URA Large Taxpayers office reached out to Bless A Child Foundation, a home that looks after children with cancer. A fridge and foodstuff were handed over to these heroes.
Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) staff have today, Friday 24th September 2021, been engaged in giving back to communities, in locations which they have footprint in the region.
Ian Rumanyika, The Assistant Commissioner Public and Corporate Affairs at URA says “URA had 75 stations, 2800 staff reaching out and connecting with communities in one day; hundreds of locations nationwide and across borders where we have stations like Nairobi, Kisumu, Naivasha, Mombasa and Dar es Salaam participated in the exercise.”
This was carried out under the theme “Believe there is good in the world”.
Rumanyika adds that URA has over the years taken a social stand to prioritizing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a way of effecting social change in the communities in which it operates. This has helped build public confidence in the organization, create rapport and pave way for compliance within the taxpaying community.
“For the past 12 years, URA’s philanthropic contributions have left an indelible mark and created an enjoyable working relationship with its stakeholders,” Rumanyika says, adding: “These activities have ranged from environmental protection, providing scholarly materials, providing hospital equipment, cleaning markets, donating blood and visiting the orphanages among others.”
In 2011 and 2012, he says, URA spread its benevolence by partnering with Starkey Hearing Foundation, U.S to provide hearing aids to those who would otherwise live in the isolation of a silent world.
“Together, we reached out to 3464 children and adults with hearing problems,” he says, adding: “To date, URA has touched various communities and individuals in over 320- CSRs.”
On September 20th 2016, Rumanyika says, URA could have broken record and thus listed in the Guinness Book for the most CSRs executed.
“Over 65 CSRs were executed on the same day by the entire URA staff body which raised a financial outlay of UGX 166,000,000. Staff in all URA stations went out and uniquely touched the communities using their own personal contributions,” Rumanyika says.
He adds: “Today’s CSR Day was aimed at showing gratitude to communities in the areas they (URA staff) serve and a unique way of celebrating 30 years of developing Uganda.”
On his part, URA Commissioner General, John Rujoki Musinguzi said: “The culture of charity in URA has an immeasurable impact on our communities and that is why URA Management has given chance to its employees to contribute their labor to local causes that can also result in meaningful team building, shared personal values, and act in unison toward a great common goal. It is this spirit of developing value-driven programs that have helped grow philanthropic efforts of URA to even deeper roots.”
This year as URA marked 30 years, they launched a nationwide Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through donations to China Friendship Hospital in Naguru worth UGX 50 million. The donations included; 20 admission cots, a 200-seater tent and 150 plastic chairs. URA staff also cleaned the hospital premises to create a good atmosphere for the patients.
In addition, URA together with other stakeholders will spread its benevolence to Bwama Primary School in Kabale among other contributions.
Here, a 30 capacity motorboat will be donated to the school to ease movement of school going children across Lake Bunyonyi, led by the Commissioner General, the boat will be handed over on 1st October 2021 to the Board and management of Bwama Primary School, Lake Bunyonyi, Kabale.
Check out more photos below about URA CSR Day;