Vodafone Qatar announced yesterday that it is officially closing the application period for its World of Difference programme, with almost 400 applications received since the call for applications began two months ago. This paves the way for four winners of the programme to be announced in February 2010. “We’re all excited to find out what four people Vodafone will be helping to make a world of difference in Qatar,” said Vodafone Qatar CEO Grahame Maher. World of Difference, the first programme of its kind in Qatar, is a programme in which Vodafone selects four individuals with ideas for community charitable projects and pays their salaries for a year while they make these objectives a reality. Among the numerous projects proposed by this year’s applicants are candidates seeking to support the environment, to help children, to support education or simply to volunteer with a particular charitable organisation. With all applications received, the next step in the selection process will officially begin. Vodafone Qatar’s selection panel will examine all applications for the following criteria: Humanitarianism: Does the project or initiative have a truly charitable purpose? Sustainability: Would the proposed project or initiative have ongoing benefits? Practicality: Can the proposed project or initiative reasonably be completed within a year? Once a shortlist of candidates has been determined, Vodafone’s selection panel will personally contact each of the final candidates to invite them for a face-to-face interview in order to verify their passion for their project and their skills to succeed. Regardless of whether they have been shortlisted, all applicants can expect to be contacted directly by Vodafone. “This is an amazing result for a first-time initiative such as this in Qatar,” said Luisa Gentile, Vodafone Qatar’s head of corporate social responsibility. “Now four people will be one step closer to taking advantage of this life-changing opportunity.” http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=India&month=January2010&file=Local_News2010010614210.xml

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