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SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AT KOENIG SOLUTIONS |
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We are proud to inform that Koenig is the winner of Microsoft's Citizenship Partner of the Year award for 2009.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/jun09/06-24POTY09PR.mspx
Microsoft's Citizenship Partner of the Year award recognizes exceptional partners who have made a sustained commitment to society and their communities, and can demonstrate the results of their work. The award honors organizations that apply innovation to empower underserved communities through technology or technology skills training.
Since 2007, Koenig has contributed to raising the literacy level of underprivileged children in Delhi. Koenig has also provided free Vocational Training to unemployed adults of Delhi.
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School Project
Tackling poverty is one of the most critical challenges faced by India. Lack of education is the root cause of poverty (and the associated problems). This is despite the fact that education is highly subsidized by the Indian government (the monthly school fees is less than $1 in government schools).
Most students drop out after grade 8 and 9 because they are not able to keep up with the studies. The subjects get tougher. The education in government schools though free is not adequate. To overcome this problem, Koenig provides extra tutoring in the evening at rented premises close to 3 government schools in North West Delhi. This has been a very successful project. The dropout rate has gone down significantly and the students are performing better in studies (as indicated by their exam results)
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Vocational Training Project
This project is enabling unemployed adults of the economically challenged communities in Delhi to become gainfully employed. Currently we have a capacity to train 20 adults every two months. All the graduates are working as IT executives and are earning handsome salaries. Last year 120 adults made the switch to skilled jobs. A change which is permanent for them but remains a dream for many.
As you will notice, Koenig has chosen education as its vehicle for social upliftment. This is because of the fact that giving food, clothes and shelter to the needy might help them for a day but if we give them knowledge and education, they will not need further help for a lifetime.
We believe that the only true gift is the gift of knowledge and education.
The relevance of Koenig's CSR projects is more significant than is obvious from the above descriptions. Allow us to explain.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is known to improve employee motivation. However, in large organizations, CSR is customary and is not a differentiator. Arguably, CSR is not among the principal motivators in large enterprises.
Transversely, CSR is unusual in small and medium enterprises and is strikingly noble. Employees have a greater feeling of "ownership" of the company and therefore can "sense" their contribution in the CSR activities leading to the "feel good" factor (at the core all of us feel good by doing good for others). Community service is energizing.
CSR has had a noticeable effect on employee motivation in our company. In fact, the effect is very profound. Our people are now working even more as a team for the progress of the company as a whole. Whenever we work for our own profit, the pleasure is transitory. When we work for a common / bigger good, we have a deeper sense of fulfillment.
We discovered that CSR is actually not a cost centre for Koenig. It is actually an investment in HR. The returns are indirect but are measurable and significant.
A better understanding of the projects can be obtained by a visit to the project sites. Our students are welcome to visit the project sites during their visit to India.
Key principles of Koenig's CSR are:
- Unifocus on education
- Free but top class education
- Targeting the most under-privileged constituents of society
- Return on Investment on CSR from by increased employee morale
We will be happy to share our experience in more detail with businesses all over the world to help them implement similar projects
Imagine the scale of social upliftment if hundreds of thousands of small enterprises (like us) all over the world commit their resources and management skills to further the cause of education at the most deprived level. Imagine the possible change in social outlook.
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