Our Commitment to Society
As the world is looking for solutions on how to address many overwhelming challenges in health and sustainability, AAR, through the AAR Beckmann Trust is committed to overcoming these challenges in Eastern Africa and beyond.
This commitment is anchored on a sound corporate social responsible platform which involves concern for the consequences of AAR’s business behaviour as this affects the social, economic and environmental interests of others: so as to produce a positive sustainable impact for the business and society in general.
We are guided by the following principles:
- Bottom – up approach
- Participatory learning
- Transparency and accountability in all actions
- Working in coordination with partner organizations
Corporate Responsibility
AAR’s core value concept since its inception, and the concept of corporate social responsibility means running a business which is run ethically and in a sustainable manner.
Corporate Governance
Running a business which incorporates the principles of accountability, transparency and integrity starts from board level. From the onset, company governance at AAR starts from having ethical people directing and managing the company.
Social impacts starts at home
No business is sustainable if it is not providing positively towards workplace welfare. From the onset AAR has ran an ethical business ensuring workplace conditions promote, maintain and respect human rights in all its aspects by providing a conducive atmosphere by having proper policies and practices relating to work performed within it, by it or on its behalf.
Environmental stewardship & corporate social investment
AAR brings programmes that provide hands-on opportunities for East African communities to improve human health conditions through better environment and sanitation, and engage in income-generating and sustainable activities to attain access to health.
Employee Voluntary Programme
AAR staff members, starting from the CEO right across the staff strata, are a focal part of community engagement. Employees are encouraged to give back to the outside community or to the less fortunate of the community, outside office hours on a voluntary basis throughout the year.
About AAR Beckmann Trust
Leveraging on AAR’s expertise in health delivery, and combining it with the Beckmann family’s commitment towards health around the world, the AAR Beckmann Trust brings programmes that provide hands-on opportunities for East African communities to improve their environment, and engage in income-generating and sustainable activities to attain access to health.
Trees For Health Project: Planting Trees With A Purpose
When on their regular school medical camps in across the region, AAR Medical teams identified that majority of the children requiring medical intervention were suffering from anaemia and malnourishment, typical consequences of severe parasitical infestation. AAR took up the challenge to set up a programme that would free them from this impediment, provide a healthier school environment as well as prevent environmental degradation that was being caused by wanton cutting of trees to cater for the schools’ firewood needs. Thus in 2010 the AAR Beckmann Trust’s ‘Trees for Health’ programme was born.
The ‘Trees for Health’ programme combines the health of the environment with children’s health, and directly involves schools, communities, teachers and children in the tree- planting and de-worming process, from hole preparation to care and management of the tree, thus building an environmentally- conscious generation.
Planting trees on school grounds make schools independent for their ever growing energy needs. At the same time school become conscious about creating a healthy environment and about how this benefits a revival of a healthier ecosystem which impacts on children’s health.
Reducing the impact of worm infestation; Worms, especially hookworm infestation, is a life-threatening neglected disease and a leading cause of maternal and child morbidity in developing countries. Children often suffer the most from poor health and malnutrition) and are particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of worm infestation and usually manifests itself through intellectual, cognitive and growth retardation. Lack of food, malnutrition and poor hygiene compromise immunity and create a vicious cycle of poverty. Regular de-worming contributes to good health and nutrition for school-age children, which in turn leads to increased enrollment and attendance, reduced class repetition, and increased educational attainment.
