Giving back to the communities via various charity activities throughout the year is the means of social integration of Orient Software Development (Orient). By selecting a meaningful charity program, Orient shares business profits, shows commitment, and validates the outcome of the charity project.
This is a story of Orient and The LIN Center for Community Development (LIN). Orient has been collaborating with LIN since 2014. LIN is a well-known Vietnamese non-profit organization, providing critical supports to build strong communities. Organized by committed individuals from diverse backgrounds, LIN is reliable and expanding its network across directors and managers from many companies and corporates in Ho Chi Minh City.
Among several LIN’s programs, Orient recently selects Narrow the Gap to donate funds. In the program, LIN connects philanthropists and volunteer projects working to address the needs of marginalized groups in and around Ho Chi Minh City. The target groups of these projects are people who lack equal access to opportunities and resources for daily needs or future development.
Different from other programs, Narrow the Gap asked philanthropists to vote for best volunteer projects. There were six volunteer projects participating in this time, and three selected ones would get grants. Narrow the Gap raised a grant about US$77,000 from 209 individuals, 8 corporates, and 2 institutions. As the results, three projects were selected to receive the funding:
- Hear.Us.Now project:
Building an e-learning platform for the deaf community - CEPORER Hóc Môn:
Clean water well for the local people of Hamlet 1, Long Thanh Commune, Thu Thua Dist., Long An - Happier Group of Social Workers:
Support for careers of autistic children at local communities
And three other projects were runners-up:
- BCNV:
Establish a wig library made from real hair for breast cancer and other cancer patients - Cau Han Project:
Preventing early dropout of immigrant students - MATA:
Jobs for the Visually Impaired People
Earlier, our Human Resource staff spent 7 months to provide best practices in HR Management for a volunteer project. Or to name an another example, we cannot count how many hours that our staff spending children in Little Roses – a shelter for victims of child sexual abuse, to tutor basic computer skills in 2013 and 2014.
Sustainability is seen as the balance of Corporate Economic Responsibility and Corporate Social Responsibility. At Orient, we value both efforts and financial contribution from staff to local communities. “Narrowing gaps, and increasing access to social equity that help vulnerable groups reach life goals are our team’s objective”, said Nguyen Thi Lai, Office Manager of Orient.