Active and effective engagement with the community is an essential part of our CR strategy.

The Hikma Global Volunteering Day, held in April each year, aims to encourage employees across the Group to invest time in their local communities. The number of participants more than doubled this year – from 500 in 2008 to 1200 in 2009. Aligned with our business objectives, the Volunteering Day aims to support better health in our local communities. This year, staff worldwide participated in a variety of charitable activities, including donating blood, cleaning hospitals, kindergartens and orphanages and spending time with the children, and raising money for research.

Of course, we are active in our communities throughout the year through a number of other initiatives, including providing funding for students in the fields of Technical Pharmacy and Applied Medical Sciences. The time, interest and funding that we provide to local students is a real indication of our ongoing commitment to the communities in which we work. Over the long-term, these efforts should also help to ensure that we can continue to attract well-trained employees in each of the markets in which we are operating.

Across the MENA region, Hikma volunteers also supported poor local communities, providing financial and practical assistance to those in need. In the United States, fundraising was undertaken and support was given to local homeless groups, disadvantaged families and the elderly.

Hikma has also partnered with the Global Fund to fight Aids, TB and Malaria. In 2009, the company and the Samih Darwazah Foundation donated the seed money to establish the MENA Chapter of the Global Fund. This is located in Amman Jordan, and will operate across the Middle East and North Africa. A board of directors has been selected, an executive director has been hired and in 2010, the Chapter will launch its first awareness and advocacy campaigns.

Across the Group, we continued through 2009 to give generously to local causes, donating medicines to NGOs and communities in crisis. Our employees also volunteered their time to many NGOs worldwide.