In society
The BP story began in Persia, which was a fabled place. But the realities of Persia in the early 1900s included widespread poverty and epidemics. The company soon decided that it should try to help its Persian employees and their neighbours achieve a better quality of life.
Housing, recreation and medical care
In 1907 a British doctor, Morris Young, joined the exploration team in Persia as its physician. But he also found that he couldn’t ignore the poor health he saw in the surrounding communities.Dr Young opened a small clinic where he welcomed both local people and those who, like him, were employed by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, which would later become BP. The clinic soon expanded into a full-fledged hospital, and another opened at Abadan.
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After successfully treating the son of a Bakhtiari Khan, Dr Young became a hero in Persia, renowned both for his medical and his diplomatic skills. He would later act heroically in England as well, as part of the team that developed a vaccine from penicillin. And he retained the position of medical advisor to the company long after his retirement.
During these early years, the company also built homes and recreational centres. In Wales in 1921 a 100-home garden suburb went up adjacent to the Llandarcy refinery. In Iran, as Persia became known, some 21,000 homes went up between 1936 and 1950.
During these early years, the company also built homes and recreational centres. In Wales in 1921 a 100-home garden suburb went up adjacent to the Llandarcy refinery. In Iran, as Persia became known, some 21,000 homes went up between 1936 and 1950.
Medical programme - BTC community investment
In South Africa in the 1980s, for example, BP funded a student health facility at the University of Cape Town and computer equipment for child health clinics around the city. In Colombia, where oil fields were discovered in remote places, BP built a childhood and youth centre with health, nutrition, recreation and sporting facilities.
These new buildings looked different depending on the place and time, of course, but one principle underpinned them all. In addition to building refineries and offices in the places where it did business, BP also wanted to help build a healthy, stable society.
BP learns the joy of encouraging education
Early in its development as a company, BP learned the value of education to the societies it operated within. In Iran in the 1930s, the company set up a training programme to help Iranian workers move into more skilled roles.
Some employees went to the UK for vocational training, and others studied at a new technical institute, which opened at Abadan in 1939.
A BP funded school in Angola
Education became a signature cause for BP in the second half of the 20th century. In 1968 a programme called BP Schools Link launched in Britain. The idea was that by meeting BP experts in the classroom or on visits to BP facilities, children might get excited about studying science and engineering. They might even one day lend their knowledge to BP.
In South Africa in 1975 the BP Education Trust started awarding bursaries and scholarships to students who wanted to study but might not be able to afford it otherwise.
And the BP Schools Link approach, which brought together BP’s knowledge about energy with students’ curiosity about the world, spread to many of the countries where BP did business.
And the BP Schools Link approach, which brought together BP’s knowledge about energy with students’ curiosity about the world, spread to many of the countries where BP did business.
Related links
Take a look at BP's current activities in communities in which we operate
