| James Kon |
AS PART of the continuing efforts to support the development of Brunei’s youth, Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru) yesterday handed over 30 desktop computers and laptops to children of various ages and levels of education to help them in their ICT studies.
At a function held at the TelBru pavilion at the 22nd Consumer Fair, the students received the desktop computers and laptops from Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin.
Also in attendance were Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy and Chairman of TelBru Dr Haji Abdul Manaf bin Haji Metussin.
CEO of TelBru David Holliday explained in his speech that the company has chosen children to be its sole Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) beneficiary because “TelBru gets hundreds of requests for donations and help each year, but a small contribution to each of the various causes in reality, helps no-one – but if we put all our efforts into one cause we can make a significant difference – and there’s no better cause than the children of this country – every one of us at TelBru believes that by helping them in a more meaningful and sustainable way, we can make a real difference in the lives of these children.”
He added, “By working closely together with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, we have narrowed our focus further by concentrating on those with different abilities, the less privileged and the most vulnerable children in our society.”
TelBru also announced the company’s long-term commitment with SMARTER Brunei under a collaboration that aims to benefit young people and children living with autism, which will hopefully encourage more people to care and assist the less fortunate among local communities.
Referring to TelBru’s support of SMARTER Brunei, Holliday said, “These initiatives and investments are just the beginning, and we hope to announce more in the very near future. Our aim at TelBru is to make a real difference and to create greater general awareness as to the needs of the less fortunate, and to inspire others to get involved too, in caring for those in need.
“TelBru will continue to play a role of public-private sector collaboration that complements the work of both the government and NGOs in addressing the various social needs in our society,” he said, adding that this initiative has received strong support from the company’s Board of Directors.
The donated laptops were refurbished from TelBru’s own inventory with the relevant updates suited to the needs of school-age youths and children such as the line of Microsoft software products that are universal in nature and applicable in any working environment. This move not only fulfils the needs of 21st Century learning, but also reduces the company’s carbon footprint through reusing current technology.
This the first series of a number of other intended handovers under the company’s ‘One Computer Per Child’ programme that will be conducted over the next few months in collaboration with the Community Development Department (JAPEM) under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
Meanwhile, TelBru is also showcasing several aspects of its services at the 22nd Consumer Fair, which ends tomorrow. Among the activities currently taking place are TelBru’s Zero Sign-up Promotion, gaming competitions and CSR schemes with focus on IT-related talks in collaboration with BruCERT.