Blast From the Past
The month of May is associated with MW Armenia, known as MW Backoffice (BO) as we mark its anniversary. And what better month to go back and see what has been achieved?
Blast From
May 30, 2024
The month of May is associated with MW Armenia, known as MW Back Office (BO) as we mark its anniversary. And what better month to go back and see what has been achieved than May?
It was in May 2018 when a group of 3 went to Prague to learn about MW’s vision and ways and to come back to start the office. Ever since, MW BO has grown to be an integral part of MW Group, extending its support to 24 departments and teams with its over 170 employees.
BO has gone through different global and local turmoil in its 6 years; It was COVID-19, a 45-day war followed by unrest mainly in Yerevan, where the office is located, and in September 2023, the rush of 120,000 refugees, who left their ancestorial homes to take refuge in Armenia for fear of their lives.
During all these years, what stood out, was the unconditional support of MW Management and of course BO’s staff members’ dedication to delivering their tasks and duties without interruption. When BO’s home country faced the refugee crisis in September 2023, team BO collected warm clothing for children and the elderly, as well as personal hygiene items at the office, which were then delivered to one of the centers established by Armenia’s Travelling Doctors for collecting all sorts of aids and donations for the refugees.
It must be mentioned that BO Team Members of MW Scandinavia (Finland, Norway, and Sweden) also organized the purchasing of bedding items and other stuff for refugees, with their means, which then BO arranged delivery of those items to another organization, helping refugees: Fund of Armenian Relief.
It was in those early days of the refugee crisis when almost everyone at BO asked for charity work or an event instead of an office party in December.
This request was then taken to the MW Management, which not only approved it but also, our Director, Mr. Maurice Ward himself topped up the budget for the charity.
BO event committee members – representatives from each existing team at BO, suggested that the is divided into different charitable works: making Christmas boxes for refugee families, and purchasing computers for a border village school.
In mid-December 2023, BO’s Corporate section organized the purchase of foodstuff, chocolate, cheese, wine, and small Christmas ornaments, which staff members packed and gathered at the office to prepare 16 boxes for 16 refugee families.
Those boxes were delivered home by home by MW staff members on 27/12/2023, to a nearby village in Yerevan where many refugee families were accommodated.
The Organizing Committee at BO agreed on a suggestion received from Ani Khachatryan, a member of Team Frankfurt, to direct part of the funds available for the charity for obtaining PCs for a school in a border village. And that village was suggested to be Zedea – a mountainous village 400 km away from Yerevan with 20 km of unpaved road, which makes it very difficult to get there in winter.
BO’s corporate did the purchase of 4 desktop PCs in December 2023. However, the delivery of those PCs got delayed due to the weather conditions, as well as the roads to Zedea. Every week, we checked the 10-day weather forecast to know when to deliver those PCs to Zedea, ourselves.
Finally, when warmer days appeared and snow started melting in the mountains, we received the green light from the school’s principal about the road condition.
A team of BO staff members (Lena from the Hamburg team, Lusine from the Finland team, Nairi from Agency Relations, and Manush and Diana from the Corporate section) delivered the PCs to Zedea on the 10th of April, 2024, with some gifts that were prepared for the students.
BO delegation was blown away by the smiling faces of school children, the hospitality shown by the villagers, and of course the fresh, crispy air of the mountains…
So, a big “Thank You” to Mr. Maurice Ward and Ms. Klara Kovacikova for giving BO the joy of delivering joy. All that made 2023 a year to remember for a long time.
It must be mentioned here that MW Management did not forget its staff members at BO, and organized a small gathering for all BO employees on 25 December 2023, to gather and mark the end of 2023 and the start of 2024. After all, everyone needed a pat on the shoulder.
But of course, that small get-together in December 2023 was not the only event at BO in 2023.
BO marked its 5th anniversary in June 2023 with a fun party till midnight.
Some of the MW Country Managers were able to share their best wishes with short videos, which were put together and screened during the party, which was appreciated by everyone
Did you know?
The first ever ‘cargo only’ flight was recorded in November 1910 in the USA, using a Wright Model B aeroplane that flew 65 miles carrying a package of silk. The business owner used the pioneering transport more as a PR stunt to celebrate the opening of his store, with the bundle of silk cut into individual pieces and glued onto souvenir postcards.
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