The corporate social responsibility of Dhiraagu is based on responsibly grounded business decision-making that considers the broad impact of corporate actions on people, communities and the environment. Dhiraagu strives to give importance to the socio-economic developments of the country and engage in operations and services in a conscientious and responsible manner.
Key aspects of Dhiraagu's CSR programme include:
- Positive contribution to the social and economic development
of the community
- Respect for the culture, values and human rights throughout
our operation
- Encourage and nurture best practices in our activities
- Contribute towards protecting the environment
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Positive contribution to the social and economic development of the community
Dhiraagu is actively involved in community activities and regularly sponsors and contributes to worthy causes, in the areas of education, youth development and healthcare. Dhiraagu also actively supports island communities in their social activities and partner with NGOs to raise public awareness on social issues such as drug abuse and child protection.
Some key initiatives and contributions in this area include:
- Dhiraagu Apprenticeship Programme (DAP) supports work skill development of young Maldivians. The programme provides structured training and gives an opportunity for the youth to gain experience in a professional work environment.
- Dhiraagu provides free internet to ‘Kudakudhinge Hiya’ orphanage, where a resource centre and computer facilities are also established by Dhiraagu. Similarly the Company provides free internet to the home for people with special needs in Guraidhoo and to the National Thalassaemia Centre where a cyber-centre is established.
- Special Sports Festival in collaboration with the NGO- Care Society has been planned as an annual event with a focus on providing opportunities for children with special needs to participate in sports activities. It additionally creates a platform for further collaboration among institutions and helps to advocate for children in need of special care. The first of event under this programme has been successfully launched.
- Dhiraagu is the exclusive sponsor of Dhiraagu Dhivehi League, the national football league which continues to inspire and develop young talent in football, the country’s most popular sport.
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Respect for the culture, values and human rights throughout our operation
- An ethics policy promoting integrity in employee's conduct. This policy has been recently reviewed to include an anti-bribery policy in line with Cable & Wireless Communications standard guidelines.
- Dhiraagu is a member of the ‘GSMA Mobile Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Content’ and blocks child sexual abuse content on Dhiraagu internet.
- Dhiraagu's annual broadband race is dedicated to a worthy cause and last year's theme was to raise awareness against child abuse. The race is always well attended and is a good platform to raise funds for social causes.
- Dhiraagu continues to provide support to children through Child Helpline, which was established to provide assistance to all children across the country in need to care and protection to remain accessible free of charge, via a toll free number. The service was launched together with Children Helpline International, a global network of telephone helplines, operating in over 150 countries that provide outreach services to children and young people.
- A free national drug abuse helpline was also established for the Ministry of Health and Family to offer counselling and support relating to drug abuse.
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Encourage and nurture best practices in our activities
- A high level of importance is given to human resource development and employee welfare. Dhiraagu recognises and rewards employee contributions, aims to improve employee engagement and instils good governance through best practices.
- Human resource development, succession planning, knowledge acquisition and sharing are key focus areas of Dhiraagu. They enable the Company to develop skilled and professional teams to better conduct the Company’s business. The fact that the majority of the employees including senior management are internally trained Maldivians, is a testament to this CSR objective.
- The Company has successfully run its own medical benefits scheme for several years and a voluntary retirement’s benefit scheme until the establishment of the national pension scheme. The Company contributes 10% to the employee pension fund which is beyond the 7% required by legislation.
- The health and safety policy was established, to help protect employees and to ensure a safe work environment.
- Dhiraagu’s procurement policy is publicised and well-defined tender processes are used in purchases. The policy also includes a Supplier Code of Conduct with the aim to establish responsible business conduct within the company’s supply chain.
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Contribute towards protecting the environment
- Among supporting various initiatives together with the community, Dhiraagu recognises the country’s fragile environment and gives importance to sustainable development.
- Dhiraagu is one of the largest users of renewable energy in the Maldives. Solar energy is used as an alternative source of power in many of the network distribution sites across the country.
- Dhiraagu sponsored the first ever international game fishing tournament in Maldives, supporting conservation efforts. The event had a key emphasis on ‘Tag and Release’ (where fish are captured, then revived and released back into the sea with an identifying tag attached) for scientific and conservation purposes. The event also opened up a platform for locals and international anglers to fish alongside each other, learning, sharing expertise and creating awareness on sustainable fishing practices.