What IS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?
According to investopedia, "Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a self-regulating business model that helps a company be socially accountable—to itself, its stakeholders, and the public. companies can be conscious of the kind of impact they are having on all aspects of society, including economic, social, and environmental." This definition is simple enough right. Straight to the point. According to you, how is the csr scope in Botswana? What do companies do that constitutes CSR? When i think about it, this is what comes to my mind:
Food and household donations. Companies donate food and build houses for those who are less privileged.
Youth incubator programs. Businesses provide the opportunity for the youth to submit their business proposals. One with a proposal that stands out and meet their terms and conditions gets the pot of gold. Usually in the form of funding or mentor-ship. There are usually a set of criteria the applicants should meet.
Prize giving donations. This is when a company buys gifts worth a certain amount of money to donate to the best performing students in primary, junior or senior schools.
Donation of feminine hygiene products to students in boarding schools.
Sponsoring a procession to raise awareness about a specific cause the company supports.
There are many examples but these are the common ones.
I appreciate the different efforts by companies to help improve the standards of living of their country men. It is highly commendable. HOWEVER, is this the kind of investing we need? Are these methods effective, sustainable and most importantly, do they contribute to the SDGs and ultimately the improvement of living standards of beneficiaries?
WHAT IS WRONG WITH CSR INVESTING IN BOTSWANA?
Perpetuates dependency syndrome among dependents. There is a saying that goes "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day;teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". I love it so much and I can identify with it. What happens when companies donate houses and food to people who are physically able to work for themselves? Once beneficiaries catch on to this trend, some might sit back ad do nothing for themselves hoping that a good Samaritan spots them and donates houses and food. The results of this is what goes on with young people today. Young Batswana are constantly complaining about the lack of opportunities and jobs available for graduates, they want and expect the government to lend a helping hand. The government can only do so much for them, with the limited resources it has. Complaining about the current situation and doing nothing to solve it really helps no one.
In addition, the existing CSR activities generally bring nothing new to the table. Every youth incubator project is the same but with a different and more glamorous name than the previous one. The other thing they have in common is that none of them are inclusive of youth living in rural areas. Youth who literally have no access to the internet, nothing to keep them busy after finishing their form 5. This in turn causes them to resort to a life of crime while other Batswana youth enjoy the luxury of interacting with company CEOs, eating samosas and being handed a certificate of participation after attending the 'empowerment workshops' for a week. Furthermore, there is never any feedback given to the public after such events. No evidence has been presented to demonstrate their effectiveness.
WHAT CAN WE DO DIFFERENTLY?
Firstly, instead of having the same regulations and requirements for youth grant applications for their businesses. Include specific clauses for business that have good ESG criteria (environmental,social and governance criteria). This criteria explains how the company intends to combat issues of climate change, how the company intends to give back to the community and how the company guards against issues of corruption and everything in that corner. Once such companies have been identified, they can then be provided with a specific mentor who has intensive experience in the business environment. Provide full services for applicants, including monitoring and evaluating the youth businesses but also the program itself.
Another thing that can be done is to extend 'empowerment workshops' to people living in rural areas. This includes building youth hubs in rural areas with the same facilities as those in cities. Delivering the same solution coated as something else to the same audience really doesn't solve anything, especially if we do not know how effective the project is. After delivering the projects to youth in rural areas, evaluate the project, collect feedback and actually ask beneficiaries how things can be done differently. This helps prevent organizers from producing redundant information.
Lastly, I believe we have exhausted the current CSR initiatives that include the same boring tune, lyrics and dance routine. Instead of doing things the same way; targeting the same audience, why not target a younger more vibrant audience? Teach children important life skills such as entrepreneurship using real life projects and allowing them to be hands on so they get an idea of how life is outside what they already know. By doing this, we will be equipping children with lifelong skills they can use in all aspects of their lives instead of waiting to teach them so many things in just 5 days when they're older.
In conclusion, current CSR activities in Botswana aren't effective. We see different companies organizing the same empowerment workshops, donating to the same audience group and many others. To make better CSR investments, involve beneficiaries in all aspects of the project and ask them how they can be helped. Set different selection criteria for youth business grants to target different problems in society. Lastly, design empowerment programs that are inclusive and target others in different parts of Botswana.
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