Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird and the children of the Telus-Gawad Kalinga Village. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—We give where we live.
This is Telus International Philippines’ (TIP) mantra that moves its corporate social responsibility portfolio to reach out to grassroots community and give donations to local organizations to fund small-scale projects.
This year, the TIP Community board has allocated 100,000 Canadian dollars to nongovernment organizations that zero in on youth’s arts and culture, education and sports or health and well-being.
Recently, TIP awarded its first grant worth $10,000 to the Philippine Legitimate Artists Group (Philstage), the country’s only alliance of professional performing arts companies.
Last February, TIP expanded its efforts to give back to the community with the establishment of the TIP Community board with Javier Infante as chairman.
“The first grant will fund up to three months of artistic activities for children from our GK villages. These will include trips to the ballet, the children’s theater, cultural shows and workshops. Philstage will also conduct a similar follow-on project for children from flood-stricken communities,” says Infante.
TIP is still on the lookout for more organizations with whom it can share its love. Right now, they have received 20 applications. Telus, one of the leading telecom companies in Canada, is currently reviewing the second grant to be given to an organization focused on community restoration especially to areas heavily affected by the floods.
Applications are reviewed to make sure that the organization is aligned with one of three themes that TIP is funding. The board also has a general rule that organizations will be funded to one program per organization per year. The funding is not intended to support the general operations of an organization.
TIP president Jeff Uthoff, who has made a home in the Philippines and is married to a Filipino, salutes the dedication of the Filipinos to charitable events. He personally witnessed how Filipinos walk the talk when he was invited to build homes for Gawad Kalinga.
For Uthoff, the Philippines has indeed cemented its title as the capital of business process outsourcing (BPO) in Asia. He describes the country as a special and extraordinary place for BPO.
“There’s really something special here. The Filipinos have the innate desire to please, the fluency in the English language and they are acquainted with Western culture. Even their accent is endearing and I have seen the passion and willingness to learn. I sometimes think that they are too good to be true,” he said.
Grassroots charitable organizations that are interested are encouraged to visit the Telus website and download the application form available in English and Tagalog at www.telus.com/community (follow the links to Telus International Philippines Community Board content). For more information, contact Bodge Calica at bodge.calica@telus.com or at 6389440.