CSI aligned to national events - Food packing helps the DBSA family celebrate Mandela day
The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) aims to provide meals to learners in need. Adequate nutrition is essential for children to be able to take part in mental and physical activities at school.
The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) aims to provide meals to learners in need. Adequate nutrition is essential for children to be able to take part in mental and physical activities at school. The NSNP has played a vital role in addressing issues around nutrition, hunger and food security for almost 20 years and forms part of South Africa’s integrated food security strategy. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown has highlighted the importance of the programme since many children do not have access to adequate food when they are unable to attend school.
The DBSA partners with Rise Against Hunger, an international hunger relief non-profit organisation that distributes food and aid to the world’s most vulnerable, mobilising the necessary resources to end hunger by 2030, in line with the SDGs. The objective of the initiative is to provide food to development programmes such as school lunch programmes and early childhood development programmes. The DBSA sponsors the assembly processes that combine rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables and a micronutrient flavouring mix formulated by the Kraft Heinz company foundation that includes 20 essential vitamins and minerals. Through this initiative, the DBSA enhances its Education and Health sector focus areas.
- Employee engagement - the DBSA employees look forward to what they term an effective team building and employee engagement session through participation in a motivational, team cohesion day where employees at all levels – executives to cleaners - participate together at an equal level in an act of kindness that benefits the needy kind in non-government funded Early childhood Development Centres.
- Embracing Team DBSA families – many of the DBSA staff welcome the opportunity to bring their family members, including children who were on school holiday and who wanted to contribute to Mandela Day by participating in the food packing for a greater cause.
- Extending and enhancing the key employee volunteerism programme – Learners from OR Tambo and Fred Habedi primary schools, two schools supported by the DBSA through other CSI programmes were brought to the DBSA’s premises to volunteer and learn about the food assembly process.
- Learner motivation and exposure - Many of the children had never travelled outside of their neighbourhoods and were excited to take part in this process. The learners had a fun-filled day of learning and are eager to participate again. At the learner’s request, the Bank provided learners with another opportunity to join an open day where public volunteers also packed food packets at the Rise Against Hunger premises.
The DBSA staff volunteerism programme provides an opportunity for staff to donate their time and energy by packing food packets in celebration of South Africa’s first democratic president during July as part of Mandela month celebrations. In 2019, the Bank sponsored and packed 150 000 meals, which could feed 578 children five meals a week for the entire year. Our beneficiaries for this year included our partner schools, OR Tambo and Fred Habedi primary schools as well as our three adopted ECD centres in Tembisa, which are not subsidised by government. The food packing event with its festivities is welcomed by the DBSA team as it contributes to team building and employee engagement.
engagement.
Team DBSA families.
and enhancing the key employee volunteerism programme.
motivation and exposure.