Batelco has announced plans to finance the construction of Al-Hekma home for the retired at a cost of BD470,000 ($1.25 million).

Members of Al-Hekma Society are looking forward to caring for all retirees who are registered with the Ministry of Labour. It is estimated that there are approximately 28,000 retirees.

Batelco has made contributions that touch all aspects of the Bahraini community life, including culture, education, social, health and sports.

The company commits a percentage of its annual profits in support of various initiatives that serve the local community. To this end, Batelco committed more than BD4 million in 2008.

Included in this amount, is Batelco’s BD40,000 donation to the Mental Retardation Society towards providing the necessary materials for preparation of a farm where physically and mentally-impaired people grow vegetables that are not normally grown in Bahrain.

This initiative aims to hone their skills, and create job opportunities for them to help them integrate into the community. The produce is sold to groceries in key malls across Bahrain.

Additionally, Batelco has donated BD8,000 to Bahrain Deaf Society. The society, which was established in 2007, aims to enhance the educational opportunities for hearing impaired people in Bahrain and assist them in becoming fully integrated into the community and lead full and productive lives.

The society also works with both the government and private sectors to create decent job opportunities for this sector of the community.

Batelco continues its annual financial support for Bahrain Charity Society and Bahrain Red Crescent Society.

“As a company operating in the Bahraini community, we consider ourselves part of it and bear social, ethical and environmental obligations that we strive to meet through a number of initiatives,” said Nadia Hussain, Batelco GM corporate affairs.

“Our responsibility towards the community includes investment in people through human resources development, creating the right working environment, respecting human rights, improving the welfare of community members, protecting the environment, and helping the community to be on par with the world’s latest economic and technological developments,” she added.

“To ensure adherence to our social responsibility, we have included it as a permanent item in our corporate strategy,” concluded Hussain.

“Our aim is to improve the welfare of the community through addressing specific problems and finding solutions to help benefit the community as a whole.” – TradeArabia News Service