Making a difference differently, this Mandela Month

For the last three years, the DBSA team in collaboration with Rise Against Hunger packed meals for distribution to non-grant receiving Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDs) in the community around its Midrand, Johannesburg campus. While this year, the team could not physically do that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they were not deterred and through its CSI Programme, made a R500,000 donation to Rise Against Hunger to facilitate similar provision. The donation amounts to 150,000 meals, which will feed 578 children, five meals a week for the entire year. In addition to this initiative, the DBSA in partnership with Partners for Possibility, identified 130 vulnerable families in beneficiary schools in Tembisa, Olievenhoutbosch and Mooiplaas who will receive food assistance.

DBSA’s Mandela Month outreach also included health and hygiene support in schools in Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and North West. The CSI Programme facilitated the sourcing and delivery of hand washing stations for sanitization at Fred Habedi and O. R. Tambo Primary Schools in Gauteng, Madonela Primary School and Mjindi High School in KwaZulu Natal and Lifika-Namo Early Childhood Development Centre in North West. Each school received water stations and soap dispensers which will make a difference in the fight against Covid-19.

Health and hygiene support was extended to Madonela Clinic in uMhlabuyalingana municipality in KwaZulu Natal. Eight water stations and eight soap dispensers with shelter and gutters leading to two big water tanks were made available to help the community in its fight against Covid-19.

About the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA):

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is a leading development finance institution (DFI) in Africa. Established in 1983, the DBSA participates across the entire infrastructure value chain and provides planning, project preparation, financing, and implementation support for economic and social infrastructure in South Africa, SADC and the rest of the African Continent. The institution’s mission is to improve people’s lives, boost economic growth and promote regional integration through infrastructure development. For more information, visit www.dbsa.org