Taxback.com’s International Community Outreach Programme works to provide relief and benefits to those most in need in the communities of our local offices.

The programme was set up in September 2007 in response to tragic flooding in north-east Bulgaria which killed eight people and devastated Tsar Kaloyan village. Taxback.com has more than 300 staff in Bulgaria and many felt deeply affected by the disaster. The company decided to assist the cause and within 48 hours our staff organised and purchased 3.5 tonnes of food and 12,000 litres of drinking water. Our staff bussed the supplies out to Tsar Kaloyan and formed a human chain to unload it all.

The enthusiasm of our local staff to participate in this project prompted us to set up the programme permanently across the company. The company now donates €100 for every staff member to the fund annually.

The initiative provides a vehicle for all our staff to create or participate in local charity projects in their own communities and this is our way of giving back to the communities who have supported us over the years. Since the programme was set up our staff have been involved in 19 different community-based charity projects around the globe. Major projects have included:

• Bulgaria: We sponsored BGN16,000 (€8000) in renovations to the children’s cancer ward at Sveta Marina Hospital in Varna which treats 1000 young cancer and leukaemia patients every year. Our staff organised all the materials and labour and spent hours contacting local businesses for additional sponsorship. In June 2009 we sponsored a fundraising gala event in Varna which raised another BGN70.000 (€35,000) for continued improvements to the ward.

• Lithuania: Our office in Kaunas sponsored the training of eight new volunteers for a youth helpline. Bullying is a growing problem amongst youth in Lithuania but lack of resources at helpline Vaiku Linija meant counsellors could only answer 1/50 calls for help. Our eight new volunteers are already working to improve this – including one of our own staff members Ina Obrikiene who volunteered to take part in the training herself.

• Ireland: In 2008 we donated €15,000 to build new playground facilities at the Kilkenny Castle grounds and the new playground opened in July 2008. In May our staff and families took part in the annual 10km Kilkenny Carers’ Association Mini-Marathon. We donated €1100 to the Carers’ Association – Ireland’s national voluntary organisation for and of family carers in the home – to help increase the association’s emergency respite hours. In 2009 we sponsored the Kilkenny Arts Festival and enabled 2000 local children to attend the festival for free. In 2010 we sponsored the first open water triathlon in Kilkenny.

• Romania: When flooding in Northwest Romania devastated Coplean village our staff spent the weekend organising and delivering water, food and emergency supplies to 29 families who lost everything in the floods.

• Slovakia: In 2008 our staff in Slovakia organised and delivered 3 truckloads of goods and materials – including 4.5 tonnes of concrete – to complete a new crisis centre for struggling families in Dolny Kublin with non-government organisation Usmey Ako Dar. In 2009 Usmey Ako Dar desperately needed a tutor for the many children in its care at Fortuna social centre and so taxback.com is covering the cost of a tutor to teach the 12-18 year old children economics and statistics and ensure they get a better start in life.

Read about all our community outreach projects here online or check out our picture gallery below.

If you’d like to actively take part in our outreach programme contact our Community Outreach Project Manager on communityoutreach@taxback.com