Our Corporate Social Responsibility policy may not be a systematic manual as would be the case in bigger companies, but we do indulge in social actions when the budget and time permits. A number of social measures we have undertaken are:

On Sunday 18th July 2010 GFA sponsored the Defenders Social and Welfare Association for their Sports and Fun Games day held at St. Francois Xavier Stadium. The event was graced by the presence of Hon. S. Ritoo, Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. Shakeel Mohamed, Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment, Mr. Sheik Muktar Hossenbaccus, Lord Mayor of Port-Louis.

A charitable lunch was offered to the members of the Gayasingh Ashram on 14 August 2008. The Ashram shelters elderly, widowed and orphaned ladies. The Ashram is practically neighbours to the Headquarters of GFA. The staff were involved in the distribution of the lunch so as to make them aware of their social responsibilities Photographs have been included in Appendix 32.

In line with the current Government’s motto and target of “Democratisation of the Economy”, we usually deal with suppliers and garages falling in the SME category

Employees who have completed a year in full-time employment with our organisation are eligible to an unsecured loan as per the terms of the company and for specific purposes.

Empowerment

In 2007, one employee was recruited on the Empowerment Programme of the Human Resource Development Council. We are also glad to inform that she has subsequently been confirmed on a full-time basis.

The Deputy Managing Director joined the University of Mauritius Work Based Learning (WBL) Programme and was awarded a certificate. Two students of the University of Mauritius attended our office for two months on the WBL Programme. The experience has been enriching for us as well as for them.

We carry on offering insurance for vehicles older than 25 years as opposed to other insurance companies which prefer not to provide cover for these types of vehicles on a purely discriminatory basis. We understand that not all customers have the means to change vehicles on a frequent basis.

GFA intends to embark on a construction project for low-cost housing at a time when most companies are investing in IRS projects

Papers that have been printed on and which are no longer required are recycled in the form of rough paper usage. Procedures are already in place to request stationery materials.

The new I.T system being designed is aimed at emphasising this aspect of our operations even further, that is, to make the office as paperless as possible. Two all–in–one scanner/fax/printers have been purchased. Documents are no longer printed for circulation within the company. Instead documents are scanned and distributed by email or sent to other offices on CD. Printer cartridges and toners are recycled instead of purchasing new ones.

To follow suit of the Government and the Central Electricity Board’s policy of using energy-saving bulbs, the company intends to replace its lighting system with energy saving bulbs as far as is reasonably possible. We have even been creative in converting used and empty tin cans into stylish bulb holders. In yet another imaginative instance we have turned used-cans (tin and aluminium) into useful penholders. Photographs have been included in Appendix 32 but we would invite the jury to visit our office to see for themselves.