Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is defined as the voluntary commitment of businesses to include in their corporate practices economic, social, and environmental criteria and actions, which are above and beyond legislative requirements and related to a broader range of stakeholders—everyone influenced by their activities.
While not every business has a CSR policy in place, many do, and they can take on many different forms and have different impacts on society and the environment. Here at Eclaro, while we are involved with multiple charitable organizations, and take steps to help the environment, it is our involvement with and commitment to growing our school in the Philippines - Eclaro Academy, that really sets us apart.
Offering pre-school, K-12, and college degrees with six majors, Eclaro Academy currently has over 2,000 students registered for the upcoming school year. Additionally, Eclaro Academy offers three campuses and prides itself with all of its course offerings, being recognized and accredited by the Department of Education (DepEd), Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Commission on Higher Education. Eclaro Academy has recently been accredited as a certified training partner of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Academy, offering a curriculum designed to help students develop technical expertise in cloud computing and prepares them for AWS certification.
The Philippines
The Philippines is comprised of 7,009 islands in southeast Asia and while only the 73rd largest country in the world by size, it is the 13th largest country in the world by population. Many don't know it, but it is also the 3rd largest English speaking country in the world. Each year, the government has taken steps to reduce poverty, and the situation has improved, but as of 2015, over 21% of the population were still below the poverty line.
Most concerning is the impact that poverty has had on children in the Philippines. One in every 10 Filipinos aged 6 to 24 years is an out of school child and youth (Philippine Statistics Authority), which equates to 3.8 million children and youth that are not getting an education. According to the 2016 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey, for 20.2% the reason is the high cost of education or financial concerns. Nationwide, about 53% of the youth not attending schools belong to families whose income fall at the bottom 30 percent based on their per capita income.
Eclaro's Impact Sourcing Program
With operations in the Philippines, including three global delivery centers in metro-Manila, Eclaro is constantly looking for ways to improve the quality of life for our employees, our employees' families, and for the community in general. One way we have decided to give back is with the recent launch of our impact sourcing program. For companies that commit to working with us in the Philippines, Eclaro will sponsor a scholarships for an underprivileged Filipino children on behalf of that company. By utilizing our global delivery services, companies can help put children through grade-school or provide them with a college education. For more information on this program, click here. It is estimated that with every year of education, the average person's future income will increase by 10%.
In addition to our Impact Sourcing program, other initiatives/benefits we offer with Eclaro Academy include:
- Tuition subsidies of 90% for Eclaro employees and their families
- Average student to faculty ratio of 25:1, compared to national standard of 40:1
- Recruitment program established for potential employment with Eclaro
Impact sourcing helps us support the local community around our offices, improves the lives of local children and their families, increases employee engagement, and allows us to reinforce our vision and values.
"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." - Malcom X
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