DIGICEL named Corporate Citizens award winner

DIGICEL has been named a winner of the 2012/13 Corporate Citizens of the Americas (CCA) Award.The announcement was made Thursday night at a glittering gala in Washington D.C.
The CCA is an initiative from Trust for the Americas, with support from the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and AES Corporation.
Digicel won in the ‘Vulnerable Communities’ category for its Digicel Foundation Education Programme in Haiti, which sees it on track to build 150 schools by 2014 and deliver training to more than 600 teachers, who, each, receive some 450 hours of training, mentorship and professional development.
Other winners that night were International Business Machines (IBM) Latin America for its ‘Corporate Service Corps’ programme in the Economic Opportunities Group and CEMEX for its ‘Comprehensive Assisted Auto Construction’ in Citizens Security category.
The Trust for the Americas is a non-profit organisation affiliated with the OAS that was created in 1997 to promote public and private sector participation in social and economic development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Its initiatives, implemented through local partner organisations, seek to improve access to economic opportunities for vulnerable communities in the hemisphere. Towards this objective, the trust also promotes social inclusion and good governance.
Commenting on the Digicel Foundation’s work in Haiti, the Chairman and Founder, Mr. Denis O’Brien, said:“We are deeply committed to helping the people of Haiti to build a brighter future for themselves. Our education programme in Haiti sees between 80,000 and 90,000 children being given the opportunity to receive a much needed education and teachers receiving proper training and support. We would like to thank the Trust of the Americas and its partner organisations for this kind recognition of our efforts.”