Assessing the role of corporate social responsibility initiatives in helping communities: a case of safaricom foundation initiative at the young men’s Christian association (YMCA) in Shauri moyo

Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by businesses to contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce as well as the local community. The overall objective of the study was to examine if the project initiated by Safaricom Foundation at the YMCA centre in Shauri Moyo benefited the community. The specific objectives were to examine perceptions of people about corporate social responsibility at the Shauri Moyo YMCA centre. To assess the level of stakeholder involvement in development of the CSR programme at Shauri Moyo. To find out how the refurbishment of the recreational facility at Shauri Moyo has benefitted the local community. The study used descriptive research design; the sample size was 112 respondents who comprised of Safaricom Foundation staff and the project beneficiaries. The sampling technique adopted was purposive sampling for the target population. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the project beneficiaries while a semi- structured interview guide was used to collect data from the Safaricom Foundation staff. A focus guide was used to collect data from 2 discussion groups comprising of 9 respondents from the Shauri Moyo YMCA centre. The study revealed the community had benefitted immensely from the activities associated with the refurbishment of the recreational facility. Safaricom Foundation had policies on CSR, an indication that they were committed to CSR issues. However, greater stakeholder participation in development projects is critically important in order for communities to increase their participation to allay the fears that companies sometimes engage in CSR activities that are perceived as purely for PR gains. Future studies should test for correlations and causal relationships between variables drawn from specific CSR activities and benefits to specific stakeholder