ACE Charity
In 2013, ACE started to organise corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to give back to the community. Our CSR events help to raise funds for important social causes via ticket sales, sponsorship and donations. The events demonstrate our company’s values to the public, and also, our commitment as a company to charity work. ACE is able to mobilise thousands of people, including students, parents, staff and the public, to support and attend its CSR events. As these events and activities have grown and become consistent each year, the ACE Charity brand and digital platform was created.
Our annual signature events include:
- ACE Charity: Khmer New Year
- ACE Annual Fun Run for the Environment
- ACE Charity: Christmas Edition
In addition to these events, ACE also hosts other initiatives throughout each year. These include, but are not limited to our scholarship programs, emergency relief programs for the community and staff, and cultural activities. These initiatives raise funds for important social causes related to children and education, while also increasing awareness of issues in the community. To date, the CSR programs have donated tens of thousands of dollars to Pour un Sourire d’Enfant (PSE) (https://pse.ngo/pse-cambodia) and Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital (http://www.beat-richner.ch/), as well as planting trees in Kampot, Cambodia, purchasing recycling bins for Cambodian public high schools, and building toilets/wells in Cambodian provincial schools.
Since ACE started its CSR initiatives, several key structures have been embedded to support the work:
- ASA (ACE Student Ambassadors): Since 2014, this program has recruited ACE students on a yearly basis (15-20 students per year) to help steer CSR activities. The students take the lead by creating teams that organise and manage a specific aspect of the event/project.
- IDP/ACE Social Committee: In 2016, as the scale and impact of the initiatives were growing, ACE created the Social Committee. The committee is comprised of about 30 staff members who represent each department in the company. The committee works with the ASAs to create effective, well-planned and well-executed CSR events.
- Partnerships (Ministries and Embassies): Our initiatives have also led to valuable partnerships with various ministries and embassies. These partnerships strengthen both our CSR efforts and our business by generating strong bonds that open doors to future opportunities.
These internal structures to support CSR activities were almost unheard of in Cambodia. As time has gone on, the company has built an understanding with the community as to the value of supporting charity events through a CSR platform.
Our CSR events have a strong grassroots level leadership, with the activities, planning and execution being initiated by the students through the ASA program and volunteers at the event. This approach helps to develop student leaders and young people who are passionate about social issues. Creating annual events for students and by students produces an upsurge in interest in CSR and shapes the priorities of young people: since the establishment of the ACE Annual Fun Run for the Environment, for example, about 6,000 people have attended. This helps to create a culture around CSR in a society where the private sector and, in particular, educational institutions were not involved in CSR projects until very recently. ACE is a pioneer and innovator in the creation of a CSR culture in Cambodia.
ACE’s trailblazing CSR programs were awarded at the 11th Annual Global CSR Summit and Awards 2019, held on 4 April 2019 in Kuching, Malaysia. One of Asia’s most prestigious CSR award presentations, the Global CSR Summit and Awards recognises and honours companies for their outstanding and innovative world class CSR programs. IDP Education (Cambodia) was awarded the Best Community Program Award (Bronze) and the Excellence in Provision of Literacy & Education Award (Gold).
For further information about ACE’s CSR initiatives, please go to: https://www.facebook.com/acecharitycambodia/