NARRATIVE REPORT ON TELENOR FOUNDATION PROJECTS IN 2011
The Telenor Foundation contributes to society by launching or joining strategic socially responsible projects. The Foundation realizes these ideas in collaboration with partners, with heterogeneous teams engaged on them.
During its five years of existence, the Telenor Foundation has provided help to underprivileged and vulnerable civic groups in Serbia, as well as youths in their educational and professional development, in circumstances of dynamic progress of modern society. The Foundation also contributes to the decentralization of art, cultural, scientific and artistic creation, as well as general environmental development.
We establish transparent and public partnerships with state institutions and non- profit organizations, in line with procedures stipulated in our statute. A competent team assesses received ideas and selects them according to clearly defined criteria, and then submits them to the Telenor Foundation Managing Board. At regular annual sessions the Board decides which ideas will receive support. Our partners are required to submit a public report to the Board about their progress and a detailed summary of the results.
The Telenor Foundation Board of Directors consists of six prominent individuals whose work has been socially verified in practice: five members, two of whom are employed by Telenor, and advisor Dina Johnson, a photographer with sixteen years of experience in the publishing industry and involvement in culture affirmation projects in Russia. The Foundation Board is chaired by Kjell-Morten Johnsen, CEO of Telenor d.o.o. In addition to other fields, he built his career in fixed-line and mobile telephony industry (Telenor, VimpelCom, Golden Telecom). Another member of the board from Telenor is Sandra Štajner, CCO, who built her career in communications both in corporations and as an independent consultant, in Serbia and abroad. The members of the Board with the highest academic titles are Prof. Dr. Branko Kovačević, Chancellor of the University of Belgrade, and Prof. Dr. Slobodan G. Marković, associate professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences and senior associate at the Institute for European Studies in Belgrade. The Board member from the media sector is Veran Matić, founder and editor-in-chief of TV B92. Ana Krstić has been the Foundation manager since its founding, and she was entrusted with these duties because of her long and abundant professional experience in the field of corporate social responsibility affairs and international relations.
In 2011 the Telenor Foundation launched and supported more than 20 projects and collaborated with more than 30 partner organizations. 1. CATEGORY: EDUCATION AND YOUTH
- Scholarships for Master studies in the field of children’s rights
February 2011 – The Union University Faculty of Law in Belgrade established a Master’s program in the field of children’s rights. Its aim is to provide education, advanced training and expansion of the professional network that would provide for the adequate exercising of children’s rights in Serbia.
The Telenor Foundation contributed to the project by providing scholarships for the one-year Master’s studies for students Katarina Petrović and Ivana Savić, from Belgrade.
“We want to support the development and wellbeing of children and the exercising of their rights in Serbia and in the region. This development also implies the promotion of human resources and organization capacities in this field,” pointed out Prof. Dr. Nevena Vučković-Šahović, former member of the Telenor Foundation Managing Board (2007-2011).
- Continuation of cooperation with the Faculty of Electronics
May 2011 – Thanks to the continuation of the cooperation between the Faculty of Electronics in Niš and the Telenor Foundation, the Laboratory for Telecommunications at this school was provided new equipment. It will improve teaching and provide for the more efficient production of diploma and Master’s theses. Among other things, a state-of-the-art computer with the latest version of the i7 processor will be of great use to doctoral students for complex numerical calculations, modeling and simulation of telecommunications systems.
With the aim of expanding collaboration, Pjer Vučković, Technology Strategy and Coordination Area Manager at Telenor, held a lecture for students on the development of mobile networks opportunities for the introduction of state-of-the-art LTE technology.
“The lecture is extremely significant for students in the graduate and doctoral programs, because it enables them to realize the significance of implementing theoretical knowledge. On this occasion the Telenor Foundation took advantage of Telenor’s expertise as part of the strategy of investment in the education of youths, and I am pleased that our collaboration in this field will continue,” stated docent Goran T. Djordjević.
The Faculty of Electronics at the University of Niš and the Telenor Foundation have been cooperating since the end of 2010, when for the first time the best graduate from the Department of Telecommunications was presented the Prof. Dr. Ilija Stojanović Award.
- First electronic testing of students in Serbia, thanks to the Telenor Foundation
May 2011 – Around 850 students from 50 schools in Serbia took trial tests as part of the largest international education study, PISA. The Program for International Student Assessment is organized every three years. It has been implemented in our country since 2001, organized by the Institute for Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, under patronage of the Serbian Ministry of Education and Science. The aim is to improve the system of education in our country by highlighting the functionality of academic knowledge.
The first electronic testing of students in Serbia was made possible by the Telenor Foundation, which recognized its importance for the development of our education system. The Foundation provided 40 portable computers so that this phase of the study would proceed unimpeded. Due to inadequate technical conditions, the testing at approximately 70 percent of the schools was performed on laptops provided by the Telenor Foundation.
“The study was conducted in an atmosphere of good collaboration with the schools and exceptional student motivation. Next year the main testing, including electronic testing, should be performed at 190 schools, which is almost four times as many as this year. The test results will be announced at the level of the OECD and all 76 countries that take part in it, and we will know whether and to what extent our educational system provides development. In order to be successful in this knowledge test, we require support from the Ministry of Education, the collaboration of schools and students, as well as significant technical assistance, which we hope we will have in the continuation of the partnership with the Telenor Foundation,” said Dragica Pavlović-Babić, PISA coordinator for Serbia.
- Supporting NALED project Get to Know the Serbian State
August 2011 – The aim of this project was for Serbian students attending school abroad to learn about the organization and functioning of the local self-governments in Serbia, during a two-week summer internship, initiated by the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED). The student internships in 20 cities and municipalities in Serbia were related to local economic development and, in the future, to connecting with the Serbian diaspora. This idea should encourage young educated people to return to Serbia and to apply the knowledge that they gained abroad for Serbia’s benefit and balanced regional development.
In addition to learning about the key departments of municipal administration and the role of local self-government in the country’s economic system, the interns visited the largest local companies and learned about the investment and tourism potentials of the municipalities. Thanks to their knowledge of the language and culture of the countries where they are studying, they helped the municipalities to prepare information for foreign investors, embassies, chambers of commerce and donors, therefore strengthening the municipality’s international connections.
- Prof. Dr. Ilija Stojanović Award for graduates from the telecommunications departments at universities in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš
December 2011 – The Telenor Foundation traditionally presents the Prof. Dr. Ilija Stojanović Award to the best graduates from the departments of telecommunications, the authors of the best student papers at the TELFOR conference, and the authors of the best scientific paper published in international journals.
As has been the case in previous years, the Awards were presented by representatives of the Telenor Foundation at the official celebration of the Day of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Belgrade. The laureates were Zdravko Zubac from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Belgrade, Dušan Cvetković from the Faculty of Electronics at the University of Niš, and Siniša Suzić from the Faculty of Technical Sciences at the University of Novi Sad.
The three award-winning papers are: Comparison of five antennas for WBAN applications, by Aleksandra Krneta, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade; Digital Guitar Tuner, Miodrag Stanojević and Miloš Bjelić, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade; and Implementation of LT Codes on the TelosB Platform, by Jelena Milošević, Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad.
The award for best published paper went to Miodrag Tasić and Branko Kolundžija for the experiment Efficient Analysis of Large Scatterers by Physical Optics Driven Method of Moments.
“The Telenor Foundation invests in young talented people in Serbia, in an effort to encourage them to continue working in the country. In additional to cash prizes, this year the graduates will also get access to the latest technology that the Telenor Company is giving away – tablet computers, and they will have unlimited Internet access for an entire year,” said Jakov Stojanović, Head of Network and Service Planning at Telenor.
The Prof. Dr. Ilija Stojanović Award was founded by the Telenor Foundation in 2007, in memory of professor and academic Ilija Stojanović, who contributed greatly to the development of the Telenor Company. Prof. Stojanović was a pioneer in modern telecommunications in the former Yugoslavia and Serbia, and founder of the Chair for Telecommunications at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. Prof. Stojanović taught most generations of experienced telecommunications engineers, pillars of this industry.
2. CATEGORY: SOCIALLY VULNERABLE GROUPS
- Assisting children with malignant diseases
March 2011 – The Telenor Foundation joined in the project Psychosocial Assistance and Support for Children Suffering from Cancer and Their Families, by the Zvončica association from Belgrade. This organization provides psychosocial, financial, educational assistance and counseling to children living with malignant diseases and their families. We have provided financial assistance for the hiring of medical and educational staff, as well as the IDE art group, which organized creative workshops.
- Equipment for blind and visually impaired persons and toilets for persons with disabilities at the National Theatre
June 2011 – Believing that we are helping blind and visually impaired persons develop and providing them with opportunities for fulfilling cultural needs, we have adapted the building of the National Theatre in Belgrade, our strategic partner. Namely, the Telenor Foundation has equipped both stages of the National Theatre with devices for audio description, which allow persons with this type of disability to follow theatre performances. Using wireless headsets, visually impaired audience members receive concise explanations of the events on stage and can hear sounds. The device, whose signal is broadcast without interfering with other devices and audience members, can be used by up to five persons on the Main Stage and up to ten persons on the Raša Plaović Stage. Thanks to the collaboration with the Telenor Foundation, the National Theatre in Belgrade is the only one in the region that enables blind and visually impaired persons to follow events on stage.
We have also completely renovated the toilets on the Raša Plaović Stage, adapting them for persons with disabilities.
- Supporting Serbian national team members at the Special Olympics in Athens
July 2011 – The Special Olympics Serbia sports association has existed since 2002, as part of the international Special Olympic World Games, to support and engage persons with mental disabilities, and improve their social visibility and integration.
Serbia’s team took part in the Special Olympic World Summer Games in Athens, from June 25 until July 5. The team of 46 athletes from nine cities in Serbia competed in six disciplines – football, basketball, swimming, track and field, table tennis and bocce – and won 15 medals.
With the intention of drawing attention to the efforts made by these athletes and promoting their achievement, the Telenor Foundation provided the entire sport equipment for the team members.
“The Special Olympics are the largest sporting event worldwide this year. The Serbian team has taken part five times. The athletes worked very hard, we tried for them to have equal conditions, and 7 girls and 39 boys showed a great desire to achieve. The support of Coca-Cola and the Telenor Foundation meant a lot to us and I hope that the examples of these two companies will be followed by others,” said Aleksandar Stanojević, director of the Special Olympics Serbia organization. 7,500 athletes from 185 countries took part in the Special Olympic World Summer Games, competing in 22 Olympic disciplines. The opening ceremony was held on June 25, at the Panathinaikos stadium in Athens, where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896.
- The Telenor Foundation provided mini switchboard and advanced database for the “…Iz kruga” organization
September 2011 – Thanks to the continuation of collaboration with the Telenor Foundation, the SOS hotline operated by the “…Iz kruga” organization for the protection of rights and support for persons with disabilities, has gained six additional lines. Also, with our help, this organization now has at its disposal a more modern and systematic database that will be available to three more organization in Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Niš.
“An average of five women per day call the SOS hotline in Belgrade alone, and the calls last at least half an hour. We now have a mini switchboard and excellent conditions for multiple services to function at the same time. The advanced database allows us to faster register our beneficiaries. We hope that this will lead to a more efficient resolution of their problems,” said Lepojka Čarević-Mitanovski, president of the “… Iz kruga” organization.
Thanks to the equipment provided by the Telenor Foundation in 2010, this non- governmental organization has a comprehensive database and systematically records calls and information about the beneficiaries of the SOS hotline.
The “…Iz kruga” organization has for 14 years been fighting for the rights of women with disabilities to a life without violence and discrimination, and it is the only one in Serbia that has data on violence against them. Its aim is to raise awareness of the position and needs of women with disabilities, to improve the health of this group and its social position. For this purpose, it provides its beneficiaries with an SOS hotline, psychosocial and free legal aid and support.
- Telenor Foundation donated funds for the procurement of infant incubators
September 2011 – The Telenor Foundation has supported the Battle for the Babies campaign, by the B92 Fund, aimed at raising funds for 100 incubators for prematurely born infants, necessary for healthcare institutions in Serbia.
Most of the institutions have incubators that are more than 20 years old, and according to standards, they should be replaced after 7 years, because of high maintenance costs and difficulties in procuring spare parts.
Due to the obsolete incubators, the mortality rate for infants up to 1,000 grams is 65 percent in Serbia, which is an alarming 50 percent more than in the U.S.
The incubators are primarily necessary for the Institute for Neonatology in Belgrade, which cares for most of the prematurely born and vulnerable infants. The Institute has around a hundred incubators, with 35 being more than 35 years old. The Telenor Foundation also invited other socially responsible companies and competent ministries to take part in the campaign.
- Places in the Heart Award
October 2011 – The Telenor Foundation has continued to support accolades for the best civil initiative projects and most successful local partnerships in Serbia. The cooperation in question involves the Places in the Heart Fund, which dates back to 2006. Awards for organizations that carried out projects with the most positive effects in their local communities in 2010, were presented for the sixth time, at Belgrade City Hall, on October 11.
Thirty-four initiatives made the short list, from which prominent members of civil society and the business sector, including Telenor Foundation representatives, chose the most successful ones. In addition to donations in goods, the companies supporting the awards also provided cash prizes worth RSD 1,150,000.
The Places in the Heart Award for the most successful projects in local communities went to: the Remizijana scout unit from Bela Palanka, for the action Create a Park – Raise Awareness; the Step Forward association from Kruševac for the Daycare Center for Children and Youths at Risk; and the Cobra Group from Donja Toponica near Niš for the idea Public Space for All of Us. By addressing the issues common to a large number of people in their communities, these organizations have provided visible progress, and also included members of the public, the business sector, local authorities and state institutions.
The Step Forward association for the protection and promotion of the position of children and youths, from Kruševac, received the award for best local partnership, for the project Daycare Center for Children and Youths at Risk. Our Company and Foundation provided a cash prize and free one-year Internet subscription for organizing the daycare for youths at risk and youths with behavior problems. The Step Forward organization collaborated with the local self-government, the Center for Social Services, the Higher Public Prosecution, and a large number of volunteers.
- Contribution to Ethical Reporting on Children
December 2011 – Journalists Mirko Rudić, Marija Obrenović and Saša Stojković were presented the UNICEF media award for the best media report on the integration of children without parental care in 2011. They received a plaque and medal from UNICEF, a modem and one-year Internet subscription from the Telenor Company, and a laptop from the Telenor Foundation. The members of the panel of judges were representatives of the media, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, UNICEF and Telenor.
3. CATEGORY: CULTURE AND ART
- Art Tour – masterpieces in the open
July 2011 – Knez Mihailova and Čika Ljubina streets in downtown Belgrade became open-air galleries, as part of the Art Tour Project. Passers-by could view reproductions of 33 masterpieces from the collection of the National Museum in Belgrade, displayed on the city’s facades.
The collection, which has not been available to the public for some time, was presented to visitors to the capital from July until the end of September 2011. This action was carried out under the patronage of Princess Jelisaveta Karađordjević, thanks to the financial support and collaboration between the Telenor Company and Telenor Foundation, the National Museum, as well as the Stari Grad municipality and the Hewlett-Packard Company.
Authentic reproductions of works by Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henry Matisse, Pablo Picasso and local artists Katarina Ivanović, Paja Jovanović, Nadežda Petrović, Jovan Bjelić, Sava Šumanović and Milena Barili were displayed, framed and with captions, at unexpected locations in the center of the city.
The Telenor Company also provided an audio guide to the exhibition, so that interested members of the public could get better acquainted with the masterpieces on display. Our users could also learn more about the paintings and their authors by SMS, as well as download photos of the works from the WAP portal.
“In the realization of the Art Tour project we used the experience of collaboration between leading companies and museums worldwide. We are pleased that we can present a small segment of the heritage of the National Museum in such an interesting way, and invite all those interested to create their own Art Tour in the streets of Belgrade. During the duration of the open-air exhibition, visitors could purchase reproductions of the exhibited masterpieces at the National Museum,” stated Tatjana Cvjetićanin, director of the National Museum.
The National Museum has been undergoing renovation for a number of years. The idea was for the Art Tour project to provide contact with its artistic treasures as compensation for fans of the arts. Also, this was one of the efforts by the Telenor Foundation to present priceless pieces of national heritage to youths, in an interesting way.
- Audio and SMS guide to the Pavle Beljanski Collection in Belgrade
October 2011 – The exhibition of the Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection “The Pavle Beljanski Collection in Belgrade Again” was officially unveiled on October 12, at the Great Hall of the Army Culture Center, and was open to the public until November 26.
For the first time since the trust was created in 1961, the Belgrade audience had the opportunity to see an exhibition of 68 pieces of art by 32 artists, from the collection that had never left Novi Sad. The most important works were by Serbian Art Nouveau painters such as Nadežda Petrović, Milan Milovanović, Kosta Miličević, Borivoje Stefanović, Ljubomir Ivanović, Zora Petrović, and Sava Šumanović. The collection also includes an exceptional collection of sculptures by Serbian artists from the first half of the 20th century, with paintings by important authors such as Rista Stijović, Sreten Stojanović, Živojin Lukić, Mihajlo Tomić and Nebojša Mitrić.
Part of the exhibition was intended for visually impaired persons. For the first time they were able to get better acquainted with two paintings and a reproduction of a sculpture, in a special tactile section of the exhibition. By touching the copy of the sculpture and tactile diagrams, they develop tactile-kinesthetic perception. Thanks to support from the Telenor Foundation, two Daisy flash players were obtained, providing blind and visually impaired visitors the opportunity to listen to material guiding them through the exhibition.
The exhibition also included an audio guide available to all visitors, provided by Telenor, as a partner in the project. Through the audio tour, i.e. by dialing the telephone number 9814 for users in the Telenor network, or 063 9814 from other networks, visitors had the opportunity to learn about collector and benefactor Pavle Beljanski, his trust and memorial. Furthermore, Telenor users could also learn various interesting facts about the collection, by sending a message to 9814.
Pupils from 1st to 4th grade could enjoy a special education program and interesting workshops. A series of events, such as film screenings, professional interpretations and thematic lectures for visitors, emphasized the significance of the memorial collection as a renowned cultural institution and one of the leading centers for studying modern art in Serbia.
- The Unseen Beauty Photo-Monograph
November 2011 – On November 21 the Telenor Foundation and its strategic partner, the National Theatre in Belgrade, presented the first photo-monograph about the National Theatre, titled The Unseen Beauty. This luxurious book showcased parts of this institution and paid homage to its cultural and artistic values.
The 140-page book, by author Dina Johnsen, includes portraits of the stars of the National Theatre: Konstantin Kostjukov, Ašhen Ataljanc, Predrag Ejdus, Ljiljana Blagojević, Nataša Ninković, and other actors and ballet dancers, as well as opera singers and artisans behind the scene. The monograph also depicts the spaces of the National Theatre, its stages and what lies behind the scenes.
With the aim of providing a personal contribution to the development and growth of cultural creation, as well as affirmation of the arts on the Serbian scene, Dina Johnsen, photographer and advisor to the Telenor Foundation Board of Directors, created this monograph with her team, pro bono, and donated it to the Theatre.
The partnership between the National Theatre and the Telenor Foundation was modeled after the long-term cooperation that Telenor has with the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and the National Theatre in Oslo.
- Info center for contemporary Serbian art
December 2011 – The fall of 2011 saw the start of the organization, digitalization and formatting of documentation on contemporary art production in Serbia. The archive of the Remont independent art association covers the period since 2000. This archive contains a large number of catalogues, books, portfolios, CDs, i.e. valuable documents about events on the current local and regional art scene.
The systematization of the archive would provide easier and more efficient access to information for a wider circle of local and international professionals. In cooperation with the Department of Art History at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy, the project of organizing the existing material and archiving of new material will include students and young art historians. The purpose of the project is to train future professionals in maintaining and modernizing the contemporary art scene, as well as teamwork. The end result would be a unique information center on contemporary local and regional art production, a crucial place for local and international professional communication.
A good collection of printed material (catalogues, books, other publications), CDs (portfolios, art projects, selections of works), videos (video material from art events, exhibitions), would provide a comprehensive overview of current art.
4. CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
- Sustainable development through knowledge
August 2011 – The Sustainable Development Through Knowledge campaign, which was started in late 2011, was devised in order to develop information society and environmental activism in the third sector. Namely, environmental activities should be assessed through technological innovations that support social responsible programming and renewable energy sources. An important aim of the campaign is to raise awareness among primary and secondary school pupils and the citizens of Serbia regarding civic culture and habits, with the aim of behaving responsibly towards their environment.
50,000 primary and secondary school pupils, from more than 150 school and 70 cities, will be included in the campaign through the Green Games competition for development of video games with an environmental message, providing national coverage for the implementation of all planned program activities. The main goal of the competition is for the pupils to gain knowledge, through socially engaging programming, about the development of clean technologies that use renewable energy sources.
Every city will have a candidate that will send in a game for the contest. The citizens will back their candidate with votes, and the forecast is that more than 800,000 citizens will vote. During the voting period the citizens will be able to monitor how many votes their game has received, through the Green Games platform (www.greengames.rs), and where it stands compared to other entries. The winners of the competition will win Art-Eco robots for recycling PET, metal and paper. The presentation of the robots to the winning city will also launch the Recycle - Do What You Know campaign, rendering feasible the goals of the environmental activity assessment.
After the contest ends it will be possible to play games on the web platform, using codes that can be obtained by SMS. The funds obtained in this way will be used to help the education of talented programmers.
- Environmental campaign at judiciary buildings in Serbia
December 2011 – Eleven buildings of the First Basic Court in Belgrade have been equipped with bins for recycling paper, thanks to the collaboration between the Court and the Telenor Foundation, as part of the project Turn the Page – Recycle.
Bearing in mind the amount of waste paper produced by the judiciary authorities in Serbia, it was necessary to systematically collect and process it.
At a press conference held on 21 December 2012, acting Court President Tanja Šobat pointed out: “The First Basic Court in Belgrade is aware of poor waste management and considers it one of the greatest problems in the country that is created due to poor business habits and insufficient care about the environment. The goal of our action is not one-off, but rather it is the intention to raise awareness of the significance of preserving the environment, rational consumption of resources and reducing harmful environmental impact. It is important that we realize that waste is not trash, but a resource that we can use to generate large lasting savings.” The collected paper will be processed in collaboration with companies Papir Servis FHB, Eko-star Pak, and the Umka paper factory. The revenue will be used to purchase sports equipment for Court employees, so that they might start leading a healthy lifestyle. The project will be expanded to other institutions in Serbia and it will be used to finance humanitarian actions for socially vulnerable groups. Part of the funds will be used to help the poor and children, which are the Foundation’s priorities.
The Telenor Foundation has recognized the long-term significance of this project. It allows other judiciary bodies to join the action, as well as companies interested in including recycling in their operations. The First Basic Public Prosecution, the Office of the City Public Defender and ten municipal public defenders’ offices have already joined the action.
Boriša Pandurović, member of the Dunav wheelchair basketball club, was hired to develop and administrate the www.okrenimolist.rs website. He had originally established collaboration with the Court in the project Service for Ease of Access to Court Buildings and Proceedings, intended for persons with disabilities.
The environmental protection projects are part of the Telenor Foundation’s strategy for raising awareness of environmental issues outside of its core activities.