- About 110 Novartis associates in Thailand engage in voluntary activities in their communities, more than 20,000 associates worldwide
- Novartis event emphasizes strong commitment to Corporate Citizenship
Thousands of Novartis associates in 55 countries will engage in volunteer activities to benefit people in their local communities in celebration of the company’s Community Partnership Day. Most of the events are set for Wednesday, April 21, with some countries scheduling their activities in the coming weeks or later in the year. This year marks the 14th Community Partnership Day, commemorating the 1996 creation of Novartis as one of global leaders in healthcare solutions.
About 110 Novartis associates in Thailand are planning to join the events. This year, 2 activities have been prepared: one group of Novartis staff escorting the orphans at Ban Rajvithi Home for Girls to the Dream World Amusement Park to fulfill their dreams, and another group will be participating in rural development via the Novartis Village Partnership Project. This Novartis Village Partnership Project, a long-term project established since 2004, is arranged by Novartis with the initial support from Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development. Novartis cooperates with the Population and Community Development Association or PDA to provide assistance to the villagers living in Thong Lang Village, Jakkarat District, Nakorn Ratchasima Province with aims to develop and enhance well-being and quality of life of the villagers there. For this year activities, associates will focus on providing livestock health education and poultry disease control to villagers. They will also help organizing the Village Toy Library, painting and freshening up the products processing center, and cleaning the village.
Mr. Richard Abela, Country President, Novartis (Thailand) Limited, said that “Novartis places high importance on Corporate Citizenship because we are a part of the community. In Thailand, Novartis has been engaged for many years in various community support programs focusing on patient assistance, drug donations and education. It is our aim to help the villagers of Thong Lang in developing sustainable activities that generate income and improve living standards. Also, taking the children from Ban Rajvithi to Dreamworld, we just expect to see unforgettable smiles of orphaned kids. We are very happy that we can bring some joy to these children and the sight of sweet smiles is very rewarding to the staff as well.”
Examples of volunteer service as part of this year’s Community Partnership Day:
- More than 4,500 associates across Switzerland plan to join in 220 volunteer projects. In the Basel headquarters area, 3,825 associates are serving in more than 200 projects, such as assisting disabled children for excursions, restoring old houses in an Ecomus?e in France, supporting the Trinational Environmental Center, creating improvements in the old St. Johann railway station in Basel, and working in nature conservation projects. Elsewhere, Novartis associates will raise money for a medical charity in Nyon, take elderly people on a boat tour of Lake Geneva, assist a children’s trip to the Bellinzona castles, and clean up and beautify public facilities in Locarno.
- Some 350 associates in Japan will work with the Guide Dog Society for people with disabilities, spruce up a residence for families of children being treated in hospitals, clean parks and streets, assist with a Novartis-sponsored orchestra concert, and raise funds for polio vaccines for children in developing countries.
- About 100 Novartis associates in Turkey will collect clothes, books and toys for children in need; donate blood through the Red Crescent; donate needed medicines to a children’s hospital in Ankara; and engage with families of children with leukemia. Another 200 associates will participate in similar activities in May.
- In Bangladesh more than 80 associates have organized an all-day activity for spinal-injury patients in a rehabilitation center, as well as a school for impoverished children. Patients and children will join in arts activities, as well as wheelchair sports.
- About 200 associates in Austria will provide fun, educational field trips for children and disabled persons from orphanages and schools; deliver coffee and cakes, with an afternoon of music and dance, for residents of three homes for the elderly; and replant areas damaged by storms or avalanches.
“Community Partnership Day has grown steadily as a way for Novartis associates worldwide to give back to our communities. Associates in each country choose volunteer activities according to local needs — whether medical, environmental, social or material. It is good to see each staff take on this social responsibility seriously and demonstrate personal commitment and care for the less fortunate.", concluded Mr. Richard Abela.
About Novartis
Novartis assists people who cannot afford healthcare through a variety of efforts worldwide. In 2009, 79.5 million patients around the world benefited from Novartis access-to-medicines programs. These initiatives range from drug donation and research programs to combat neglected diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and leprosy in developing nations, to patient assistance programs that help cancer patients receive the most innovative and effective treatments.
Novartis provides healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Focused solely on healthcare, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines, diagnostic tools and consumer health products. Novartis is the only company with leading positions in these areas. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 100,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world.
In Thailand, Novartis employs more than 550 people and offers a wide range of healthcare products across different segments, including innovative medicines, high-quality generics, animal health, self-medication and eye-care. Further information about Novartis is available at http://www.novartis.com
For more information, please contact:
Siriporn Sirinitsriwong , Srisuput Siangyen
PR Consultant, Core and Peak Co., Ltd.
Tel.0-2439-4600 ext. 8300
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