CSR Snapshot: Syniverse Visits Children’s Home in Beijing

Synergy’s CSR Snapshot features some of the most recent corporate social responsibility activities that Syniverse has participated in to help make a positive impact on the communities where we live and work.

What was the activity?
On Aug. 26, a group of 50 employees from Syniverse’s Beijing and Xi’an offices visited the SOS Children’s Villages center in Beijing to donate goods and spend time with children.

What organization did the activity support?
After researching several charities in our area, our Employee Association selected SOS Children’s Villages. For almost 70 years, this organization has provided services to help children who can no longer live with their families and has worked with communities and state partners to provide children with loving and supportive alternative care. SOS Children’s Villages works in over 135 countries and has supported more than 4 million children over the course of its history. It has had a presence in China since the mid-1980s and currently operates 10 centers in the country.

How many Syniverse employees participated?
A total of 50 employees from both our Beijing and Xi’an offices took part. The visit was organized by our Employee Association, a group responsible for leading charitable and extracurricular activities in communities where Syniverse offices are located. Each year, many Syniverse Employee Associations around the world identify charitable organizations in their local areas, and then get the input of the office’s employees to select a few charities that the office would like to support.

What did the Syniverse team do?
We took a tour of the center, donated goods for the children, played games with them, and watched them perform some special shows for us. Our supplies included a lot of books, clothes, school supplies, and cakes and other sweet treats. Many of the more than 200 employees at our Beijing and Xi’an offices pitched in to make our large donation of goods possible.

What was the single most rewarding part of this activity?
The most rewarding part was witnessing the children’s expressions when they played the electronic organ and participated in some of the other activities. Although they lost their parents at an early age, these children showed us they are passionate and grateful in the way they live life, the way they study in school, and the way they build relationships with their adopted families. Our team was extremely moved by this experience. It made us appreciate how many people we have to be grateful for in our own lives. The response by everyone in our offices in donating goods to help them was truly inspiring and showed an amazing spirit of giving. Our team in China is over 130 people strong and growing now, and we look forward to more events like this where we can help those less fortunate. Our visit to the SOS Children’s Village center was one part of this effort and gave us an opportunity to brighten the lives of some special children we will never forget!