Absa packs 116 000 meals during Mandela Month campaign

While Mandela Day has passed, Absa says its Mandela Month activities are continuing throughout July, with thousands of colleagues across Africa taking part in volunteer initiatives focused on food security, education, skills development, financial inclusion, health awareness and environmental conservation.

One of the South African initiatives is a nationwide food-packing campaign in partnership with Rise Against Hunger. Across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and the Free State, Absa volunteers will pack more than 116 000 nutritious meals.

Picture: Supplied

According to Absa, the meals are enough to provide at least 500 children with five meals a week for an entire year.

Partnership supports education

As part of its Mandela Month programme, Absa is also partnering with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Legacy Ride4Hope, an initiative that raises funds to improve foundation-phase education and expand access to better learning environments for children.

Now in its eighth year, the initiative has evolved from providing school uniforms, food parcels and classroom furnishings to supporting education infrastructure through the #Classrooms4Hope programme.

Picture: Supplied

This year’s Ride4Hope will cover approximately 550 kilometres from Maputo, Mozambique, to the Nelson Mandela Capture Site in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal.

Absa said it will contribute R400 for every kilometre ridden, with the funds supporting additional #Classrooms4Hope projects.

Volunteer projects across Africa

Outside South Africa, Absa colleagues are participating in community initiatives tailored to local needs.

In Zambia, activities include Ready to Work employability workshops, a youth career fair, financial literacy education, a radio awareness campaign, tree-planting initiatives and the donation of nutrition and care packages.

In Mauritius, colleagues are supporting colon cancer awareness programmes, prostate cancer screenings, breast and cervical cancer awareness campaigns, and the refurbishment of a community learning centre.

In Seychelles, volunteers are taking part in coral reef restoration initiatives, supporting animal welfare programmes and providing financial literacy education to secondary school learners.

The programme also includes leadership role-modelling and skills-based volunteering, with Absa executives engaging beneficiaries from the Absa Fellowship and entrepreneurship development programmes through mentoring, shadowing opportunities and masterclasses.

“Our responsibility extends far beyond banking. This Force for Good Month, we’re celebrating the impact and the people who make it possible. Follow the journey as we shine a light on the stories and initiatives creating meaningful change across Africa.

“Every act of service both in this month and beyond helps build the legacy we want to leave behind. Because empowering Africa’s tomorrow starts with the small acts of good we choose every day,” said Setlogane Manchidi, Managing Executive: Corporate Citizenship at Absa.

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