While the coronavirus may have wreaked havoc on 2020 it has also brought out the true spirit of ubuntu (I am because we are) in many Africans, offering relief where it was needed most. It’s this spirit that was recognised by grade 10 learner Tiyara Sabat from Christel House in Cape Town who sent a stirring video of thanks to Tsebo employees for the financial aid her family received at the height of the Level 5 lockdown.
Tsebo sustainably supports the Christel House School (one of its flagship CSI projects) by sponsoring the bursaries of five female learners (Tiyara is not one of the bursary recipients) through the Siyakhula initiative and the Tsebo Foundation’s flagship agricultural enterprise development initiative, which aims to provide additional financial aid to the school and create sustainable access to job opportunities for community members.
During Level 5 of lockdown the school identified 300 of its learners’ families that were at severe risk and, with the help of a donation from Tsebo’s staff, was able to provide a stipend for them to buy basic food supplies over the critical eight weeks of hard lockdown.
The donation forms part of Tsebo’s Ubuntu Initiative launched in April this year – inviting employees with the means to donate a portion of their salary with the option to support their colleagues in need or the families identified by the Christel House School. The fund was kick-started by senior Tsebo executives who donated a third of their salaries for three months.
“This is simply brilliant,” said Adri Marais, CEO Christel House. “Our students directly benefit from this so much and feedback from them has been extremely appreciative, this is really a lifeline during these times. We are also very impressed at the generosity among your staff, it says so much about your organisational culture – please convey our heartfelt thanks to them.”
