The last day of the year 2015 at Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) marked the launch of ‘Hum Qadam’ volunteering program as part of the Company’s initiative in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility. SSGC is perhaps the first organization in the corporate sector to launch such a program that primarily encourages its employees to volunteer in diverse community-driven initiatives. ‘Hum Qadam’ is the brainchild of the Company’s Corporate Communication Department that also takes care of its CSR initiatives.
The colourful launching ceremony, organized at the Company’s head office auditorium, was attended by the representatives of SSGC’s partner organizations in the area of CSR. Khalid Rahman, Managing Director, SSGC, Mirza Mahmood Ahmad, Member of the Company’s Board of Directors, senior management and a large number of company employees participated in the launch. Sajid Hasan, renowned TV actor and anchor graced the occasion with his presence. The ‘Hum Qadam’ launch also featured the unveiling of the Company’s new CSR Brochure and presentation of cheques to two of the Company’s CSR partner firms, The Hunar Foundation and WWF-Pakistan.
Through the ‘Hum Qadam’ volunteering program, SSGC employees will have a choice to do volunteering work in any of the five well defined areas. They include a mentoring initiative named ‘Masha-e-Rah’ through which they will counsel less privileged students, a blood donation initiative termed Safeer-e-Hayat through they can donate blood at least twice a year to those in need and Ehsaas, a community service initiative through which they can spend quality times in welfare homes dedicated to senior citizens, orphans and special children. In addition, volunteers can also participate in Rang Dey, an anti-chalking initiative by beautifying the chalked walls in their neighborhoods and also in a tree plantation initiative dubbed Sabz Ujala by planting a sapling and contributing to environment protection. The project aims to acknowledge the efforts of the volunteers by recognition through certificates, honourable mention in the Company’s newsletter The Flame and its digital media platforms, media coverage and special ‘Hum Qadam’ badges.
The ‘Hum Qadam’ launch got off with a truly moving performance by the special children of Markaz-e-Umeed, a local welfare organization, to the tune of ‘Lab e Aati hay dua’. Shahbaz Islam, AGM (Corporate Communications) and head of the Company’s CSR Unit then took the stage to welcome the guests. He gave an inspiring presentation about the aims and objectives of Hum Qadam Program while motivating the employees to volunteer under the banner of Hum Qadam.
Mr. Islam’s presentation was followed by speeches from the Company’s director Mirza Mahmood Ahmad, Sajid Hasan, and representatives of SSGC’s CSR partners, Tahera Hasan, Director, Imkaan Welfare Organization and Christopher Thomas, Project Manager, Family Educational Services Foundation. All the speakers lauded SSGC for taking this initiative to attract the Company executives towards the volunteering program and stressed that no act of kindness, no matter how small, was ever wasted. The speakers stressed that when an individual stands to improve the lives of his fellow human being, his life improves automatically.
Director Mirza Mahmood Ahmad then joined MD, SSGC and the Company Corporate Communications team to cut the ribbon to unveil the CSR brochure that entails company’s initiatives undertaken in the areas of education, health, environment and community development during the last three years.
In his keynote address, Managing Director Khalid Rahman lauded the Company’s CSR Unit for going one step further in its corporate citizenship initiative and hoped that the Company’s employees will enthusiastically participate in community service through ‘Hum Qadam’ program. He assured the CSR Unit full support in ensuring the success of ‘Hum Qadam’ and hoped that the partner organizations will also contribute in making the drive purposeful by giving employees an outlet to offer their services as well as worthy suggestions. To laud their effort, amidst rousing applause from the audience, the MD invited to the stage, the Corporate Communications-cum-CSR team that conceptualized the idea of ‘’Hum Qadam and also produced the new CSR Brochure. The concept team included Corporate Communications’ AGM Shahbaz Islam, Chief Managers Muhammad Ali Gohar (Incharge CSR projects) and S. Imran Ahmed and young executives Danish Javed, Noman Saeed and Uzair Haider. The event was adroitly compered by S. Imran Ahmed.