When Alcatel-Lucent, a global voice, data and video communication service provider, recently hosted a senior leadership conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the 150 participants set aside one day to make a difference in the community. These company leaders from across the Asia Pacific region gave their time in Veal Thom village, outside of Phnom Penh, and built 45 houses for poor Cambodian villagers. It was a part of the organization’s “International Days of Caring” (IDOC) project, a volunteer initiative for employees from around the globe.
For the house-building initiative, Alcatel-Lucent partnered with Tabitha Cambodia, a nonprofit organization formed in 1994 that helps poor Cambodian families get out of poverty with a micro-banking program. Cambodian families qualify for a home when they are able to put aside $30 American dollars. Then, Alcatel-Lucent Asia Pacific provides nearly $1,000 American dollars per house to buy building materials for the 45 homes.
The Cambodian project is just one of many community activities Alcatel-Lucent employees participated in. Others included serving as guides at a science museum in Australia, running charity sales events in China to support victims of last year’s major earthquake and donating to blood banks in South and Southeast Asia. The company’s IDOC project began in 2008 and takes place in 15 countries. More than 9,800 employees have spent nearly 75,000 volunteer hours supporting more than 180 projects. You can read more about the IDOC at Alcatel-Lucent’s Corporate Social Responsibility 2008 report (PDF) here.