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News Release from: TPS
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 01 July 2005
Engineer brings well and wisdom to poor
Carillion sponsored a member of its staff, St John Day, a senior civil engineer with TPS, to go to India and take part in a major water project.
The lastest buzz phrase in business circles is 'corporate social responsibility' In the past, the only responsibility corporations had was to their shareholders, but in recent years, public and political pressure has forced these companies to have a more compassionate relationship with the communities in which they operate or which they affect with their activities
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 19 Aug 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Many of these organisations have gone to great lengths to produce statements and policies on their CSR activities, with numerous pages of their annual report and accounts dedicated to this.
However, more and more, it is becoming accepted that many are simply paying lip service to CSR, and there are, in fact, few companies that are actually doing very much that is substantial.
Carillion Business Services, one of the UK's leading construction groups, is one of those which is not only saying it has social responsibility but is doing something about it.
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Its published mission is "making the world a better place".
This does not only mean the buildings it designs, builds or operates, it relates to the wider world.
Last year, Carillion sponsored a member of its staff, St John Day, a senior civil engineer with TPS, the design and project management division of Carillion Business Services, to go to India and take part in a major water project.
The project involved two villages - Chinoor and Malleeswarapuram, in the Tamil Nadu region of southern India - each with a population of around 1,500.
As with many similar villages in the region, there are inherent problems of water scarcity and no infrastructure.
These are exacerbated by the isolation of the communities, little general education, the lack of opportunities, the ubiquitous corruption and the paucity of substantial support from the outside world.
The plight of the Third World periodically makes an impression on the public conscience, such as Band Aid in the 80s.
Even with the level of coverage given to this and subsequent appeals, much of the general public is ignorant of the disadvantages faced by the majority of people around the world.
More than half of the world's population rely upon firewood for cooking, 1.5 billion people have inadequate housing, a third of the population do not have proper energy, 2.5 billion people do not have sanitiation facilities, and 1.2 billion people do not even have an adequate water supply, which in itself leads to 6,000 people dying every day as a result of water-borne diseases.
"When help is provided," said St John Day, "it is usually inappropriate.
It tends to be short term aid, instead of considered support which will enable the communities, in time, to sustain themselves.
"The Indian Water Project was designed not only to provide communities with wells to ensure proper long-term water supplies, it also involved support and education which would help the communities maintain the benefit in perpetuity".
The objective from the outset was to involve the communities themselves - to enable them to help themselves so they buy-in to the whole process and have a sense of ownership, which in itself has a longer term benefit.
The initial steps were to establish village development committees and to provide health education training.
Through the provision of appropriate technical assistance and support, the hand-dug water wells which had been used for eons were replaced with permanent wells with a continuous clean water supply to the populations of the two villages.
St John Day added: "The resulting demonstrable community benefits were visible from day one.
The availability of fresh clean water for both communities has had huge health benefits, and has shown them what could be done.
Now they can focus on the other aspects of their lives that need improvement with renewed vigour and optimism".
Many organisations like to be seen to be signed up to the idea of CSR, but there are not many which are actually doing anything tangible.
It is for this reason that a new concept is emerging, that of corporate social accountability.
Not only are companies now going to have to say the right things, they are going to have to be seen to be doing the right things as well.
Gordon Brown said in September last year that the business and moral case for helping the Third World must overlap: "Britain can lead the world by being both prosperous and socially jus".
Britain could be, he said, "the first country of the global age where prosperity and justice advance together".
Mark Twain showed wisdom beyond his era when he said: "In 20 years' time, you will only ever regret the things you didn't do, as opposed to the things you did.".
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