As one of Vodafone Malta’s latest CSR initiatives, a team of employees from the Commercial Operations Department recently got their hands dirty helping out at the Bahrija Oasis in Bahrija. This is a bio-dynamic farm run by a community of volunteers, headed by Peppi Gauci, who are successfully introducing the concept of permaculture to Malta. Permaculture essentially means promoting sustainable agricultural methods that work with nature rather than against it.

The Vodafone Malta employees were soon put to work carrying out various tasks on the farm, from cooking produce over an open fire for lunch, to planting beans and cutting bamboo sticks for tree signage. Other tasks included the preparation of natural fertilisers from dried carob and cactus as well as feeding the animals. Their hard work was rewarded by a delicious lunch prepared entirely from the farm’s own produce.

This event was the latest in Vodafone Malta’s calendar of CSR days for staff, where team-building is often combined with an activity that offers hands-on support to various NGOs within the community.  Michael Coney, Head of Commercial Operations, commented “It was great to come together as a team today in such a beautiful and unusual setting. Today was an eye-opener in terms of what is being done here in Malta to promote a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to agriculture.  This is something that Vodafone, which is committed to sustainability in every aspect of its business, can really identify with. Peppi Gauci and all the other volunteers are truly inspirational.”