25. July 2016
Instead of giving Christmas gifts to its employees, Multiconsult makes a substantial donation to a charitable organisation. In 2015 the Christmas present went to an important project in Malawi, one of Africa’s poorest countries.
“Save the Children Norway’s project to improve schools in Malawi was chosen because we saw that we could contribute to the long-term development of the society in which the children live. Giving education is giving opportunities – the opportunity of a future, of looking after yourself and your family and of changing the lives of generations of children,” says Guri Lindmark, the CSR and Environment Manager at Multiconsult.
Long history of providing development aid
Multiconsult has a long history of providing development aid in the shape of engineering services in various parts of the world, and over the years we have also built up a culture of supporting other development projects and campaigns.
“Multiconsult is contributing towards Malawi’s development through the project to rehabilitate and upgrade the Kamuzu Barrage dam. This means that several of our employees have a special interest in Malawi and its development potential,” says Guri.
Involves 80,000 pupils
The aim of Save the Children Norway’s school project is to support vulnerable children, with a particular emphasis on ensuring that girls, orphans and children with disabilities are able to attend school. The focus is on ensuring that children learn what they need to at school while also being able to have a say in their learning experience. The project involves over 80,000 pupils and almost 1,300 teachers as well as local parent groups and village councils.
Pupil-centred learning
Multiconsult’s Christmas gift is helping the project to achieve results. For example, the teachers at the schools in the Save the Children project have attended courses to learn how to teach in a new, pupil-centred way. The teachers, pupils, headteacher and parents all appreciate the project, which was introduced at the school in the autumn of 2015.
“We are already seeing a big difference. The pupils have become more interested in school. The teaching has become much more interactive, and the pupils are more engaged. In the past they weren’t,” say the pupils’ parents according to a Save the Children article about the project. You can read more about the project in the attached Save the Children Norway magazine.
Suggestions for new projects
“Although Christmas is a long way off, and many new disasters may occur between now and then, please suggest projects that you would like Multiconsult to support,” concludes Guri Lindmark.