|
|
|
home > corporate profile > social investment fund >
|
Social Investment Fund
Our Approach,
Our Policy,
Our Progress,
Our Projects:
Entrepreneurship,
Education,
Health
Nedbank Namibia has a focused approach to corporate social investment, supporting projects aimed at building sustainable development in the fields of entrepreneurship, education and health.
Since 1998, the fund has invested some N$4.3 million in building sustainable self-sufficiency in projects throughout Namibia, benefiting over 6 700 Namibians.
In October 2004, Nedbank Namibia announced the N$1 million dollar project, its biggest to date. The flagship initiatives are the ZERI mushroom project, which will enhance food production and create significant income-generating opportunities, and support for the Polytechnic of Namibia’s accounting model office for small, medium and micro enterprises, to enable these businesses to grow in a sustainable manner. These and the nine other projects falling under the N$1 million project banner will directly benefit some 1 000 Namibians, many of whom are breadwinners for an average of six dependants.
Namibia’s 2001 census shows that:
- 31% of the population of 1.8 million are unemployed
- 63% of the 15-24 year group are unemployed – the seeds of another lost generation
- There are about 40 000 school leavers each year; very few find formal employment
- Namibia is 12th among the 50 countries of the world with the lowest life expectancies (44.3 years)
Our Approach
For a nation to prosper and develop, civil society needs people who are prepared, competent and enthusiastic enough to drive future economic development. Nedbank Namibia accepted this challenge many years ago.
In 1998, we formalised our approach to corporate social investment under the Social Investment Fund. From a broad-based approach in the 1990s, the fund now concentrates on projects that develop sustainable self-sufficiency and result in a positive contribution to the national economy in the fields of entrepreneurship, education and health. At all times, we favour projects where recipients will learn new skills and practices, in turn passing this knowledge on to others.
In six years, the bank has touched thousands of Namibians directly and thousands more indirectly. Every person who develops marketable skills, from subsistence farming to tertiary education, is one more who can be integrated into formal and informal job markets.
back to top
Our Policy
Although our bank has a long history of social involvement, we have adopted a formal model in being a responsible corporate citizen – aligned with the definition of sustainable development by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development:
- development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs -
Our approach is characterised by sharing expertise, as opposed to dispensing funds. By involving our own people in different ways, we demonstrate our commitment but, more importantly, develop the passion that underpins the project and builds real partnerships.
back to top
Our Progress
By forming partnerships, we learn more from every project, from every facilitating organisation we deal with. We learn from successes as much as we learn from failures. These lessons drive constant refinements to our criteria for support. These refinements, in turn, raise the probability of success and ensure that we reach our goal of building capacity.
To date, we estimate we have reached more than 6 700 citizens directly, enabling people predominantly in disadvantaged communities to earn their income with dignity, and contributing to the reduction of poverty. Clearly, the indirect benefits are harder to quantify.
Highlights of our progress include:
- Launch of a formal staff involvement programme
- Year-long sponsorship of Namibian Youthpaper –distributing educational material to schools countrywide
- Support for Ehafo Trust – furnishing four classrooms
- Over 760 Christmas gifts collected for Aids orphans countrywide – a first in Namibia
- During 2003, development loans worth N$361 000 and grants worth N$420 000 were given – a total of N$781 000
- While not all funds were spent during the year as projects materialise at different times, any available unspent funds will be carried over to the next year
back to top
Our Projects :
From national projects to regional initiatives and individual entrepreneurs, the bank reaches a broad cross-section of Namibian society. These are just some of the 90 projects we support.
Entrepreneurship
Katima Farmers’ Seed Producers’ Co-operative (KAFASEPCO)
This is a community-run seed multiplication project in the Caprivi region, focused on contributing to food security and self-sufficiency by producing suitable, quality seed and selling it to farmers at reasonable prices.
The bank’s loan has been used by the co-op as start-up capital to buy tested and approved seed from registered seed growers.
The Big Issue/The Big Step
This stepping-stone project is focused on the unemployed and socially excluded, enabling them to improve their lives by becoming street vendors, earning a commission on magazine sales.
The bank’s grant of N$55 000 was used primarily for the personal development of vendors and to improve existing vendor facilities.
Sam Nujoma Multi-Purpose Centre
Approximately 60 trainees will participate in a practical workshop on applied paper technology, giving them the skills to earn their own income by producing and selling practical items like chairs and tables.
The bank’s grant of over N$20 000 will enhance the skills and income-generating ability of 60 citizens.
Start-up business loans for women
Women from the Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA) Training Centre in Walvis Bay who had completed training in literacy, business development and handiwork successfully applied for a development loan from the bank.
With the bank’s support, unemployed women with promising business concepts can upgrade their education, obtain practical skills and become financially independent.
Tsiseb Conservancy
The conservancy, owned and managed by the local community, established a tourist centre in Uis, close to the Brandberg, to promote the Brandberg area as a popular and versatile tourist destination. Tourism-related enterprises include mountain guides and camping, crafts and artists.
The fund provided a loan to purchase their own plot where they could establish the centre.
“ . . . development divorced from its human or cultural context is growth without a soul. Development itself must be conceived in broader terms that accord a central place to culture.” – Javier Perez de Cuellar (1998)
Education
Mafuta Combined School
This school situated in north-eastern Caprivi has launched an innovative community-based skills training programme, aimed at teaching pupils traditional skills of weaving, blacksmithing, carving and more. The objective is to preserve culture and tradition, and equip school leavers with income-generating skills.
The bank’s grant of N$50 000 is being used to purchase construction materials for a training centre, which will house workshops and storage rooms for tools and materials.
Gabriel Taapopi Senior Secondary School
Situated in Ongwediwa is one of the few schools that cater for the needs of visually-impaired learners in conventional classrooms.
The bank’s grant of N$50 000 enabled the school to buy a specialised Braille copy machine, two Braille typewriters and a number of talking scientific calculators and thermometers.
Ehafo Trust
This is a Namibian organisation for people with disabilities. The trust is engaged in numerous economic activities, including the production of school furniture – surveys show that some 40 000 Namibian learners have no desks and chairs.
The bank’s grant of N$40 000 enabled the trust to produce school furniture for four needy schools, with the dual benefit of employment for its own people and providing the necessary infrastructure to enable real learning to take place.
back to top
Health
Potters’ House
This is a children’s home, caring for orphans and vulnerable children. There are currently 56 children ranging from 18 months to 15 years. The home also provides a daily meal to children whose parents cannot afford this.
The bank’s grant of N$14 000 enabled the home to buy essential office and educational equipment.
Friendly Haven
This is a shelter for abused women and children and the only one of its kind in Namibia.
The bank’s grant of N$68 000 enabled the shelter to complete and furnish an additional bedroom wing.
back to top
|
|
