorest children in a community, gives them middle-school interventions that help them to achieve educational excellence and gain leadership skills.
The first three tutorial sessions were successfully held in November to December 2008. Employee volunteers discussed Math, Science, and English subjects with 4th, 5th, and 6th graders of the Food for Hungry Minds scholars in Pandacan, Manila. The forth and fifth tutorial runs are set on January 17 and 24, 2009, respectively.
November also saw ACT-BPO volunteers giving love to and sharing joy with the women of The Haven in Alabang. The Haven is a shelter for victims of domestic violence. The center’s goal is to provide displaced women and their children a ‘home away from home’ with the help of social workers from the Philippine Government, charitable donors, and well-meaning volunteers.
Capping the year off in December, ACT-BPO initiated a fundraising drive as part of the 2008 BPO Christmas party held on December 20. Donation boxes were strategically placed inside the party venue. Money collected from these boxes went to the various organizations being supported by ACT-BPO. To show their gratitude, the children from Brave Kids and Food For Hungry Minds performed a special dance and song number on the day, to the great delight of Accenture employees.
“Volunteering for ACT-BPO made me realize that no matter how difficult or short life can be, we can find fulfillment in doing something to contribute to the well being of other people,” says Emile Bautista from Accenture Customer Contact BPO Services Human Performance team.
“Our employees are passionate about giving back to community,” says Joie Janeo, Senior Executive Sponsor of ACT-BPO. In fact, the corporate social responsibility activities get the most number of volunteers among the BPO activities.”