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MasterCard and COMO Team Up for Community Investment across Asia
Auckland, 30 September 2010: Guests of COMO Hotels and Resorts will have a chance to make a difference to the community they are vacationing in. As part of a MasterCard Purchase with Purpose™ initiative, MasterCard will donate USD 30 for every transaction made with a MasterCard card from 1 October 2010 to 31 December 2010, to a beneficiary organization tied to each selected COMO property in Bali, Bhutan, Thailand and the Maldives. Participating properties are COMO Shambhala Estate, Uma Ubud, Uma Paro, the Metropolitan Bangkok and Cocoa Island.
Funds collected from this Purchase with Purpose program will support educational and wellbeing initiatives in the local communities, including equipping classrooms and libraries, providing everyday essentials, and improving nutrition and sanitation. Cardholders staying at Uma Ubud in Bali will be supporting the Sari Hati Foundation, a voluntary educational centre for mentally disabled youths. The MasterCard contribution will provide nutritional lunches and materials for arts classes, as well as contribute towards a teacher’s salary. Guests at COMO Shambhala Estate in Bali can help to improve seating and enhance the library collection at the Tirta Kumara kindergarten if they settle their bills with a MasterCard, while the libraries of Maafushi and Guraidhoo schools stand to benefit from new reference material, such as dictionaries, atlases and encyclopedia. The MasterCard donation via the Metropolitan Bangkok will be used to improve sanitation and cooking facilities in the Wat Bangploeng School in Ayutthaya Province, while the contribution in Bhutan will provide “essentials packages” of soap and dental care to the women of Kela Goemba near Uma Paro in Bhutan. All organizations are longstanding community investment partners of the respective COMO properties, which employ a holistic approach toward operating and developing in a sustainable and responsible manner. Kuno Fasel, Director of COMO Hotels and Resorts, emphasizes that this program is intrinsically linked to a broader sustainability effort at COMO. “This Purchase with Purpose initiative encapsulates COMO’s partnership approach, not only with local community organizations but also with MasterCard and our guests. Each party is a unique player in the ecosystem for sustainable businesses: COMO provides a unique experience, MasterCard the transactional platform and each community organization the ability to put mission into practice. The guest enjoys a memorable stay with COMO, but leaves an indelible impact on the community through his or her simple action of choosing to use a MasterCard.” Georgette Tan, vice president, Communications, Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa, MasterCard Worldwide, said, “We are proud to launch another initiative that empowers local communities while involving our cardholders in doing good. MasterCard has long been involved in empowering women and children by offering them access to education and skills development opportunities. We believe education plays a key role in improving the general quality of life for a family and eventually, the community. We are excited to work with COMO Hotels and Resorts to lend a helping hand to organizations that work hard to address the needs of underserved communities.” MasterCard Purchase with Purpose is a key component of MasterCard’s corporate social responsibility platform. It is at the heart of a drive to promote responsible spending and encourages people to give back to the society. MasterCard cardholders are involved in the company’s philanthropic efforts as MasterCard donates to a cause every time they use their cards. MasterCard has spearheaded several other initiatives supporting the development of rural communities in Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines. For more details, please visit www.mastercard.com/sea/purchasewithpurpose. MasterCard’s corporate social responsibility platform (CSR) in Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa is focused primarily on bettering the quality of life for women and children by providing them educational opportunities. MasterCard does this by supporting a broad range of women’s and children’s causes through scholarships, financial assistance, educational programs and various sustainability programs, helping provide them with the skills required to stand on their own feet and support themselves and their families. Apart from the educational aspects of MasterCard’s CSR programs, consumer education is an important area of consideration for MasterCard given the significance of financial know-how in improving lives and the socioeconomic standing of families throughout the region. A key component of MasterCard’s social responsibility and citizenship efforts across the region is the MasterCard Purchase with Purpose platform. Based on the concept of transactional philanthropy, it is at the heart of a drive by MasterCard to encourage responsible spending and make a difference in someone else's life. MasterCard Purchase with Purpose initiatives involve cardholders in the company’s efforts to give back to the community whenever they use their MasterCard cards. More information on MasterCard Purchase with Purpose is available at www.mastercard.com/sea/purchasewithpurpose As a leading global payments company, MasterCard Worldwide prides itself on being at the heart of commerce, helping to make life easier and more efficient for everyone, everywhere. MasterCard serves as a franchisor, processor and advisor to the payments industry, and makes commerce happen by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, governments, businesses, merchants, and cardholders worldwide. In 2009, $2.5 trillion in gross dollar volume was generated on its products by consumers around the world. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network – the fastest payment processing network in the world – MasterCard processes over 22 billion transactions each year, has the capacity to handle 140 million transactions per hour, with an average network response time of 140 milliseconds and with 99.99 percent reliability. MasterCard advances global commerce through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro®, and Cirrus®; its suite of core products such as credit, debit, and prepaid; and its innovative platforms and functionalities, such as MasterCard PayPass™ and MasterCard inControl™. MasterCard serves consumers, governments, and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information, please visit us at www.mastercard.com. Follow us on Twitter: @mastercardnews. |
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