A 70-strong group of Vodafone Malta employees, including management, have been involved in a number of team-building events with a difference. Every Wednesday for several weeks they have been taking part in events organised specifically to strengthen teams while clocking up precious hours of voluntary work.
This programme was the brainchild of Vodafone call centre executive Rosalie Theuma, who wanted to continue building on the sterling work carried out by the Vodafone Malta Foundation and encourage her colleagues to undertake more voluntary work. She came up with the idea of a team-building event that combined having fun and bonding with helping those in need. “I wanted to organise a full-day event where team members from different departments could get together away from the normal routine for a fun activity that was also meaningful.”
Employees from different Vodafone departments – call centre, credit control, customer administration and fault handling – joined forces at Dar il-Kaptan to carry out cleaning and clearing jobs, cooking and organising crafts and games, while interacting with the residents. They got to know each other better, gaining confidence and a better understanding of the work carried out by volunteers. “The experience made us realise that each and every one of us can make a difference in the community we live in,” said Rosalie. “It made us aware of the difficulties other people experience and helped us appreciate the simple things in life.”
Vodafone call centre representative James Vidal said Dar il-Kaptan is a great organisation that undertakes significant care work to benefit people with disabilities and their families. “I was impressed by the volunteers who keep on smiling despite their extremely tough work. I now have a more positive outlook on life and am grateful for every day that is given to me,” he said. His colleague Kenneth Cremona admitted that at first he was very apprehensive and wasn’t sure what to expect. He said: “After this experience, I simply want to do it again. It was a great opportunity to bond with my colleagues while doing such rewarding work. I’ve realised how much these organisations need our help. They rely on providence on a daily basis! I must say that I am proud to work for a company that genuinely goes out of its way to help people in need.”
Senior Customer Relations representative Paul Ellul said: “This was an inspiring experience that I would recommend to everybody. Some might take it further and, like me, will make a point of keeping in touch with this reality every so often.” Daniel Bruno, call centre supervisor, said: “We all left tired but happy and satisfied. To Dar il-Kaptan: this is not a goodbye, but a ‘see you soon’, because nothing else compares with this experience.” Credit controller Connie Stoyanova said that, by the end of the day, she felt at peace with herself. She felt that not only had she given but she had also received a great deal.