These programmes include the Tsogo Sun Corporate Social Investment (CSI) programme, Tsogo Sun Environmental Management and Tsogo Sun Entrepreneurs. The programmes are based on Tsogo Sun's deeply entrenched strategy of integrated collaborations that complement the programmes' goals.
"It is our partnerships and collaborations that have allowed these programmes to expand their offerings and affect a larger number of participants then we could have reached on our own," says Vusi Dlamini, Tsogo Sun Group HR director.
The group's CSI programmes affect over 35,000 students, 1,000 teachers and 310 schools in under-developed communities. The programmes focus on the long term holistic development of an individual child, including life-skills, talent identification, education and leadership through the soccer, chess, learning and arts programmes.
"These activities were selected from the framework set out by the Department of Education and the Department of Sports and Recreation. The various programmes' partnerships with local government, local sporting bodies and similarly-minded organisations are created on the basis of ensuring the model's efficacy in reaching its goals," notes Dlamini.
The Absa financial literacy programme falls within this sphere. "When the opportunity to partner with Absa was presented to us, we immediately realised that the collaboration would add significant value within our CSI programme," says Shanda Paine, Tsogo Sun Group CSI manager.
"The Tsogo Sun CSI programmes seek to ultimately educate the participants to ensure well-rounded individuals capable of managing their lives and becoming contributing members of society; financial literacy is a vital component in this regard."
Absa's programme is a classroom-type educational tool, referred to as 'Bubomi', a Xhosa word meaning, 'it is life'. "In conjunction with Tsogo Sun's CSI programme, our financial literacy programme aims to create basic financial awareness and the tools to build a greater understanding for these children's futures, fulfilling both organisations' sustainability goals," says Charles Reed, head of Community Investment at Barclays Africa.
In its pilot phase, the collaboration around this financial literacy programme has reached more than 600 learners through Tsogo Sun's Arts and Soccer Academies. "The group plans to extend the collaboration to teachers, suppliers and the participants' parents through Absa's Awareness-type training, within the next year. This expansion will ensure a bigger reach, positively impacting the community as a whole," concludes Paine.
