Making a difference
Source: The Fiji Times
Author: Meri Radinibaravi
IN 2022, the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) released their list of approved charitable institutions which showed that there were 51 registered organisations altogether.
Included in this list is Vodafone ATH Fiji Foundation, Vodafone Fiji's charity arm which was registered in 2004 to facilitate the corporate social responsibility endeavours of Vodafone Fiji and its parent company Amalgamated Tele[1]com Holdings (ATH).
So far, the foundation has made remarkable advancements in youth empowerment, women empowerment, sustainable development in Fiji and across the Pacif c region, health advocacy, disability inclusion among other notable contributions.
Foundation executive Ambalika Devi said Vodafone ATH has seven programs running at the moment, but this may increase in the near future.
2. World of Difference (WoD) program: This program was adopted from Vodafone UK and under this program, Vodafone Fiji provided human resources to other charity organisations. "There's a lot of donors out there who give funds for projects, but nobody gets funds for human resources. So, we were the first one, under Vodafone World of Difference, where we call it a passionate volunteer program, and we started it in 2010. "We brought in $360,000 worth of grants and we started with 36 charity organisations where we paid 36 passionate volunteers to run charity organisations. "From that time until now, 2010 and this is 2024, we have provided over 140 direct mentoring to individuals who are currently running charities on Fiji. "When we brought them, they were volunteers getting $30 a week, and currently these same volunteers are sitting on $37,000 a year scale. "So, we brought them in, we build their capacity, we mentored them, we coached them, we counselled them, we provided them with resources, the SEED funding, and also got them educated on the side where they got their diploma and their degree." Ms Devi said this program is quite impactful as "it brings in 10-to-50-fold rate of return".
3. Mobile for Good program: For this program, the foundation conducts technology les[1]sons in schools and also gives out laptops, tablets, and Wi-Fi connection to assist students in their studies. The foundation collaborates with partners to identify opportunities and develop tailored mobile services and ap[1]plications that meet the needs of the community.
4. Beyond Funder program: This program allows the foundation to assist corporates in setting up their foundations "to contribute towards the charity organisation". The program started with a Corporate Philanthropy Seminar where corporates were invited to listen in to the needs of the community on the ground and be able to identify which way each corporate could assist. "We, being the leading charity organisation in Fiji, don't have enough funds to be able to address all the needs of the community on the ground. "We have done, so far, five multidisciplinary conferences around the country, the sixth one will be happening in June. "Under Beyond Funder, we have also been establishing charity organisations that ad[1]dresses the immediate needs of the community on the ground. We call them community-based organisations because we have umbrella organisations. Ms Devi said they have so far established over 40 community[1]based charity organisations in Fiji.
5. Double Your Dollar program: For this program, staff "raise funds for the cause that they are passionate about". "This course can range from around helping individuals whose house has been burned, or they are passionate about somebody who's going for treatment and is poor, all these areas." She said the foundation doubles to maximum of $2000 depending on what kind of sup[1]port they are trying to provide.
6. Employee Engagement program: This is where staff and volunteers from Vodafone subsidiaries Telecom Fiji, Datec, etc, "come forward to donate their time, their knowledge and their skills to charity organisations" in areas of IT, fi nance, etc.
7. Red Alert program: This is a disaster response program that is activated whenever there's a natural disaster. Volunteers are mobilised to prepare and pack supplies which are to be distributed to affected areas. "During TC Yasa and TC Winston, we even took the doctors with us, as responders to the people who's got high blood pressure, high sugar, these are the very people who need immediate response in terms of health." Since coming on the scene in 2004, the foundation has assisted and helped thousands of Fijians through targeted initiatives and support. From youth clubs, personal care homes (e.g. St. Christopher's Home, Labasa Old People's Home), associations that look after disabled members of society, women empowerment groups, to sporting clubs, Vodafone ATH has made its presence known in society. In total, between 2003 to 2024, the foundation disbursed $11,568,576.83 in total direct dollar grant alone. This figure does not account for social investment. Ms Devi said the foundation has been evolving fast to stay up to date with latest trends. "Taking into account the global trends, and also not talking about the problem but developing solutions so we can fast track the helping of the community out there. "We try and execute a project where we invest, and we want the desired social impact and also continuous sustainability of the project that we do on the ground. "We maybe putting in very little amount of money when you look at our investments by year, but that is only 10 per cent of what we do, which is by dollars, 90 per cent is the other things we do." ATH chief executive officer Ivan Fong in a video on Vodafone Fiji's social media page said the foundation was trying to make a difference in society. "The Vodafone Foundation is a charity organisation, it's a non-profit set up for philanthropic and sustainable living purposes," Mr Fong said. "One of the things the foundation does, as a group of course, is trying to make a difference in our society, ensuring that we can support communities to become sustainable in themselves. Dealing on worth[1]while projects to improve their lives, and livelihoods of people within their communities. "For example, some of the projects we have done in sup[1]porting women groups economic activities, we provide our support in water sanitation, medical health issues and social support for those who have difficulties in their homes." He said they forward to doing much more of this work and helping with champions of the community achieve their objectives.