Press Releases

Budapest, December 19, 2009 13:30

In two rounds of competition, Magyar Telekom has selected the NGOs with which the company will cooperate during the next three years, as a new element of its corporate citizenship strategy. The winners are Blue Point Foundation, Hospital Teachers Association and "Szívlapát" Foundation.

In July 2009 Magyar Telekom invited public benefit and priority public benefit NGOs (foundations, associations) to submit applications, with the aim of concluding permanent donation agreements with the winners in the framework of a three-year strategic partnership. The strategic partnership will secure a sound financial basis for the implementation of the programs of the winning NGOs.

In the first round of the Strategic NGO Partnership competition, held in September 2009, the Blue Point Drug Counseling and Outpatient Center Foundation was chosen. Two additional organizations were selected in the second round held in December: Hospital Teachers Association and "Szívlapát" Foundation.

Hospital Teachers Association has organized classes in pediatric oncology centers for ten years. The organization's goal is to prevent the social isolation of children suffering from tumors or hematological disorders, as well as to help them reintegrate into the social environment they had to leave when they became ill.

The main pillars of the Association's program are direct support to the children, support to parents, preparing schools and peer groups and training hospital teachers. Children receive support mainly by ICT means, i.e. notebooks, web-cameras, headsets, as well as in the framework of games and arts and crafts activities. The devices ensure that children are less isolated, and are able to share their experiences with their friends and families, while they can have fun when participating in the crafts activities.

The support parents receive is aimed at the expected psychological effects of the disease, prevention and ways to help; the Association also compiles a brochure on these. As part of preparing the schools and the classmates, the Association visits the schools, and holds classes for the pupils about their classmate's sickness. A brochure is compiled about this, too.

When training hospital teachers, the organization strives to represent a harmonized approach that takes into account local specific features. In the course of the training program, they put special emphasis on preventing burn out in people working at pediatric oncology departments.

The "Jövő-Menő" Project of "Szívlapát" Foundation has set the objective of promoting the sustainable development of Mezőcsát, a region of 15,000 inhabitants. The region was selected, since it is exceptionally disadvantaged: it is characterized by high unemployment, a lack of specialized medical services, as well as generally low income from tourism and unfavorable effects of the digital divide.

The goal of the "Jövő-Menő" program is to demonstrate potential ways of achieving sustainable development through life in Mezőcsát. The Foundation believes that the concept of sustainability is more transparent and understandable if seen in practice, which might also build a more solid community among local inhabitants. The program integrates Magyar Telekom's Digital Bridge initiative, surveys the possibilities of e-health solutions, and plans to establish an online webshop through which local producers can introduce themselves and their products.

Besides increasing awareness among locals in general terms, a key objective is to draw attention, in particular, to solutions that make everyday life easier in a sustainable way, for example more economical and environment-friendly heating technologies are taught at the workshops organized for the residents.

Settlements in the Mezőcsát region are linked by EuroVelo bicycle paths, but there are no signs that would help tourists to find their way, therefore, in the framework of the project, the paths will be cleared and signs installed, as a result of which the organization hopes to promote local bicycle tourism and increase the number of tourists.

Numerous other events will be organized and publicized nationwide, according to the plans, some of which can be linked to the Sustainability Day organized by Magyar Telekom.

By selecting these three NGOs, Magyar Telekom consistently represents its corporate citizenship strategy, renewed in 2009, the main areas of which are health and prevention, popularizing sciences and scientific education, and sustainability. These goals are part of the programs of the partner NGOs, and as a result, their social impact and efficiency is expected to be outstanding.

About Magyar Telekom
Magyar Telekom is Hungary's biggest provider of telecom services. It provides a full range of telecommunications and infocommunications (ICT) services including fixed line and mobile telephony, data transmission and non-voice as well as IT and systems integration services. The business activities of Magyar Telekom are managed by two business units: Consumer services (the home-related services brand T-Home and the mobile communications brand T-Mobile) and Business services (T-Systems brand). Magyar Telekom is the majority owner of Makedonski Telekom, the leading fixed line and mobile operator in Macedonia and it holds a majority stake in Crnogorski Telekom, the leading telecommunications operator in Montenegro. Magyar Telekom's majority shareholder (59.21%) is MagyarCom Holding GmbH, fully owned by Deutsche Telekom AG.
For further information visit www.telekom.hu.