PTCL – Striving For A Better Pakistan

Working towards a better future has never been more relevant than it is now

Islamabad (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd June, 2019) Working towards a better future has never been more relevant than it is now. At present, our electronic and digital media spaces are inundated with stories about the spread of poverty, illiteracy and the scarcity of resources.

Many leading analysts continue to express frightening projections about the impact such conditions could have for our future generations and how important it was for current leaders working in the realms of both business as well as the government to take notice and take subsequent steps to mitigate its effects.

Fortunately, many individuals and organizations working within the business community have already undertaken the responsibility oferadicating such evils fromthe society through initiatives designed to help the common man. Through their resources, they have been able to not only lend a helping hand to members of underprivileged class, but also provide them with the skills and knowledge necessary to attain a sustainable source of livelihood for themselves and their families.

In this respect, few organizations have spearheaded as many programs for the underprivileged as much as PTCL. Over the past few years, Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation Limited, the country’s largest telecom company, has developed a reputation of immense goodwill and selflessness with their numerous initiatives. These are geared towards quality education, food and shelter and women empowerment, for individualsbelonging to the disabled, elderly, and underprivileged communities.

By focusing on significant areas such as education, youth development and inclusion, PTCL sets the bar for other organizations to follow within the corporate industry. The company has numerous CSR activities and some of its key initiatives for this year include:

PTCL Razakaar organizes Box of Happiness for the elderly & open air Iftaars across Pakistan

One of the ways in which PTCL contributes towards the improvement of society is by enhancing the value of life for certain members of the community, particularly the elderly. Through its PTCL Razakaar initiative, the organization undertakes the mission of donating hand-packed gift boxes to the elderly residing in either old-age homes or impoverished communities. In addition, it lays the foundation of giving and sharing by having its employees collect such boxes at the beginning of the year and then distribute them to more than 25 locations around the country, including Peshawar, Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Tharkparkar and Quetta.

PTCL’s Razakaarachieved yet another milestone of hosting open-air Iftaars, whereby the company was able to reach out to approximately 10,000 beneficiaries across the nation. The company hosted special Iftaars for deserving communities across the country in the second Ashra of Ramazan. Razakaars made the effort to personally reach out to the most deserving individuals, hence living up to the true spirit of the month. Special arrangements were made at mosques, hospitals and open spaces for labour communities. The initiative encouraged PTCL employees and their families to become a part of the volunteer program providing a platform within the company to be able to give to the underserved society and serve communities they reside in.

PTCL Razakaar involves the company’s employees on a quarterly basis in the six focus areas of its Corporate Social Responsibility, which are Education, Youth Development, Health & Safety, Environment, Disaster Response and Inclusion.

PTCL collaborates with Indus Resource Center in Sindh

As part of its mission to providequality education for low-income groups in the Pakistani society, PTCL adopted the Din Mohammed Rind and Bugro School in February 2019. Both schools are run by the Indus Resource Center in Khairpur, Sindh. The organization in partnership with the IRC has undertaken the responsibility of operating the twin primary schools, thereby honoring its commitment towards providing quality education to members of the local community in that area. So far, the schools have emerged as significant platforms for girls to receive high quality education; they currently have 553 students ranging from KG-level to Grade 10, 45% of which comprise of female students.

PTCL supports The Citizens’ Foundation for quality education to impoverished communities

This Ramzan, PTCL entered into an agreement with The Citizens’ Foundation (TCF) to host their ads on their bills to customers. The aim of the ad was to help collect donations for TCF and facilitate it in its mission to

continue providing quality education to children belonging to impoverished communities. TCF has a network of schools catering to such families nationwide.

PTCL empowers women in collaboration with Balochistan Women Business Association (BWBA)

Earlier this year, PTCL in collaboration with the Balochistan Women Business Association (BWBA), spearheaded an internship program in Quetta for young women belonging tounderrepresented communities.

The aim of the program was to engage, groom and train aspiring young talent to enter into the corporate sector. The participants underwent training organized by the BWBA for a period of four months after which they were assigned to PTCL. The teams provided them with training in various domainsincluding office etiquette, technical overview, communication as well as business ethics in the HR, medical and coordination departments.

PTCL sponsors Nepal-Pakistan Blind Women’s Cricket Series

In February 2019, PTCL sponsored the 4^th Blind Women’s Cricket Tournament held at the Shalimar Cricket Ground in Islamabad. The match was between the teams of Nepal and Pakistan. Through its association with the event, PTCL hoped to encourage the development of a greater number of such initiatives for disabled or differently-abled men and women in order for them to grow and lead successful lives.

Through these CSR activities, PTCL is setting highstandards for innovative collaborations and partnershipsthatwill enable communities and facilitate the underserved population of the country. The organization has paved the way by concerted efforts for such initiatives that benefit the communities at large.