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TELENOR FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT on BUSINESS OPERATIONS IN 2019
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INTRODUCTION
By initiating and supporting projects, adjusted to the strategic line of activity, Telenor Foundation is contributing to society's development. All activities are carried out in cooperation with partners, and support of varied teams.
Guided by the principle of implementing Goal 10 – reducing inequality, within its strategic direction of responsible business operations, Telenor Foundation is endeavoring to support the integration of society, providing access to communication services for the largest possible number of people. We support and initiate projects which create solutions with a clear aim of overcoming topical social challenges in Serbia.
The foundation’s activities are directed to the fields of education, social inclusion of vulnerable groups, culture, and art, as well as environmental protection.
The goals of the Telenor Foundation promote the positive side of the internet and a set of norms that regulate behavior in digital surroundings and impact the reduction of digital bullying. They are channeled to the solution of significant social, educational, cultural, and health needs on the national level, general ecological development, as well as problems caused by natural disasters.
Partnerships are made with state institutions and non-profit organizations, according to the procedures prescribed by the Statute. All interested humanitarian organizations, non-governmental organizations, institutions, and foundations registered in Serbia have the right to participate in the Open Call for Proposals. The competent team assesses and selects the ideas received and then submits the presentations of applicants according to clear criteria. The projects are sent to the Board of Directors of Telenor Foundation, which at its session makes a decision which ideas it will support. All partners are obliged to submit a report on the course of the project and a detailed overview of its results.
MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE
The management Board of Telenor Foundation has four members.
Mike Michel, chairman of the Telenor Foundation’s BoD, assumed the position of Telenor Serbia CEO on October 8, 2018. Before joining Telenor Serbia, he was CMO in the telecommunications company Banglalink in Bangladesh.
Also, Michel was CMO in Telenor Hungary and Vice-President for Brand Management in Telenor Group in Norway. Michel has over twenty years of experience in management positions in global telecommunications companies in the region, North America, and Asia.
He worked in different leading positions in the Czech Republic, Serbia, Montenegro, and Hungary. He spent six years in Serbia and Montenegro, during which time he led teams in the areas of commerce and business. He has graduated from “Simon Fraser” University in Canada.
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Mr Darinka Radojević, Special Advisor to the Minister of Environmental Protection.
She has many years of experience in economics, education, and coordination of multidisciplinary projects. As of 2007, she gained her experience in the field of environment, sustainable development, and public sector reform working in several positions in the public sector, as head of the Group for Sustainable Development in the office of Vice President of the Government for European Integrations, Secretary of the Council for Sustainable Development, Counsellor to the Vice-President of the Government for Public Sector Reform and acting Assistant Director of the Directorate for E-Government.
She was an associate of several civil society organizations in the preparation and implementation of projects and seminars. She graduated and received her master’s degree from the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy in Belgrade.
Robert Čoban, President of the Color Press Group company.
He started his journalistic career as Novi Sad correspondent of Belgrade paper “Večernje Novosti”; Zagreb “Arena” and Sarajevo “Naši Dani”.
Today he is the head of Color Press Group, the largest publisher of magazines in the region, with companies in all six republics - 64 magazines, 11 internet portals, and over 50 conferences a year. The company portfolio includes numerous licensed names: “The Economist“, “Hello!“, “Brava Casa“, “Bravo“, “Alan Ford“, “Grazia“, “Jamie Oliver Magazine“ and several others.
Marija Vujanić, Communications and Sustainability Director, Telenor d.o.o.
She worked for over 15 years in the public relations area. She gained her experience at several leading positions in corporate and non-governmental sectors, as well as PR agencies.
Before joining Telenor in 2012, she was PR and Citizenship Lead in Microsoft Serbia company and Executive Director of Ecotopia Fund. Marija has graduated from the Faculty of Economy of Belgrade University (2002).
Milica Begenišić, Manager of Telenor Foundation and Senior Expert for Sustainable Development and Events Organisation, Telenor d.o.o.
She started her career in the telecommunications field in 2001. She gained her rich experience working in various sectors of the company, from Customer Service through Marketing to Corporate Communications, as well as cooperation with a large number of external associates and government institutions.
Over the years, through the organization of corporate events, she actively participated in the initiation and implementation of CR projects of company Telenor and Telenor Foundation.
FIELDS OF WORK
All activities of the Telenor Foundation are directed to 4 basic areas:
• Youth and education • Social inclusion of socially vulnerable groups • Culture and arts • Environmental protection
Apart from financial support, the Telenor Foundation contributes to the implementation of projects with it’s capacities and knowledge, and precisely by acting in different fields, provides help to Serbian society.
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REVIEW OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES BY FIELDS OF WORK
Telenor Foundation has implemented 9 projects in cooperation with 10 partner organizations.
4.1 Project activities and achieved results – Youth and Education
• “Prof Dr. Ilija Stojanović” Awards presented at the celebration of the day of the Electrical Engineering Faculty in Belgrade
We presented the “Prof Dr. Ilija Stojanović” Awards to the best students and authors in the telecommunications field, within the celebration of the Day of the Electrical Engineering Faculty.
Telenor Foundation has established the “Prof Dr. Ilija Stojanović” Award in 2007 in memory of the Academy Member, Professor Dr. Ilija Stojanović, a pioneer of modern telecommunications in the area of former SFRY and present Serbia and founder of the Department for Telecommunications at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade.
Professor Stojanović was a teacher to almost all generations of present-day experienced telecommunication engineers, who are the champions of this industry.
4.2. Project activities and achieved results – social inclusion of vulnerable groups
• “Run, do good”: 250,000 dinars for inclusive children’s playgrounds in Belgrade and Ćićevac
At the Belgrade marathon, representatives of UNICEF, together with Telenor employees, participated in the Pleasure Race under the slogan “Run, do good” to build inclusive children’s playgrounds.
In cooperation with the Sports Alliance of Disabled Persons of Belgrade (SSOSIB), UNICEF has started the construction of inclusive playgrounds in Belgrade and Ćićevac.
These playgrounds will be used by a minimum of 1,000 children, with or without developmental disabilities and their families. Specially adapted spaces will enable children to play, engage in sports, make friends, and learn how to respect differences.
Our team at the Marathon consisted of 250 employees and their family members. The company has donated 200 dinars for each covered kilometer in the Pleasure Race so that a total of 250 thousand dinars has been collected for inclusive children’s playgrounds.
• Humanitarian five-a-side tournament “BELhospice”
Our employees participated in the BELhospice tournament in five-a-side football, which has a humanitarian character and helps the work of BELhospice center.
The tournament was held on the grounds of the Football Association of Serbia in Stara Pazova, and the Telenor team won second place.
Thanks to the participation of companies in football and basketball tournaments, altogether 17 000 Euros were raised and the funds are intended for the BELhospice center which helps the most gravely ill cancer patients and their families to continue to receive free palliative care.
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• UNICEF Fair-play basket tournament
For a third time in a row, the Telenor team participated in Unicef traditional Fair-play tournament in basketball, held in Belgrade and Novi Sad. On this occasion, 2.5 million dinars were collected and the funds will be directed in building the inclusive playgrounds.
Unicef Fair-play tournament is a traditional sports activity aimed at uniting companies and individuals in creating better surroundings, a more open society, in which every child has equal opportunity to develop and grow properly and children with different physical, sensor, and intellectual disabilities get a chance to gain new positive experiences by playing with their peers.
• Easter humanitarian exhibition
We took part in the Easter Humanitarian Exhibition of the wards of the “Centre for the Placement and Day Stay of Developmentally Handicapped Children and Youth“ held yesterday in Telenor premises.
The exhibition had a sales character and all the collected money will be used for the purchase of new materials for the centre’s workshops.
The exhibited works of the Centre’s children and youth were created during work-occupational therapy, which in addition to socialization, represents one of the most important parts of their treatment.
That therapy is implemented through creative workshops, where they paint and make artwork from recycled materials. Also, they participate in the selection and purchase of materials, which is an opportunity for them to go out for a walk, adopt social habits, and get to know the concept of using money.
For ten years now, Telenor has been organizing humanitarian exhibitions of this kind on its premises. At this exhibition, a sum of 58 000 dinars was collected.
• New Year’s humanitarian exhibition
In Telenor premises, a New Year’s humanitarian exhibition of wards of the “Centre for the Placement and Day Care of Developmentally Handicapped Children and Youth” was organized.
The exhibition showed decorative wreaths, cups, trays, clay figurines, but also T-shirts, picture frames, and other objects that reflect the New Year’s spirit and the coming holidays.
This year we bought objects in the highest amount ever of 127,500 dinars. The total money from the exhibitions will be used for procuring new materials for the Centre’s workshops.
4.3. Project activities ad achieved results – Culture and art
• Project “Growing up with art”
In cooperation with Matica Srpska Gallery, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, and Music Youth of Novi Sad a project “Growing up with Music” was implemented, with a series of classical music concerts for babies and their parents.
Thanks to this project, the Novi Sad kids had a chance to enter the world of art and classical music, carefully selected and adapted to the youngest ones in its dynamic and contents.
After the concert, interested parents left the imprint of their babies’ feet/hands-on canvas, as a memory of their first concert.
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• “PozitivNI festival“ in Niš
PozitivNI street art festival, which covers all segments of culture and arts, rallied over 200 creative people and artists, and thousands of satisfied, who for four days enjoyed concerts, classical and alternative art, sports and recreation, and other interactive contents.
Festival PozitivNI was held under the auspices of the City of Niš, with the support of the Tourist organization of the city of Niš, the US Embassy in Serbia, and in partnership with Telenor Foundation.
4.3. Project activities ad achieved results – Environmental protection
• Project “Heroes of recycling”: Ecological solution to increase recycled waste quantities
“Heroes of recycling” was implemented in cooperation with JCI Novi Sad, whose aim is to link the street collectors of secondary raw materials (pet packaging, cardboard, glass, etc) with other citizens of Novi Sad to increase the percentage of waste that ends up in the recycling process.
A hackathon was also organized as part of the project, in which competitors had a task to make a prototype of mobile application “Recycling heroes”, which aims at connecting and establishing simple communication between the citizens who separate waste in their homes and citizens who collect secondary raw materials.
“Heroes of recycling” is an efficient ecological solution, applicable also after the project implementation period expires. With time, the number of participants will exceed the planned goals, contributing to the removal of waste from the cities and increase recycling. Also, the project establishes communication and cooperation between direct users and, in that way, includes the socially marginalized groups and contributes to social inclusion in Novi Sad.