Corp Social Responsibility supplement

Corporate Social Investment is the right thing to do

Luvuyo Bangazi

The advent of the Covid-19 pandemic is till today the most significant event in our history that exposed the huge chasm between those who have and those with little Covid-19 lockdowns came at a time when funding for nongovernmental agencies operating in the social sector were already experiencing severe resource shortages

To make matters worse the economy is still not growing fast enough to give corporates room to move funds towards CSI but to rather keep their ships afloat It is a tough balancing act

With immediate effect businesses had to close shops for days on end no trade no income and suddenly even those who barely made it by month end couldn’t do so anymore The scramble by the Government to introduce all sorts of interventions such as the R350 grant was noble but in totality wholly inadequate

The pressure on NGOs grew overnight but the resources didn’t Entities like the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) jumped in along with the likes of Gift of the Givers The latter have been a savior to many distressed communities across the continent and beyond In Nelson Mandela Bay we not only faced Covid-19 but a debilitating drought compounded issues The effects of the pandemic are still with us and show themselves up in the level of debt unemployment business foreclosures and a growing population of homeless

In years past I was privileged to be a board member of the Community Chest of Nelson Mandela Bay and a crucial resource that links doners to where the need is great

The organisation had to pivot and adapt to a changing funding environment that was seriously under pressure The saying goes adapt or

die The new leadership there has made great strides and they survived Covid-19 and are looking in better shape

At a recent event hosted by the CC earlier this year, the issue around funding for NGOs and the new reality they face was a topic by the guest speaker

The biggest point for me was that NGOs must start thinking about how they demonstrate impact when approaching funders or partners

The need to develop measurable impact will go a long way in fostering stronger and more sustainable funding relationships Companies, and entities want to know that the investment they give will go to cover the needs, and this is an awkward reality for NGOs The need often requires a human resource, and so who funds that resource becomes the sticky issue that is not difficult to overcome

NGOs need not be burdened by such requirements Almost every metro has a university campus where social scientists are trained annually

It is critical for academic institutions to produce a body of knowledge, business models, and practices that can support NGOs in keeping their doors open

The majority of NGO’s are led by passionate community members

who might have no inclination or knowledge about the triple bottom line that corporates report on

To burden NGOs with statistical models and impact calculations is not ideal and this is where students and academics in social sciences can support

It is almost a chicken or egg situation The funder is reluctant to provide resources to entities that cannot demonstrate value to the satisfaction of funders The applicant is not able to provide such details yet the need remains

This stalemate can be overcome when both NGOs and funders approach it as a partnership The parties must meet somewhere in the middle because the needs persist Society cannot depend on government that moves at a snail’s pace Corporate South Africa must come to the rescue and support communities

It is in communities where corporate South Africa’s labour comes

HELPING EACH OTHER:

The Mandela Bay Development Agency has held several empowerment workshops for NGO’s, assisting them in developing skills to draft funding proposals and business plans The also support the community wherever the need is great

from, and not just because Corporate Social Investment is the right thing to do

We must also commend initiatives by the media to honour those who step in when others fail The Herald Citizen of the Year initiative puts a spotlight on these unsung heroes, but they need more support to carry out their amazing, and often thankless work

The MBDA has in the recent past held several empowerment work-

shops for NGO s, assisting them in developing the requisite skills to draft funding proposals and business plans

We hope to continue doing this work because the need is great We started in Helenvale and recently we were in Korsten to support young entrepreneurs and aspirant social entrepreneurs

We will continue this work in our mandate areas because we know the value it brings to society

LUVUYO BANGAZI

Woodlands Dairy: A Legacy of Community Upliftment

The Woodlands Dairy sustainability journey has been moving from strength to strength since 2012, driven by our senior management team and backed by our shareholders

The target of this journey has been minimising our impact on the environment, empowering local communities in and around Humansdorp and beyond, as well as ensuring that our internal governance is kept to the highest standard for the good of all Woodlands Dairy the home of First Choice is in full support of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) and, over the past 10 years, we have continued to show our commitment to acting on our promise of improving our sustainability efforts with these goals in mind

Our sustainability initiatives align with the Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) pillars, which helps shape our strategic thinking

Our CSI initiatives form a part of the work we do within our Social pillar, a pillar dedicated to helping and uplifting people, communities and staff through various endeavours

In 2022, we supported 20 different projects in the Kouga region that focused on helping the less fortunate These projects dedicate themselves to educating, feeding, and uplifting the most vulnerable in our communities, and Woodlands supports their efforts through various means Woodlands Dairy hosts the Woodlands Dairy annual Golf Day in aid of St Francis Hospice, which raises funds to support the terminally ill and ensure a better quality of life in their hospice care We supply monthly gro-

ceries and milk to multiple projects, including the Shekinah Soup Kitchen and Sewende Laan Soup Kitchen, and support various schools and creches, such as the Madiba Bay Crèche, Angel’s Day Care Centre, Jbay Educare Centre, and the Kate vd Merwe Creche and Pre-Primary We also support established organisations such as SA Child Welfare Humansdorp, and JoyKids International

All our CSI projects are revisited monthly in order to give accurate assessments of their needs so that we can adjust our approach if needed

Every project is reviewed annually, new applications are appraised, and final decisions are made as to their inclusion in our programme Our hands-on approach in this programme allows our dedicated team to serve these organisations and projects to their full potential

Our social endeavours also include the empowerment of individuals in our communities Our learnership programme offers unemployed young adults, 29 and younger, the opportunity to complete a production technology learnership and potentially

gain permanent employment in the dairy manufacturing industry We are proud to say we were able to take in 109 learners in 2022

We also have our leadership programme which gives our staff the opportunity to further their education and grow into leadership positions in the company In the same year, we enrolled 10 new learners in NQF4 and NQF5 courses and 20 learners participated in a leadership skills programme that can be bridged into the NQF4 qualification

In 2022, we changed our

approach to artisan development and began our apprenticeship programme, which has seen eight new apprentices join our team within the year

This has given us the opportunity to develop skills in our community and create a sustainable pool of qualified artisans in our industry

Beyond these two programmes, Woodlands Dairy has also set aside funds for bursaries in support of females from previously disadvantaged groups to study in the fields of electrical or mechanical engineering, microbiology, and finance

Woodlands Dairy visited schools across the Kouga region to inform the prospective students of this opportunity

Woodlands Dairy the home of First Choice is proud to support all these projects and individuals to create a better life for those most vulnerable in our communities and empower them to create a better future for themselves in the long term We continue to work hard in our drive towards a sustainable world

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Woodlands Dairy supports 20 different projects in the Kouga region that focuses on helping the less fortunate These projects dedicate themselves to educating, feeding, and uplifting the most vulnerable

Jendamark gives Seaview communities ‘a hand up’

After purchasing the Seaview Predator Park in October last year, Jendamark has set about transforming the renamed Seaview Private Sanctuary into a haven of environmental conservation and upliftment that extends into the communities who live on its boundaries

The Sanctuary is being redeveloped as an outdoor retreat for the automotive tech company’s employees and customers All the big cats have been rehomed, a dam constructed, and various freeranging wildlife species introduced Jendamark operations director Siegfried Lokotsch said that, while the park would not be open to the public, it was important that the wider Seaview community – including the informal settlements of New Rest and Zweledinga –benefit from the development “By investing in the park, we aim to improve the lives of both animals and people,” said Lokotsch “Creating awareness about taking care of the environ-

ment is the first step ”

Five community members have been contracted to carry out alien invasive plant clearance and maintenance activities in the park, while two more have been employed to do daily roadside litter cleanups and assist the public using the two municipal waste transfer sites in the area

Waste management

Seaview ward councillor Jason Grobbelaar said the relationship with Jendamark began in January this year when he received a call from Lokotsch about the state of the Zweledinga waste transfer site “There was illegal dumping, and the waste skip was overflowing I explained the issues that led to the problem, that it had been reported, and would be attended to I did not expect his next message: ‘Anything I can help with?’ , which is where this journey started,” said Grobbelaar

After securing the necessary permission from Nelson Mandela Bay municipal officials, Jendamark placed an ad-

SPORTING CHANCE: Young netball players in training at their new court in Zweledinga

ditional skip at each of the waste stations, as well as informational signage indicating what may or may not be dumped there

Their assistance is filling the gap, as the municipality does not develop informal settlements where they will be moved to a new location in the near future, which is the case for Zweledinga, explained Grobbelaar

It also closes the gap where the municipality battles to service the area over weekends and public holidays, or when truck breakdowns occur

A sporting chance

Residents of the two informal settlements, who number around 800 in each, are also benefitting in other ways

After Sanctuary custodian Jo-Ann Meiring noticed a

young girl pouring paint in the dirt to outline a makeshift netball court, the Jendamark team returned to lay a cement court, complete with hoops and inspirational signage Two mobile action soccer nets were also sponsored, turning it into a flexible sporting arena that is used daily

Zweledinga netball manager Jane Manisa said: We are truly grateful for the magnificent work that Jendamark has done for us

Care centres

In preparation for winter, the company responded to a request for mattresses, blankets and a heater for the Sibabalwe Daycare Centre in Zweledinga, with plans underway to support a similar project at New Rest New Rest community leader Zoliswa Mkrayi said residents were very appreciative of the interventions and positive impact so far

They built the sport field for our community, which is very beautiful, and employ-

ment opportunities decrease the number of unemployed in the area [which averages around 35%] We are looking forward to working hand in hand with Jendamark in the future Lokotsch said giving people a hand up, not a handout, was central to Jendamark s sustainable support strategy If we can create a community where we can uplift each other, and where each person thinks about their neighbour, we can build a better place for everyone

WINTER WARMTH: Jendamark staff spend time with the little ones at Sibabalwe Daycare Centre

CLEANING UP: Seaview Private Sanctuary custodian Jo-Ann Meiring (far left) and ward councillor Jason Grobbelaar (far right) inspect one of the waste stations with community representatives (second and third from left) Melumzi Mbombo and Clerence Ruiters of New Rest, and (second and third from right) Msira Barends and Vuyani Bhelwana of Zweledinga

‘ I T ’ S N O T H OW

M U C H W E G I V E , B U T H OW

M

U C H L O V E

W E P U T

I N TO G I V I N G ’

MOTHER TERESA

Let’s help make this winter warmer and spread some love by donating clothes, blankets, beanies and canned food.

Please drop your items off at The Herald Office, The Atrium Centre, 24 Ring Road, Greenacres by 30 July 2023.

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