With the joint initiative of the Corporate Social Responsibility Club and UN Global Compact Georgian Branch, the Corporate Social Responsibility Award contest was held in Georgia for the second time. The project ‘Care about the Future’, implemented by Natakhtari Company and NGO Our Home Georgia was named best in the category ‘Partnership for Sustainable Development.’

This year, the contest brought together 53 projects of companies operating in Georgia in the following categories: High-Quality Education; Gender Equality; Proper Working Environ and Economic Growth, Sustainable Cities and Settlements, Partnership for Sustainable Development, and SDG Pioneer. The winners were chosen by a multisector jury of local and international judges.

The contest aims to boost the involvement of the business sector in terms of the promotion of corporate social responsibility and introducing sustainable development to the daily agenda.

“The aim of the Natakhtari Fund is to substantially and sustainably change the life of our beneficiaries for the better,” notes Nino Surmava, the Brand Manager of Natakhtari Lemonade. “We knew at the beginning that we would see results within several years, and this award is proof that our expectations were right: we have achieved results! The mechanism (caring for adolescents), worked out by the Natakhtari Company and Our Home Georgia, has proved a success, proven by the fact that more than 270 youngsters have been able to receive a professional education, while over 300 have found jobs, since the outset.

“This is our second year holding an advocacy campaign devoted to the better involvement of government services in terms of planning the life of vulnerable adolescents after they reach the age of 18,” Surmava continued. “We want the responsibility for solving this problem to be shared by the government, as we believe that empowerment of vulnerable children and their full integration into society is good for each of us. Many thanks to Our Home Georgia for their collaboration and also thanks to the organizers of the competition, as well as the jury, which named our project the best in the category of Partnership for Sustainable Development. This is a great motivation not only for us, but also for other companies.”

The award ceremony was attended by representatives of the business sector, as well as those of the government, international organizations and civic societies. Carl Hartzell, Ambassador of the EU to Georgia, Luisa Winton, Permanent Representative of the UNDP to Georgia, Molly Lien, Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden, Mzia Giorgobiani, Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, Irakli Lekvinadze, Business Ombudsman, Nino Zambakhidze, Head of Georgian Farmers’ Associtation and Alexander Revia, Chairman of Georgian Agency of Public-Private Partnership took to the stage and addressed the audience. The CSR Award 2019 was supported by the Swedish government.

The Natakhtari Fund has been helping vulnerable adolescents. Money is annually collected. 841,835 GEL was raised in the Fund during this time, used to prepare more than 500 youngsters for an independent life, including psychologist consultations, classes in academic subjects, certificates of professional education and driving licenses, purchasing the materials needed for the profession, and scholarships (tenancy fee, nutrition, transportation). Over 300 beneficiaries of the Fund have been employed, whereas more than 270 youngsters have acquired professional education.

The finances from the Natakhtari Fund are allocated specifically according to the needs of each beneficiary. The project is being carried out by the Our Home Georgia Association with the support and blessings of the Georgian Patriarch. The transparency of finances is approved by the international audit company PricewaterHouse Cooper.

The Corporate Social Responsibility Award was first held in Georgia. The Natakhtari Company also succeeded that year in the category The Best Project in the Environment Protection Direction.