CSR Abroad: How Corporations Are Saving Pakistani Children

For many, the book Three Cups of Tea was an introduction to the power of philanthropy in Pakistan. In it, sportsman Greg Mortenson details his quest to establish the Central Asia Institute with the purpose of increasing regional stability through education. However corporations like Proctor and Gamble (P&G) and Mobilink have quietly adopted similar activities, supporting Pakistan's people through various CSR initiatives related to communication, literacy and hygiene. Do international CSR efforts hail a new era in corporate nation building? If it continues on this track, let's hope so.

A little history; in 1999, a military coup rocked Pakistan's already turbulent geopolitical situation. This event compounded complicated territorial tension with India and stoked the growth of a then small terrorist organization called Al Qaeda. As a result of its unstable political climate, daily life for many Pakistanis became more difficult; the poverty rate and literacy rates are both still approximately thirty percent. Though civilians have suffered as their country flips between stability and war zone, Pakistani struggles inspired organizations and corporations to offer capital, time and energy towards rebuilding strong communities.

P&G: Providing Basic Sanitation

P&G was a first mover in Pakistani CSR, reporting initiatives as early as 1989. As of 2008, P&G run several programs in Pakistan with a wide scope of causes supporting children and often in conjunction with NGOs. P&G has distributed a billion liters of drinking water, teamed with hospitals to reduce infant mortality, redirected diaper profits into vaccinations, funded widespread hygiene education and created "childrens' villages" for orphans. Their efforts are well documented on their website, and they do their best to quantify the good they do to measure their impact.

Mobilink : Teaching Children To Read via Text Message

Partnering with UNESCO, Mobilink (a leading Pakistani telecom) offers an interesting model for literacy development by delivering curricula via text message to Pakistani girls. Removing textbooks -and their cost- from the literacy formula increases access, Mobilink argues. Though Mobilink has publicized the campaign, there have been few demonstrations or reports of whether it's working. Nonetheless, cell phones and technology offer exciting potential to remedy literacy issues where shipping books is impractical.

P&G and Mobilink show that nonprofits have not cornered the need-market for social services in developing nations. Indeed, CSR may provide crucial social services that governments in unstable nations are unable to. Additionally, by focusing on particularly underserved groups like women and children, companies increase equality in nations whose cultures are traditionally patriarchal. P&G and Mobilink are two of many companies in international CSR, but both demonstrate creative solutions that have real impacts.