 | № 85 (3235) | 30.05.2006 |
You will know them by their deeds
"The bravest men" shared they love and fears
Last Saturday a conference "Socially responsible business and charity in modern Russia" took part in Kazan. The event was organized by the Business undertakings Development Agency of the Republic of Tatarstan and by the charitable non-governmental organization "Golden heart" (Zolotoye serdce). The president of the Center of Civil Initiatives (California, USA) Sharon Tennison found great pleasure in it. She felt like a mother: The most of the assembled had been educated in the CCI to different times.
A radio operator is in a church: "My Lord! Do you hear me? How do you hear me, testing, testing..."
With this joke a member of the Public-service Chamber of the Republic of Tatarstan Yuriy Alayev started the discussion: "It seems to me that the wealthy people bestow their charity on the church the same way".
Yet what should they do: The capital and sins are accumulated at the same pace and the real entrepreneur must find the shortest way to expiate the sins. The statistics of the Russian department of CAF (a British charity foundation) say that just one third of the philanthropists in Russia are such "radio operators". The basic mass of donations is assigned to the social needs. There are also some examples of the socially responsible business.
- It may not be the best example... - one of Tatarstan’s philanthropists, the head of "Kontr" group Ildus Yanyshev halted for a shot while, and finished speaking: - It is the "YUKOS" company, it raised social insurance arrangements for its workers in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area...
Yet the results of it were not good. It was "not the best example" indeed, and even disturbing for the present businessmen. Mr. Yanyshev could also remember a lyceum situated near Moscow, which was established by Mikhail Khodorkovskyi for orphan children and victims of terrorism. All the property of this lyceum was seized not long ago...
- This year is the year of charity in Russia. And in Russia the Tsar Ivan the Terrible paved the way for social politic! - A guest from Moscow Konstantin Ivanov, the chief executive of the All-Russian festival of good deeds started his speech. The start was promising and the sequel was not disappointing too.
The festival under wardship of the first vice prime-minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev offers a businessman to make a good deed, to propose it on one of the contests and a jury should decide then, if the businessman deserves a mark and what mark it should be. A member of the jury of the contest "The history of charity in Russia" is the head of the Russian State Humanitarian University Mr. Ivanov informed the audience. The former head and the prominent philanthropist of this university Leonid Nevzlin was discharged three years ago like a joint owner of "YUKOS" and Mikhail Khodorkovskyi’s friend. So these juries are literally very competent in the matters of charity.
- The main motivation for charity is my instinct of self-preservation! - Valeryi Pichugin, the president of the limited liability company "Center of the development of business undertakings" confessed fearlessly. - Do you want me to tell you, how much people hate us, the businessmen?..
The reactions of the audience showed that it was not necessary. The auditory whispered: "It is true".
- There should be no orphans, - Mr. Pichugin continued. - We offered to build 1, 2 or 3 villages for people who are ready to bring up 10 - 15 children each, to create an infrastructure around them, which would help them to live. We were supported, not by Kazan unfortunately, but by the head of the Verkhniy Uslon district Mr. Osyanin. Yet the land was in the presidents foundation, the deal was finished!..
From behind the doors of the conference-hall the booming baritone of the Father Superior Phillip was heard. The superior of the Kazan town church of the Raifa monastery made the TV-men understand that good and charity should not be made from any other considerations, but because of love to the nearest:
- We pay not very high grants from the church money to five children from the Little Arts Academy. They come from poor families; two of them are Tatars, by the way...
- Who told you about this children? - I asked him.
- Why telling us, - Father Philip wondered, - the Academy is our neighbor. I know them very well; I had whitewashed their wall.
While we were talking this way in the hall, the theme of love to the nearest in the conference room got a new turning point.
- We are talking about the Russian traditions, so we should remember, - the head of Administrative council of the Commercial and Industrial chamber of the Republic of Tatarstan Alexander Tarkayev offered, - that Tretyakov brothers did not get the money for charity from the stockholders like undertaking managers, that they did not get the money from the state like responsible tax-payers (an allusion to asking breaks for philanthropists. - М.Y.), they had built the Tretyakov Gallery for their own money. And the social responsibility of the business, in my opinion, is to employ so many people, that you can provide with good salary, so that you must not discharge them.
- If someone does not regularly pay the salary and the taxes, yet opens a charitable canteen – there are such people, I do not want to call their names yet... - the first vice-premier Ravil Muratov said. He kept the names ex comitate, but this "yet" sounded promising.
- You are the bravest men in the world! - Sharon Tenison addressed the businessmen, summarizing her impressions about business and charity in modern Russia.
It turned out that she asked some "Russian nestlings" of the CCI, why are they engaged in charity and they all answered the same: "Unless we will do it, who else will?!". This motto is similar to the motto by St. Joan of Arc (this has another part, about love to the nearest: "Who loves me – follow me"), so the heroism of the Russian philanthropists is clear.
Mrs. Tennison was also touched as Ravil Muratov presented her a medal "In memory of the 1000th anniversary of Kazan". The head of the department of the CCI in Dubna Madina Bikbulatova became the same medal. And six businessmen and philanthropists and two workers of the sistership "Comfort and consolation" and the president of the Foundation of the help for children "Frank" became prizes of the "Golden heart". The prizes were diplomas and books. The businessmen took part in a special auction for benefit of Free juridical clinic after the conference and endowed the charity: more than 55 000 Ruble. This sum will support the work of the clinic during two months. It renders elementary juridical assistance for poor people in Kazan.
Marina YUDKEVICH.
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