Sewing and distributing face masks was one of the most frequent volunteering activities during the first wave of the pandemic. (source: TASR)
In April 2021, The Slovak Spectator published its Business Focus on corporate social responsibility. Here is your overview of stories from this focus issue:
Firms' social responsibility activities targeted problems presented by Covid
With the Covid-19 pandemic, companies have turned their attention away from traditional corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and started investing in things like professional assistance, to help employees cope when taking care of sick family members, distance learning and video conference fatigue.
The Slovak Spectator spoke with Michal Kišša, executive director of the Pontis Foundation, about the impacts of the pandemic on CSR and CSR reporting in Slovakia, as well as Pontis' plans for this year.
Volunteering persists in Slovakia, despite the challenges of pandemic
A homemade protective mask was the first symbol of the coronavirus pandemic in Slovakia and its success in countering the first wave in the spring.
Sewing and distributing face masks, a scarce commodity in March and April 2020, was indeed one of the most frequent activities people in Slovakia engaged in as part of the solidarity and volunteering efforts that characterised that time.
"In the last 30 years, Slovakia has not experienced such a volume of spontaneous volunteering compressed into a relatively short period of time,“ said Zuzana Vinklerová from CARDO - the National Volunteering Centre.
People sort their waste more. But there is still much to improve
Košeca, a village of some 3,000 people situated near the town of Ilava, is unique in its approach to waste sorting.
The village tries to offer complex services related to waste to its inhabitants so they do not have to seek solutions themselves. Apart from running a scrap yard and two small municipal composting plants, they also secure the collection of sorted waste. A huge benefit of the system is how direct an impact it has, said Košeca Mayor Radomír Brtáň.
Pandemic reduces incomes of NGOs
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the operation of foundations, civic associations and other nongovernmental and non-profit organisations. They have received money from the tax assignation scheme, where companies and individuals can assign a portion of paid income tax, only gradually and after years of growth, the total sum was lower, the Sme daily reported.
Acknowledging the best volunteers
The Covid pandemic has inspired solidarity among people, with many helping without requiring any financial compensation. CARDO - the National Volunteering Centre, the Platform of Volunteering Centres and Organisations and regional volunteering centres, acknowledges the best volunteers with the prestigious Srdce na Dlani and Volunteer of the Year awards.
Year of Volunteering in Žilina Region
The Žilina Self-Governing Region (ŽSK) has declared 2021 the Year of Volunteering.
Its goal is the development of voluntary and community activities for youths and adults in the region. The Year of Volunteering will last until February 2022.
ŽSK considers the role of volunteers to be irreplaceable.
