The Ghana Rubber Estates limited (GREL) is once again organizing its annual long vacation classes for basic school pupils in the Company’s operational areas. About 5,400 pupils in its communities are participating in the programme. A visit to the participating schools revealed overwhelming numbers far above the estimate. GREL is paying for the tuition and providing logistics such as exercise books, pencils, erasers, and snacks which is provided to the pupils on Fridays. Another remarkable gesture is the payment of allowances by the company to volunteer teachers who are helping in teaching the children. The company took this noble initiative in 2006 as part of its social responsibility to help prevent child labour especially on its rubber plantation across the Western and parts of Central Regions and also to prevent the children from loitering during the vacation period. This year’s vacation classes commenced on Monday, August 5, and will end on Friday, August 23, 2013. GREL’s corporate social responsibility takes various forms- including scholarships to Senior High Schools and the tertiary level, building of schools, multi-purpose community centres, provision of toilet facilities and boreholes, and connecting some communities to the national grid amongst others. Ghana Rubber Estates Limited (GREL) started as a small private plantation established by R.T Briscoe in 1957 at Dixcove with a plantation size of 923 hectares. After going through various changes and a major rehabilitation in 1996, a French Company SIPH became a major shareholder of the company. Located in the Western Region of Ghana, the company is one the largest employers in the region and the country thus contributing to the economic empowerment of the Ghanaian populace.