Camco strongly supports the creation of sustainable low carbon societies in the communities in which we operate. Each year, local offices identify projects that they would like to support. Some of the projects we have been involved in include:The Turkana District in KenyaCamco worked with communities here to develop sustainable charcoal production and a marketing model to diversify livelihoods and cushion the communities against recurrent environmental shocks.Turkana has a long record of droughts and the main coping strategy for farmers has been to turn to alternative sources of livelihood that exploit local natural resources, in particular charcoal burning, which was carried out in an unsustainable manner.They are also heavily dependent on food aid.Camco, in collaboration with Oxfam, has been working with the community to develop sustainable water, agricultural and charcoal production model, ensuring a stable source of income with environmental integrity. We assisted with the set up of efficient kilns with high conversion efficiency and a solar-wind hybrid powered water pump and drip irrigation system to ensure sustainability of local crop growth. To help ensure the adoption of this model going forward, Camco trained over 200 community members in kiln construction and professional agriculture.TanzaniaIn Tanzania, Camco's team lead a SIDA project aiming to develop a commercial market for solar equipment by establishing a retail network. Camco's staff supplied new solar retailers across the country with training and marketing tools. In addition to establishing a retail network, Camco has worked with the Tanzanian Bureau of Standards to establish quality control measures and related standards.Additionally, Camco has been working with the World Bank in Tanzania to assist large farmer cooperatives in structuring and executing large procurements of solar systems. As part of this effort Camco is providing training courses to project managers, technicians and quality control agents, supporting the creation of a solar industry. Since the project started, the national market has grown five-fold.Other projects include:

• In 2008 our China office raised $10,000 for the Red Cross China Earthquake appeal, which the wider company matched with an additional $10,000 donation
• In Africa, our Kenya office participated in the 6th Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon in October last year in order to help raise funds for ‘Give someone the power of sight today’, an organisation which helps those in Africa with eye problems
• We also continue to support the Neema Children’s Home in Nairobi, which we have done since 2004, through staff visits and regular donations of food, clothing, text books and activities to raise awareness of the home’s activities
• In the UK, one of our Directors has been actively supporting the local community of Corsham. Using his 20 years of expertise he is developing their strategy to become a ‘transition town’, which is one that promotes the use of sustainable living and locally produced produce. Earlier in the year, Neal Mehta, one of our London based Analysts, spent some time in India where he ran a number of climate change presentations and workshops to over 200 students in Gujarat. Neal’s presentation was designed specifically for 15 to 18 year old students and focused on the impact of climate change and the measures we can take to resolve it
• We have also established a Give as Your Earn (GAYE) scheme. This enables staff to give directly to charities of their choice, gross of tax.