ITHEMBELIHLE LSEN SCHOOL Voith Turbo won the Best Corporate Social Responsibility Programme of the Year award at the Seifsa Awards for Excellence for its work at the school
A holistic understanding of the needs of the Ithembelihle Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSen) School, in Primrose, Johannesburg, helped power transmission specialist Voith Turbo secure the Best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programme of the Year award at the inaugural Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) Awards for Excellence.
South African conservation organisation Endangered Wildlife Trust CEO and one of the judges of the CSR category, Yolan Friedmann, notes that Voith Turbo had a long-term vision to help and sustain the school, having been involved in CSR initiatives at the school since 2011. The school specialises in the education of learners with physical disabilities such as muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, cerebral palsy and amputees.
She points out that the winner provided a range of services, such as improving medical support by sponsoring medical supplies and weekly visits from medical professionals.
Voith Turbo also donated training support equipment, such as computers and printers, and also created management development programmes to improve the skills of learners. Teachers also received additional training and are assessed based on the performance of the learners.
“Monitoring and evaluating the impact of Voith are important and therefore the company continues to monitor whether its involvement in the school is making a positive difference to the learners and teachers,” Friedmann highlights.
The company also helped improve the sustainability of the school through several interventions, such as alternative waste disposal strategies and planting a vegetable garden to provide fresh produce for learners.
“Voith Turbo has made a significant difference in an area where I believe there is insufficient funding and support, which is the disabled community. They chose a cause that has the greatest need and have developed a relationship with Ithembelihle LSen School. Voith must keep pushing forward and I sincerely hope they continue to support the school for many years to come,” Friedmann comments.
Five companies entered the CSR category of the Seifsa Awards for Excellence, which was held at a gala dinner during the first day of the inaugural Metals and Engineering Indaba, held in Johannesburg from May 28 to May 29.
Judging criteria for the Best CSR Programme of the Year category included celebrating the way in which organisations showed their corporate values through a range of social impact initiatives and how the private sector addressed social challenges and improved the communities in which companies want to operate.
The criteria also recognised initiatives that successfully achieved a social impact through partnership, investment, pro bono work or employee-led initiatives, and required evidence where organisations have embedded their principles into and aligned them with commercial objectives and achieved a positive and lasting impact on the community.
Entrants were assessed on the level of staff engagement and development, the value they added to the community and/or social cause, and effective leadership and management involvement in the community and/or social cause.