What good does an organization serve in the society if it only exists for the sole purpose of making profits and no contribution whatsoever to the welfare of the people in the community? What image does a company that is not mindful of its customers portray? Answering the above questions gives an idea on the importance of philanthropic activities and why firms need to have goals that touch on the welfare of people besides just maximising profits. The leading online classifieds company, OLX, is well aware of this need and has taken the initiative of being socially responsible not only to its customers but also to some of the most important people in the society-Mothers.
Mothers form a core part of the society and everything should be done to ensure that they are subjected to the best conditions that help them grow their families, children as well as their businesses. In the recent past, attention has been paid particularly to maternal health which largely cuts the mortality rate. After ascending to power, the government subsidised the maternal fees for all the women who gave birth in public hospitals. This was a step in the right direction as women have now been saved from the stress associated with payment of huge sums of money to the maternity. In addition, the first lady initiated a campaign to curb the deaths of infants dubbed ‘BEYOND ZERO CAMPAIGN’
The best follow up after the above initiatives by the government and the first lady respectively would be to ensure that the babies who are born survive the infancy as they are subjected to the best conditions. This is where OLX comes in. The company has made it possible by partnering with one of the largest maternity facility, KNH when it donated merchandise worth half a million after conducting a survey on the needs of the women who give birth at the national referral hospital.
There is need to properly store the drugs administered to the women admitted to the hospital, need to serve the mothers in the labour wards with hot tea as they suckle their young ones. Once the maternity leave is over and these mothers go back to their jobs, their children do not have to depend on cow milk which is not the best for babies at that tender age. OLX facilitated all these by donating a refrigerator for the storage of drugs, tea urns to serve the hot tea and breast milk storage bottles to exclusively store the milk for kids even when their mothers are away from work. Breast milk has antibodies that are not found cow milk and this boosts the babies’ immunity.
The donation made it possible for the hospital staff to interact with OLX and has enabled them to understand the various products available for patients at the facility. Again, all the merchandise was purchased from OLX and is readily available for the mothers from all over the country. There would not have been a better way for giving back to the society than caring for mothers.
