Corporate Social Responsibility

As a responsible corporate citizen, Avarga believes in contributing towards driving positive and sustainable changes for the benefit of the local communities where we operate and the society as a whole.

At present, our Corporate Social Responsibility efforts are largely focused in Myanmar, where we see room to help improve living and education standards.

We identified a government primary school near our power plant, No. 16 Basic Education Primary School, Ywama, Insein township. In 2015, we replaced two-thirds of the school’s old furniture with new desks and chairs to accommodate some 200 pupils per session.

In 2016, we took a major step to further improve conditions for the school. We spent US$50,000 to construct a new 900 sq ft air-conditioned multi-media hall, and equipped it with 31 sets of new computers, accessories, desks and chairs. We hope to equip the pupils with better computer and literacy skills and at the same time, help cultivate a stronger learning culture.

The multi-media hall has become the pride of the school and the community. With this, the school also has one of the most advanced facilities among government primary schools, despite being located in one of the economically poorer townships in Yangon.

In 2017, we identified another government school that was in need of funds for repair, No.149 Basic Education Post-Primary School in Kanyatgyi Village, Kanma Township, Magway Region. This school is located some 400 miles from Yangon. We completed the construction of a new 2,700 sq ft school building in 2018 and donated a set of uniforms, books and a school bag to each of the school’s 203 students.

In 2018 and 2019, we focused our CSR efforts back on the school in Insein, Yangon. In 2018, we constructed a school hall and meal area measuring 1,800 sq ft for the school. We also donated a set of uniforms, books and a school bag for each of the school’s 830 students. We constructed a new 605 ft length perimeter concrete wall and contributed towards the establishment and furnishing of a library in the school in 2019. That same year, we donated school uniforms and books to all 887 students of the school for the 2019 to 2020 academic year. Having made substantial improvements to the school’s infrastructure and facilities over the years, it did not need further funding in 2020-2021.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, we shifted much of our group CSR efforts to focus on combating the spread of the virus in 2020-21, supporting our dedicated frontline healthcare workers and helping the affected communities in areas where we operate in.

In Myanmar, we repaired an overhead water tank that was supplying water to the housing area near our power plant. We contributed 48 million kyat (or US$37,200) in 2020 to repair the tank with  capacity of over 50,000 gallons and weighing over 200 tonnes.

In 2021, we donated 2 units of oxygen concentrators to Electric Power Generation Enterprise (EPGE) for the use of residents in Insein township. We also put in an additional new container home at the power plant for the plant operators, to minimise travelling. In 2022, we donated about US$4,000 to support festival and other community activities for the communities surrounding our power plant.

As the  Covid-19 pandemic ebbed, our  focus returned  to  educational initiatives.  In  2023, we spent about US$14,000 for  various CSR initiatives  in  Myanmar. Of  this  amount, about US$5,000 was spent on providing educational supplies, such as books, school bags and school uniforms, which we donated to 145 students living in our nearby community.

We also donated about US$5,000 to help victims of Cyclone Mocha, which adversely affected parts of Myanmar in  May 2023. Our  donation was made through  the  National  Disaster Management Fund, established  by the Department of Disaster Management, Yangon Region.

In Malaysia,  UPP Pulp  & Paper (M) Sdn Bhd contributed towards The Edge Covid-19  Equipment Fund in 2020. The fund aimed to raise donations from  the corporate sector to buy medical  equipment such as ventilators, protective suits  and masks, to assist Malaysia’s  medical  facilities  and healthcare  workers.  We were one of the first  donors to the fund, which has since gone a long  way in procuring medical  equipment for government hospitals  and healthcare  staff in the critical early  stages of the pandemic, when the healthcare  system was under severe strain and medical supplies were limited.

We have also  donated RM60,000 over 2020-2021  to Persatuan Kebajikan Amal  Da Ai Malaysia,  a non-profit charitable childcare centre looking after mentally and physically handicapped children.

In 2022-2023,  due to the large  losses  incurred  by UPP Pulp  and Paper (M) Sdn Bhd, we did not undertake significant CSR activities in Malaysia, as we focused instead on restructuring  our business.

In Singapore, we have pledged to donate a total of S$250,000 from 2018-2022, comprising annual donations of S$50,000 per year over 5 years, to the Singapore National Gallery to support and promote Singapore’s arts and cultural heritage.

In Canada, Taiga Building Products created the Taiga Community Fund to support customers and organisations in need through difficult times. The fund has made donations to recipients in every province in Canada, including Abbotsford Food Bank, Kelowna’s Women’s Shelter and Coast Mental Health in British Columbia, the Arthouse for Children  and Youth  and Children’s  Aid Foundation of Halton  in Ontario; and the Big Brothers  Big Sisters Foundations in both Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. We also provide scholarships to the children of our employees.

Taiga Building  Products had made some significant donations in 2022 to various projects and initiatives in its communities, including C$30,000 to the Canadian Red Cross in support of the Hurricane Fiona recovery efforts in the Atlantic  Region, C$10,000 to the Vancouver  General  Hospital  Foundation, C$10,000 to the BC Children’s Hospital Oncology, and C$8,000 to the Blind Beginnings Gala, a local charity for blind youth.

In 2023, donations totaling  over C$114,000 were contributed by Taiga Building  Products in Canada alone,  with significant  support  directed  towards  various community  projects  and initiatives.  Among these contributions were C$20,000 directed to the Canadian Red Cross for aiding wildfire relief efforts in Alberta, C$10,000 each to the Red Cross and the Fondation Charles-Bruneau, which focuses on providing care for children with cancer in Quebec.

We also  made a substantial  donation of C$52,808 to Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga.  This non-profit organization collaborates with communities to construct homes for local families in need of affordable housing.

In the US, Taiga Building Products contributed a total of US$14,000 in various donations. This included US$4,000 directed  towards  the  Panther  Foundation, and US$2,500 allocated  to  the  Boys &  Girls  Clubs of Southwest Washington.