SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Kwamakhutha High School in Amzimtoti, Kwa-Zulu Natal has been without a lab since its inception over 40 years ago. Not being able to fund a new lab themselves, the schools principle decided to approach the CMH Group (Combined Motor Holdings) for assistance with building a new science lab.
CMH proudly sponsors Rotary district chairman Greg Cryer with fuel to help him carry out Rotary’s mission to achieve world understanding and peace through local as well as international humanitarian, educational and cultural programs.
CMH has been working with Training and Resources in Early Education (“TREE”) for many years. The Group’s assistance is in the form of unconditional sponsorship of two vehicles and business advice to ensure the sustainability of the organisation.
One of the motivating factors was the importance of physical science and its relevance to CMH (apprentices employed within the CMH Group are required to have a grade 12 science qualification.)
The CMH Group, keen to assist, approved the application under the project name “Adopt-a-school”. The project has been a joint effort; with a huge drive by the CMH employees who were invited to participate in the project through monthly contributions, this amount was then matched by CMH.
The CMH employees jumped at the chance to make a difference in the lives of the Kwamakhutha High School children bandied together to raise a huge amount of money to which the CMH Group duly matched, allowing for the installation of the brand new lab.
The new science lab was finalised and handed over to the school in mid-March 2015.
The Group has provided sponsorship of a vehicle (and all associated costs of maintenance, insurance, licensing, etc) to RFD since 2007. This vehicle assists the organisation in meeting its objective of fulfilling the dreams of children between the ages of 3 and 18 who have been diagnosed as having a life-threatening illness by a medical practitioner.
RFD seeks to alleviate the strain that a life-threatening illness takes on these children and their families by providing the children with the opportunity to realise their dream. RFD enriches children’s lives by making dreams come true and as a result, distracting them from the needles, medication and hospital environment. RFD offers the child a magical moment to regain their childhood that is being lost to an illness.
First Car Rental sponsors vehicles to KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) to assist them with travelling to rural parts of KZN to identify and develop promising athletes in these regions as the sport of athletics is now growing in all the District Municipalities.
First Car Rental has shown a keen interest in the youth development of athletics since 2006 when they first came on board and sponsored KZN Athletics with their first vehicle.
In 2008, First Car Rental showed its support for South African athletics by sponsoring one of SA’s top athletes, Sherwin Vries. Vries is a South African National Champion in both 100m and 200m events and was part of the team that represented South Africa in the 2007 World Champs that took place in Sweden. First Car Rental supported Vries with the vehicle to assist him whilst he prepared for the 2008 Olympics.
KwaZulu-Natal Athletics mission is to make a contribution towards Nation Building and Healing of our Land, South Africa, and the Transformation of our Society, through the Development of Athletics, from Grassroots to the highest levels of Excellence.
First Car Rental supports Teachers Without Borders – South Africa (TWBSA) by sponsoring vehicles for the duration of the projects in South Africa. This is great support for rural development.
Teachers Without Borders supports teacher leaders, worldwide, with professional development opportunities and tools that connect them with information and each other so that they may play a more vital role in their communities. They focus on teachers with initiative, who are passionate about their subjects and compassionate towards children.
The Group has provided sponsorship of a vehicle (and all associated costs of maintenance, insurance, licensing, etc) to Save the Children KZN (“SCKZN”) since 2005. SCKZN is a non-profit organisation committed to making a measurable contribution towards ensuring that the rights and needs of the children of the province of KwaZulu-Natal are met through the implementation of a range of developmental projects with the objectives of:
Offering a balanced response to short term needs and long term developmental projects in a way that will strengthen capacities to bring about lasting benefits for children. Assisting where required, to address both the root causes as well as immediate needs.
Speaking out and influencing policy and practice towards children. Maintaining a careful balance between working to be most effective in achieving influence and impact, and a special commitment to the poorest and most marginalised children.
The Group, through First Car Rental, adopts The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism.
Taking a stance against the sex tourism industry and leading the way in combating the exploitation of thousands of children, First Car Rental has signed the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism.
By signing The Code, First Car Rental has committed itself to making South Africa a safe tourist destination for children by employing the following measures:
To establish an ethical policy against commercial sexual exploitation of children.
To train and educate employees.
To introduce clauses in contracts with suppliers/service providers stating a common rejection of sexual exploitation of children.
To inform travellers by using rental agreements pouches, brochures, newsletters, ticket-slips and websites.
To provide information to local “key persons” at destinations regarding the Code of Conduct and the Company’s Policy.
To report annually on the implementation of The Code.
First Car Rental sponsors a 2009 Mazda 3 including services and mileage to M-Net for use in the Mobile Breast Check and Educational Units. Breast cancer is a national disease affecting 1 in 26 women. The mobile units transport medical staff to communities to educate rural women on the dangers of breast cancer and the value of early detection.
This is done through easy-to-understand visual material as well as teaching correct breast self-examination techniques. First Car Rental also boosted the national cause in 2009 by facilitating bra collection points at 4 of their major airport branches during the M-Net Breast Awareness Campaign.
Established in 1984, TREE is a non-profit organisation which believes that all children should have access to quality and sustainable early childhood development (ECD) so that they can develop to their full educational and personal potential.
TREE promotes ECD primarily in rural areas by training adults (mostly women) in the communities on how to provide young children with access to qualified ECD programs that promote the child’s holistic development, support, health and welfare. TREE compliments these programs with further education of the adults in the community on parenting, childcare, HIV/AIDS and self-help schemes.
TREE achieves their objectives through:
Formal, in-service, participatory ECD Core and Elective training courses at NQF (National Qualifications Framework) Level 1, 4 and 5 accredited by SAQA (South African Qualification Authority) through the ETDP SETA (Education, Training & Development Practices, Sector Education & Training Authority). These courses are run throughout KwaZulu-Natal and adjacent Eastern Cape.
Support, monitoring and assessment visits to pre-school teachers in their ECD pre-schools and crèches on a regular basis.
Working in communities with parents, caregivers, community members and organisations that impact on the lives of young children.
Producing and selling toys, educational equipment and printed resource materials.
Teaching and assisting people in communities to develop skills to make educational equipment from waste and other materials.
Indirectly providing opportunities and linkages for women’s empowerment, income generation and community development.
Networking, partnerships and cooperation with government departments at local, provincial and national levels, as well as other stakeholders, on all issues that affect young children.
Teachers Without Borders – (South Africa) has conducted 30 workshops in three provinces with 1,584 South African math and science teachers and 2,900 senior students in the past seven years. By conservative estimates, 500 000 students are benefiting from their teachers’ upgraded skills. In addition, in 2008, Teachers Without Borders set up its eighth computer lab, serving 4000 learners.