Etisalat's philanthropic activities Etisalat Group is a telecoms corporation from the United Arab Emirates, headquartered in Abu 'national champion for the UAE and ... a quasi- Dhabi. With revenues amounting to AED 51.7 government'. As such, it pursues a series of billion (US$14 billion), it operates in 17 countries philanthropic activities worldwide, in conjunc across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. tion with the UAE's Ministry of International Co-operation. It intervenes in the domain of As part of its sustainability and social education, health, charities and civic infrastruc responsibility strategy, Etisalat has developed ture works. The table gives a sample of these a company policy of developing relationships activities, performed directly or in partnership with multiple local stakeholders in the vari- with Dubai Cares, a philanthropic organization ous countries where it operates, referred to created by the Emirati government to improve as 'stakeholder engagement'. As part of its children's access to quality primary education engagement, the group considers itself to be the in developing countries. EDUCATION . Sri Lanka Donation of laptop computers to schools Financing of fully equipped libraries . Nigeria Financing of schools infrastructure Financing of teacher training program (in association with the British Council) . Ivory Coast Scholarships School renovation . Afghanistan Financing of computer labs in schools Educational assistance for adults . Niger School improvement programs110 I GLOBAL CONTEXTS HEALTH Water purification and distribution programs . Egypt Free wifi zones in public and private hospitals . Pakistan Providing air-conditioned maternity units for patients . Niger Providing mosquito nets to combat malaria . Ivory Coast Building hospitals . Sri Lanka HIV and AIDS awareness program CHARITY . Sri Lanka Flood relief program Career counselling program . Pakistan Water supply for suburban areas . Niger Food aid CIVIC WORKS . Sri Lanka Recycling of packaging material Tree planting . Afghanistan Reconstruction of mosques Women's empowerment programs Sponsoring National Volleyball Federation . Pakistan Tree planting program School enrolment programs for girls in remote areas Emergency flood response programs Questions 1 What benefits does a global corporation such as Etisalat draw from its philanthropic activities? 2 In financing these philanthropic activities, and in choosing which ones to support, does a global cor drawbacks to this? poration run the risk of being seen as a substitute for the local government? If so, what are potent Source: Etisalat CSR & Sustainability Report-2012. Available at http://www.etisalat.com/en/system/docs/reports/Etisalat-CSR-Sustainability- Report-2012_lowres.pdf