For Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company (PNJ), corporate social responsibility (CSR) rests with attending more to the community development, placing it higher than economic gains. So, says the company’s leadership, “an enterprise can only achieve sustainable growth when it exists in a sustainable community.” For the reason PNJ has always put its aim for people and community development above its economic gains. And, among various CSR activities conducted, the HCMC-based jewelry maker has nurtured special love for children with autism.
Positive changes for better life
Given a surge in the number of autistic children in Vietnam, especially in the modern society, coupled with the public’s incomplete understanding about autism in children and unavailable national-standard documents about autism, PNJ and the National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) have jointly launched a project to raise awareness of autism in children so as to remove obstacles in understanding and offering help to autistic kids.
The project is a huge effort of PNJ and NFVC and has received support from the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs and the relevant agencies.
The jewelry firm expected that over 10,000 families and over 4,000 autistic children will be the main beneficiaries of the project, which was scheduled for operations in the 2018-2022 period. The project’s initial funding worth VND10 billion was backed by PNJ.
Through the project, a first set of national documents on supporting children with autism spectrum disorders was announced by the National Assembly’s Social Affairs Committee and was released on a trial basis to collect further feedback.
In addition, 100 employees have received training to gain a profound understanding of autism. They will provide support to children with autism, share their knowledge on the issue with parents of autistic kids, and help the community have a proper understanding of autism, as well as reduce the stigma of and the discrimination against autistic children.
In 2018, the project was implemented in 13 provinces and cities including Hanoi, Haiphong, Bac Ninh, Vinh Phuc, Ninh Binh, Hue, HCMC, especially those densely populated localities with centers that offer support to children with special needs. The firm will expand the project to more localities nationwide in the years to come.
Helping hand to the poor
Also, the HCMC-based jewelry maker has rolled out many other social programs to serve its goals for educational and people development.
To date, a program titled “Mai am niem tin” (Belief Home) carried out by PNJ has enabled more than 300 households with housing difficulties to improve their lives and to be motivated to escape poverty, heading toward a brighter future. All of the funding for this program came from contribution of PNJ employees and customers. Over 6,000 PNJ staff nationwide have donated part of their salaries for the program.
Further, PNJ has contributed much of its efforts to the completion of the social welfare system and the enhancement of quality of life. It has coordinated with the HCMC Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients to provide health checkups and treatment at no charges for disadvantaged people, organized jogging events to raise fund for poor people, hosted blood donation events, and granted scholarships to students from low-income families.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic and the severe drought and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta, PNJ has teamed up with some organizations to donate medical supplies to assist with the country’s efforts to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. It also offered over 1,800 water tanks to local residents in affected areas.
Aside from these charitable programs, PNJ has also contributed to business development. The company has regularly joined scores of activities of the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council, the HCMC Young Business Association, the HCMC Association of Women Entrepreneurs, aiming to create a platform for connecting, sharing business experience and success stories, as well as learning steps to build a personal brand, which is considered one of the key factors to make an entrepreneur advance further along the business path.
By Hong Ngan
