Microsoft donates staff time to charity in Asia

Microsoft will give every employee in Asia three-days paid leave this year to pursue community service projects aimed at narrowing the digital divide in the continent, the company said Friday.

With 6,000 employees in the region, that adds up to 18,000 days of charity work, an amount of time Microsoft will set aside each year to pursue service projects in Asia.

The goal is to give 150 million more people in Asia access to technology and the Internet so they can learn how to use the information and communication tools online to help reduce poverty, improve quality of life, and tackle other issues.

"Technology has such a powerful role to play in helping the world on these issues," said Microsoft Asia Pacific general manager Oliver Roll, in a telephone interview with IDG News Service.

At the heart of the campaign, dubbed Unlimited Potential (UP), is a program designed to build computer centers around the region and train locals how to use technology. Microsoft has already established 2,200 centers in Asia in conjunction with governments and partners, donating money, software and its employees to do the training.

Over the past three years, Microsoft has also donated $30 million in software and cash in Asia alone to build and maintain the centers, to pay for employee volunteer trips to remote locations, and finance other philanthropy projects. This year, the company has already approved a grant for $8.2 million in Asia, out of worldwide grants totaling $25.5 million. And that's probably not all the money Microsoft will give this year, considering it went through two rounds of grants last year.

The company works on other projects throughout the region as well, including disaster relief. When the Asian tsunami hit in late 2004, areas of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and other places were devastated. To help survivors reconnect with families and friends, a team of Microsoft software developers created an application to help track people down and get them back together.

"I think it's really important for a company to apply their IQ to make a difference," said Roll.

The computer centers Microsoft sets up also attempt to help on a social issue particular to its host country.

The company works with international agencies such as the World Bank to identify local issues, then connects with national governments to figure out ways to deal with the issue, said Roll.

For example, in the Philippines, the company identified the plight of its overseas workers as a serious social issue. Filipino workers overseas contribute a huge amount of money to the country's economy, yet they often face problems with foreign employers, difficulty adjusting to new cultures and the pain of not being able to communicate with family members - in addition to trouble readjusting to life at home when they return. Microsoft's technology centers work on helping solve these issues.

In Vietnam, Microsoft and partners are working in schools. The group, which includes Microsoft, chip designer Qualcomm and state-run power provider Electricity of Vietnam, is working on a two-year project to introduce its UP computer training curriculum to more than 400 vocational schools and in-depth support to 60 new community technology learning centers.

A global community affairs team organizes Microsoft's efforts and keeps tabs on projects, said Roll. The main team office is at the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington, in addition to regional leaders and one for each country.