RUSAL’s Social Welfare Project Center’s Board of Trustees met in Krasnoyarsk to assess the results of the Center’s activity in 2007. The Center runs seven social projects in fourteen Russian cities and supports community service projects proposed by schoolchildren and young people. The Center also aims to promote amateur sports and educate children environmentally. All the projects are chosen through competitions, so all those applying for a grant have equal chances.

‘The year 2007 was a very fruitful one for us. The Center entered some new regions and set up branches in Sverdlovsk and Murmansk Regions and in Karelia. The number of people we’ve involved rose from 200,000 in 2006 to 352,000 in 2007,’ says RUSAL’s PR Director Vera Kurochkina.

This year, grants have been given to 100 projects by schoolchildren, 59 projects related to organizing sports playgrounds, 32 projects targeted at helping the youth, and 8 environmental projects. RUSAL’s grant fund amounted to 26 million RUR last year and to more than 40 million RUR this year. In addition, the company sponsored 98 children’s sports club all over Russia.

'These sports clubs are free and open for all those willing to come,’ notes Yuri Abakumov, one of the trustees.

Next year, the Center is planning to significantly expand the scope of its social programs through new directions and entering more regions.