One by One

Amway has elevated its activity level for children in India over the past few weeks. There has been a flurry of action – mobilizing employees and distributors, as well as elected officials and nonprofit organizations. Here are a few highlights:

APRIL 1: After a visit to Amway headquarters earlier this year, Deepalaya School leaders asked for more education about direct selling for some of their older students. Business Development Manager Kanwardeep Narula gladly volunteered, leading a session that taught students about the socioeconomic impact of the direct selling industry, and how a person-to-person business is owned and operated.

APRIL 20: After sponsoring a FICCI Ladies Organization session recognizing visually impaired women who have achieved great things, Amway employees welcomed the award recipient, Dr. Kanchan Gaba, who is Secretary General of National Association for the Blind, a long time partner of the Amway Opportunity Foundation.

MAY 1: In honor of International Labor Day, Amway worked with AASHIANA to create a forum to discuss how government, the courts, citizens and the business community can work together to eradicate child labor. Local leaders and dignitaries – including the Minister for Labour and Employment, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development — discussed strategies and tactics to make a difference for the children of India.

MAY 5: Amway once again coordinated a day of action for its distributors and employees at its 64 partner orphanages across the country. While support is focused on basic needs throughout the year, this day is an opportunity for volunteers and children to have fun together, with gift giving, entertainment and laughter.

MAY 6: Amway entered into a partnership with the Balaji Charitable Trust to re-establish the Shri Radha Banke Bihari Hospital in Vrindavan – one of the oldest cities in the country. Upgraded maternity and gynecological facilities and equipment will meet the needs of local mothers and their children.

For 120 Amway distributors and employees in Guatemala, their annual trip ended with tired bodies and happy hearts.

They came from across Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States to begin construction on an entire neighborhood of 40 homes in Usumatán, with land purchased by Amway and top Amway distributor Tim Foley.

This week in, ten of those homes took shape for local families, many who will own a home for the first time in their lives.

The volunteer group gets bigger every year, and as the volunteers make their way home, they are already talking about what they might be able to accomplish during next year’s trip.

Thanks to Nancy Cortez for her remote reporting from Guatemala.

Note: Originally posted incorrectly as 12 homes – corrected to 10 homes on 3/4/2012. -JH

Amway Vietnam has launched the first Amway One by One Facebook page. And there are already many stories to tell.

More than 80 children recently received surgery for cleft palates and other facial deformities through Operation Smile, sponsored by Amway with the help of many volunteers.

See photos of the recent project at this link or watch a videos of the programs at this link.

Thanks to Ha Ha Dang Ngoc Thu for sharing this story.

Earlier this week, the United Nations released its report titled, “State of the World’s Volunteerism: Universal Values for Global Well-being.”

While reading it, we learned some new definitions from around the world, including “dugnad,” which is the sense of community created among neighbors doing good works together in Norway; “ubuntu” which refers to caring for one another’s well being in southern Africa; and “tataw’a,” which means a volunteer act not required by religious obligation in Arabic.

The report is a study of the way volunteerism benefits both society as a whole, and the individuals who give of their time and talents. At Amway, we believe strongly in the principles outlined in the study and here are few highlights from our perspective:

▪ Volunteerism should be recognized as an essential component for the sustainable, equitable progress of communities and nations.

▪ The well-being of individuals is intrinsically linked to their contributions to the lives of others.

▪ Volunteering helps those at risk of lifelong poverty and social exclusion to gain opportunities and resources to help them participate fully in social, economic and cultural life.

▪ Volunteering reduces stress; combats feelings of loneliness and low self-worth; and employer-supported volunteering raises morale, increases job satisfaction, pride and positive feelings towards the company.

▪ Small-scale volunteer action often builds momentum and blossoms into national and international campaigns.

The links above are examples that weave together the Amway story of volunteering through the One by One Campaign for Children. Examples woven throughout the United Nations’ report include the Teach for India movement that mobilized 83,000 volunteers in three months; the growth and impact of volun-tourism; and how the country of Bhutan, which some consider the world’s happiest place, measures Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product.

And finally, although it was first said in 2000, it is just as applicable – if not moreso – today: “More than ever before, caring and sharing are a necessity, not just a charitable act.” At Amway, we do more than believe that. We live it.

Every year as the Christmas holiday approaches, there are certain things you can count on in the U.S. That Salvation Army volunteers will be ringing bells and collecting change at local retailers. That your mailbox – the real one, not the electronic one – will contain more cards and photos than at any other time of year.

And in Grand Rapids, Michigan, some elementary school students can count on Amway to bring Santa’s Secret Workshop to life.

For approximately 20 years, we have temporarily turned school gyms and libraries into places where those in kindergarten through fifth grade could play elf – choosing and purchasing affordable presents for their families. Gifts only cost between 5 cents and $1 and more than 150 Amway employees help children find gifts; wrap; address; and organize them. Each child also receives a “Santa buck” to purchase something special for a classmate.

This year, more than 800 children will experience Santa’s Secret Workshop. That’s more than double the number in 2010.

And that’s what really counts.

[Pictured: Employees from the Amway Brand Management Team run Santa's Secret Workshop at Burton Elementary School on Wednesday, December 7, 2011.]

On Monday, the United Nations reported that 750,000 people in Somalia will be at risk of starvation over the next four months, with 58% of the children are already acutely malnourished. More than 12 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across the Horn of Africa.

While the countries of East Africa are not Amway markets, the sheer scale of this crisis calls for us to respond.

Today, Amway announced a $100,000 commitment at a press conference in South Africa. We will partner with CARE, an organization on the front lines of providing emergency aid, safe water and sanitation to those affected.

A formal announcement is posted on our media site. You can learn more about the work CARE is doing on their site, and make a donation.

We hope this modest contribution will save lives, raise the visibility of this crisis, and inspire other companies and individuals to help.

Who will be the next world leaders?

Look around and you will see some of them already getting started.

In the Ukraine, Amway is partnering with AIESEC, the world’s largest youth-run organization with more than 60,000 members in 110 countries. AIESEC brings students together to facilitate communication between countries and cultures through internships, conferences, international internships and lectures.

For the third year, Amway Ukraine participated in the AIESEC Leadership Development Seminar, where 170 students from across Ukraine met with Amway Business Owners (ABOs) to discuss leadership and business skills.

ABOs gave presentations and lectures on important skills for selling and leadership. For three days, students attended seminars, workshops, case studies and group activities to work on their leadership and entrepreneurial skills.

With leaders like these, our future looks bright.

So you are a new entrepreneur. Maybe it’s a web service. Maybe it’s a flower shop. Maybe it’s an Amway business.

You are making critical decisions about how your business will operate and what you stand for. Not just your product or service, but how it will be delivered.

Is it too early to think about corporate social responsibility?

Of course not. But with most CSR strategies and studies focused on large companies, there have not been many tools to help.

Our colleagues in Austria recognized this need and partnered with local business councils and business chamber’s to develop a guide to help small business owners.

It’s called A Guide to Corporate Social Responsibility for One-Person Enterprises, and was created by respACT - the Austrian Business Council for Sustainable Development, and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, sponsored by Amway. 

The guide defines Corporate Social Responsibility and the benefits to small businesses. It outlines five steps for an entrepreneur to evaluate his or her organization and establish CSR objectives.

While this was written for a European audience, the principles are relevant to those with Amway or other businesses around the world.

To dowload the report, click here and find a link at the bottom of the page.

Thanks to Karin Schmid and Gudrun-Johanna Korec-Neszmerak for sharing this story.

Singlar village is located in the foot of Mt. Merapi in Central Java, Indonesia. Late last year, its peaceful life was disrupted by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Merapi. Many homes and lives were lost.

Even though nature has slowly healed itself, the economic activities have not returned because hundreds of acres of farmland were destroyed. When a group of Amway employees and distributors visited Singlar village, they asked, ”How can we make a difference when the needs are so great?”

Through its foundation, Yayasan Amway Peduli, Amway presented nearly 150 flocks of sheep to the leader of Singlar village. These flocks were given to more than 220 households to raise, breed and hopefully increase the size of the flock.

Amway worked with the local government to provide lessons and rewards that encourage the villagers to make a profit and earn money from the flock.

Through animal husbandry, we hope to create a brighter economic future. Amway Indonesia General Manager Koen Verheyen said, “Making a difference to a community is more than just writing a check. We want to help the people of Singlar rebuild a prosperous village for themselves.”

Thanks to Sri Soekarmoen and Riana Nurwulan for sharing this story.

With many hands and smiles, Boys & Girls Clubs of America kicked of the second year of the Amway Positive Sprouts garden program in Clifton New Jersey.

The rain didn’t stop 100 club members, parents, board members and Amway volunteers. Even the Mayor of Clifton pitched in to build a beautiful garden.

We look forward to four more great gardens this year, where you can look forward to some special guests: 

Troy, Michigan on June 25th

Cypress, California on August 13th

Sun Coast, Florida on September 17th

Santa Monica, California on September 24th

See more photos on our Facebook site.