Maxis continues to believe that its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme contributes to societal development as advances in technology can bring direct benefits to communities. Our focus continues to remain on youth, education and technology. Since its inception in 2002, our primary CSR initiative Maxis Bridging Communities (MBC) continues to forge ahead connecting rural communities and helping bridge the digital divide in Malaysia. We spent more than RM9 million for our MBC activities in 2005.

At the core of MBC is Cyberkids Camps, a smart partnership programme between Maxis and the government that was further enhanced in 2005 with the introduction of the national integration element drawing together 334 primary schools nationwide into the programme.We conducted 21 camps throughout the year, each with an average of 96 participants from 16 schools. The programme continues to target rural primary schools.

Its “Train the Trainer” concept consists of classroom and outdoor activities to enable participating teachers and students to effectively use the computer and internet subsequently become leaders and knowledge-sharing catalysts in their respective communities. Since its inception until December 2005, the programme has trained 1,343 teachers and 2,722 school children from 719 schools across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. The resounding success of Cyberkids Camps was also due to the smart partnership with the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications and the full support given by the Ministry of Education and the various state Education Departments.

We also set up the Cyberkids Club to support the Cyberkids Camps so participants can remain abreast of and update the knowledge and skills gained during the camps. The club also promotes virtual integration across geographical boundaries and provides members with useful tools and applications relating to technology, education and entertainment. Club membership is also open to all schools, with information shared among members via the online club in the Maxis community portal www.maxis.communities.com.my. Monthly newsletters are distributed online and hard copies sent to all participating schools.

Our community portal e-learning site Learn@Maxis provides school children from Standard 1 to Form 5 with free tutorials. Teachers are encouraged to contribute lesson plans and learning materials that can be shared among club members. We continue to host hundreds of school websites free-of-charge. These websites belong to those participating in Cyberkids Camps and the CyberlinQ Web Community Competition.We encourage and support these schools to build and update their websites. We will also continue increasing the content of this popular portal to meet the evolving needs of our communities.

Maxis conducted 28 workshops nationwide for CyberlinQ Web Community Competition participants in 2005. They were taught to build their school websites based on their proposed community projects. We short-listed 40 participants in each category and awarded them RM1,000 each to start their respective projects. The four grand prize winners received RM9,000 each.

As an extension to the Cyberkids Camps, we set up Maxis Cyberlabs in several towns and villages to provide easy ICT access to rural communities. Maxis Cyberlabs were set up in partnership with local authorities and NGOs. We have since established Cyberlabs in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan; Dungun, Trengganu; Kepala Batas, Penang; Tanah Merah, Kelantan; Serian, Sarawak; Keningau, Sabah and Pekan, Pahang. Each site has three local community trainers who receive continuous education and guidance from Maxis, to keep them abreast of the latest technology developments while simultaneously providing them with employment. Each lab is equipped with highpowered PCs with Internet access and applications. Cyberlabs organise free IT courses for the benefit of the community.

The Maxis Scholarship for Excellence was also set up with an annual allocation of RM2 million. Launched on 22 September 2005, the scholarship is awarded to deserving students pursuing post-graduate studies with a view to nurturing a forward-thinking and progressive new generation of Malaysians. Open to young and outstanding Malaysians who have gained admittance to top universities in the USA and the UK, it is awarded for courses in the life sciences and engineering, medicine, business and management studies, law and government studies, and the performing arts.

The Maxis Developer Programme is dedicated to supporting the growth of local mobile applications, services and content development through its skills development programme and application development support. More than 20 applications have been successfully commercialised and are generating revenue for the developers. Maxis encourages and supports volunteerism through its Maxis Volunteer Brigade (MVB). The brigade consists of staff from Maxis offices nation-wide who volunteer for charitable causes in their community. MVB has organized football clinics, festive celebrations and visits to charity homes. It ended 2005 with a visit to the children’s ward in the cancer and surgical unit of University Malaya Hospital, Selangor. Through MVB we believe we have touched the hearts of many.

Our commitment to CSR, especially Maxis Bridging Communities programmes, will continue with enhancements from time to time to ensure we reach as many people as possible, and make life more meaningful and special to everyone whose lives we touch.