Blue Rock Village, soon to be Africa’s first green village, has announced its support for STBB 2Keep-a-Breast MTB Challenge.
The mountain-biking event is hosted by South Africa’s leading law firm, Smith Tabata Buchanan Boyesin, in support of CANSA. CANSA is a non-profit organisation that funds cancer research, educates the public and provides support to those affected by cancer.
I’m a huge believer in corporate social responsibility – I feel it’s an underrated business aspect that can ultimately transform individual and communal lives. So, thumbs up to all charitable African businesses like Blue Rock Village. Here’s my pick of some notable corporate social responsibility schemes:
MTN
The South African telecommunications company established the MTN Foundation in 2004. Run from Nigeria, the foundation is funded by up to 1 percent after-tax profit from MTN Nigeria. It aims to reduce poverty and foster Nigerian development under three areas: education, health and economic empowerment. “Our efforts have spurred widespread recognition of the benefits of corporate social responsibility in Nigeria”, stated Prince Julius Adelusi-Ideluyi, MTN Foundation Chairman.
FirstRand
FirstRand Foundation (ran by financial services provider FirstRand) is one of the largest corporate givers in South Africa. Founded in 1998, it has invested over 1 billion rand in corporate social investment. FirstRand contributes to HIV/AIDS interventions and education, a sector that FirstRand dub “the cornerstone of our society”. FirstRand, First National Bank, Discovery, Momentum, Rand merchant Bank and Wesbank contribute 1 percent of their after-tax profits to the foundation.
Nigerian Breweries
In 1994, Nigeria’s biggest brewing firm established an Education Trust Fund. The fund pushes educational and research activities “in an effort to encourage academic excellence in Nigeria”. Nigerian Breweries has also physically invested in local communities by building solar powered boreholes, independent street lights and bus shelters across Nigeria.
Woolworths
Retailers Woolworths formed The Woolworths Trust in 2003, and has been making a difference to South African communities ever since. According to Woolworths, “the Trust strives to make a meaningful impact in local communities by supporting programmes that improve food security, reduce child vulnerability and uplift education”. More recent initiatives include “Are You With Us?”, a collaboration with US musician Pharrell. The project asks asks customers to join the Woolworths Good Business Journey, which encourages sustainability through social cohesion, environmental awareness and advancement through education.
Safaricom
In 2003, Kenya’s Safaricom extended its ventures to create The Safaricom Foundation. To this day, its invested over 1.8 billion Kenyan shillings (approximately $21 million) in education, health, economic empowerment, the environment, arts and culture, music and sports. It has also responded to disasters and humanitarian emergencies.
This article was taken from here.