Blog | Recap of 2023 CSR Activities

2023 has been an eventful year for KBC Global Services, and that goes for our CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) community, too.

If you follow us for some time, you probably know that driving good causes and impactful charity initiatives is in our people’s DNA, and not simply a fundamental part of our corporate mission. For us CSR is an embodiment of a strong community of people who put their heart and soul into causes that bring positive impact across KBC Global Services, the local communities in Varna and beyond.

The cornerstone of our approach is “care” - care both for each other and our team, and for our society and environment.

In 2023, we’ve taken strides in redefining our CSR+ approach by introducing three distinct focus areas - Volunteerism, Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) and Sustainability. Today, it is evident that our aspiration for a better world is not a mere idealistic notion – together, we have been fostering tangible reality of care. We’ve laid the foundations of a transformed CSR+ driver and as we look ahead, the promise of even greater accomplishments looms on the horizon.

But first, let us walk you through the major highlights of our 2023 vibrant CSR+ programme.

Volunteerism

Our commitment to volunteerism represents a central pillar of our CSR policy and is dedicated to serving our communities through collective action. Together, we actively participate in a diverse range of activities, including childcare activities, animal care, environmental support and others.

2023 Highlights
Our flagship initiative, “Volunteer Day", reached new heights, reflecting a surge in interest among our people.

This year, we organised several volunteer initiatives, marking the first time we conducted events in both Varna and Sofia, while also collaborating with our colleagues from TIME Center.

In 2023, our focus has been on cultivating partnerships with institutions to ensure a sustained and long-term impact. These target locations included a diverse array of areas, including:

Nature and animal conservation center – Dobrich (Dobrich Zoo)
Zoo rescue center – Varna
Kindergartens (Slyncho, Children's village) – Varna
Medical and social help center – Vinitsa, Varna.
Animal Hope in Konstantinovo village center
Kamenar dog shelter
Aladzha Monastery

What’s more, in 2023 our team has been actively involved in extensive cleaning initiatives across beaches and local areas in Varna, demonstrating a commitment towards environmental stewardship.

Diversity and Inclusion (D&I)

We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment, where every individual is recognised as a valued contributor. We promote awareness and understanding of critical D&I topics, with a particular focus on areas such as parental leave and family care, age diversity, disability and LGBTQ+ issues. Our aim is to create a workplace culture that celebrates diversity and ensures all voices are heard and respected.

SS&O Event: Week of cultural differences

Culture is what shapes us - it shapes our identity and influences our behavior. Culture is our “way of being”, more specifically, it refers to the shared language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors and material objects that are passed down from one generation to the next. In May 2023, KBC Group hosted a joint three-day Cultural event for Belgium, Czech Republic and Bulgaria dedicated to celebrating diversity and fostering cultural exchange among employees from various countries. One of the main focuses of the programme was to highlight the similarities that exist between cultures despite their differences. Through these shared experiences, we have been working to foster a greater understanding and appreciation for one another.

As a part of the Week of cultural differences, KBC Global Services hosted its very own Global Village event on 16 May 2023. The event aimed at creating a platform where colleagues can come together and share their unique cultural heritage, savor new culinary experiences, learn foreign words and gain fresh perspective on Bulgaria through the eyes of an expat.

17 colleagues from 9 different nations took part in the event and thanks to this, we were able to forge meaningful connections and provide a valuable opportunity for networking, collaboration, and engagement among our diverse workforce. Global Village not only highlighted the richness of our collective cultural tapestry, but also reinforced our commitment to embracing and celebrating diversity.

In 2023, we took part in the group-wide event called Group Diversity Day with a panel discussion featuring guest speaker Zlatina Kushkieva. The insightful conversation delved into the importance of breaking stereotypes and addressing unconscious bias related to different generations, while also empathising the ways we can harness the strengths of our diverse workforce to drive organisational success.

Sustainability

Awareness session "2-ton CO₂ Life" with Blazhka Dimitrova

One of our main targets during the year was encouraging a responsible behavior of our people. A special “The 2 ton CO₂ Life” hybrid event took place at our premises, where our guest lecturer Blazka Dimitrova spreaded awareness about a new avant-garde 5 principle concept of sustainable life - REFUSE, REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE and ROT.

Green Initiative

We are proudly supporting “FOR THE EARTH” Association’s “FOR deposit system in Bulgaria” petition aimed at Bulgaria’s movement towards a zero-waste circular economy, where the value of materials is preserved through reuse or recycling, ensuring that waste is not dumped into the environment. If you want to support the initiative, you can still do so here.

Strava Challenge
27 May – 31 October 2023

Strava’s sport club successfully completed the “From Varna to Leuven through Brno" challenge. The target of 2500 km was completed in June well ahead of schedule and we finished with the impressive 10 172 km, which is the distance on foot from Varna to Johannesburg, South Africa

Green Swap

For the first time, we had an event dedicated to promoting a greener lifestyle and creation of a thriving indoor garden community in both Varna and Sofia. Our colleagues were able to bring extra house plant cuttings, seeds, or bulbs, and exchanged them with fellow coworkers. It was a fantastic opportunity to diversify our indoor garden, learn from plant enthusiasts and connect with colleagues over a shared love for greenery.

And more initiatives

FIT & FUN: IHB Varna Business Run

This year marked our very first participation in the largest team-building event in Bulgaria, and we did so with an impressive representation of 6 teams, making us the third largest participating group in the Run! Notably, our fastest runner, Ismail Ssenyange, completed the 4-kilometer run in an outstanding 12.20 minutes. As a testament to our teams’ determination and spirit, we achieved commendable placements, with our teams, finishing 10th, 22nd, 30th, 37th, 47th, and 68th places.

FIT & FUN: EdenRed Run

We proudly participated in a charity run organized by our partner EdenRed Bulgaria, which raised over BGN 21,000 in support of the obstetrics and gynecology department of AGO "Vesela", at the municipal hospital MBAL "Sveti Mina" in Plovdiv. We took the 8th place out of 51 teams in the mixed category.

Kids at the office

This year, we had the pleasure of welcoming our little ones to the office. During these special visits, the children engaged in interesting and educational experiences. They had the opportunity to learn about our Pearl + values, vote on important decisions, learn more about Kate, how to protect themselves and others from online threats, how to manage projects and more. They also got to train their memory in a fun and interactive way, enjoy our wonderful game room and had the honor of personally meeting our General Manager.

BookVar
One of the biggest CSR highlights this year was the launch of our very own BookVAR book club - the place where books and the enchanting seaside city of Varna collide. The club hosts regular monthly meetings, covering various topics, and already organised book donation initiative on the day of the 1 November, the day of Bulgarian enlighteners.

In the realm of literature, we organized two book donation campaigns:

66 books have been gifted to Hristo Botev School in Ivanski Village in Shumen.
Over 100 books have been donated to Madara village in Shumen.

Yellow Coins

The NGO organization “Yellow Coins” is dedicated to supporting Bulgarian children’s treatment wards by providing medical equipment, with a current particular focus on the Department of Neonatology in Silistra. As part of this initiative, we’ve donated 33kg of coins this year. Everyone can support the initiative, leaving yellow coins in our special box on Reception desk.

Plastic Bottle Caps

We’re supporting the largely popular initiative of collection of plastic caps. Our employees contribute by depositing the caps in the designated boxes in the office. With our collections, we support the organisations “Капачки за бъдеще“ and “I believe, and I help”. This year, we’ve donated 109kg of plastic caps and supported the purchasing of neonatal ambulances, Bulgaria’s first mobile blood donation station and a specialised children’s ambulance.

Cans for Rali

Our collection of cans supports “The Rare Village Foundation”, providing funding for a research team focused on developing gene replacement therapy for children carrying the ATP6 gene mutation that causes Leigh syndrome. This year, we’ve made three donations, totaling 148kg of metal cans.

And last but not least, we would like to say a huge 'thank you' to all people who have been the driver of all these good deeds. You make our world a better place!