Corporate social responsibility initiatives of the private sector in Oman need to evolve to a great extent into well thought out processes, where companies choose a clear objective and channel their focus on a particular area of growth, says Rajive Ahuja, head of corporate communications, Khimji Ramdas Group.

“In many instances, CSR is still being looked at as a charitable undertaking. But giving back to society through funding alone is not the right way of approaching CSR. Companies should choose their own area of focus and this idea should flow from the top management. It should be part of an organisation’s philosophy,” says Ahuja. For instance, Khimji Ramdas Group has chosen to focus on the youth and self development arenas that relate to education, sports or personal skills that can help them evolve into individuals and professionals.

“Over a period our CSR initiatives have evolved. Recently, we selected a group of people who we sent to India for training. We wanted them to be subjected to a different work culture. When they go there, they deal with improving their communication skills, their personal effectiveness, grooming, computer skills and time management. They can witness a certain style of working which is different from here and bring back home some work ethics,” explains Ahuja. KR Group is also looking at partnering a mobile library project, into the sultanate to help with its education initiatives.

Another such initiative is organising hazard driving programmes for the youth to learn proper defensive driving and the kinds of hazards they can expect while on the road. This was undertaken after witnessing the increase in the number of accidents these days in Oman. The company is also in talks with Roca to introduce their water foundation programme where young filmmakers can submit documentaries or short-films choosing any aspect of water. “Our focus on the environment will be a little more specific. I felt that the water aspect should be talked about especially for a country in the Middle East where water is a precious resource,” says Ahuja.

Being part of such initiatives and evolving CSR to such an extent, however, is no small task. “You need to be of a certain size, so let us be fair to the smaller companies. Also, the crux of a CSR initiative is developing the right partnerships. We have been perceptive and chosen to work on areas where we can join hands with others. We believe in partnerships because pooling resources will help build your database of expertise from within as well as outside the organisation,” says Ahuja.