Advantage believes that companies need to be proactive in their interaction with disadvantaged members of our society. It is for this reason that we allocate 1.33% of our after tax profits to corporate social responsibility projects, and have a comprehensive corporate social investment programme that we deliver in partnership with the FirstRand Foundation and the National Business Initiative (NBI).
The FirstRand Foundation
is a trust which considers support for non-profit organisations and institutions working towards the development and empowerment of the broader community.
It focuses on education, job creation, skills development, primary health care, safe community initiatives, arts and culture, environment and community care projects.
Projects in which we are specifically involved include:
- Aids community support programmes
- Early childhood development
- Actuarial studies
- Programmes for the disabled
The NBI is a business coalition which focuses on the broader role of business in sustainable development and upliftment in South Africa.
The NBI´s key focus areas to which we as a member contribute include:
- Education
- Economic development
- Sustainable development
The NBI´s Sustainable Futures Unit´s (SFU) work is concerned with integrating sustainable development into the strategic processes of NBI member companies and the NBI itself. This is achieved through selected project work, partnership development between government and business and information sharing. The SFU´s project work focuses on climate change, specifically energy efficiency.
Our latest initiative is our support of Sister Glover and the Noordgesig Community Centre. Sister Glover is Soweto´s own Mother Teresa - who runs the Emmanuel Soup Kitchen in Noordgesig, Soweto.
Sister Glover is actively involved in:
- Prison visits to female inmates with children
- The Walter Sisulu Child and Youth Centre - a home for young offenders
- Feeding schemes for hungry children and adults in Noordgesig - she feeds approximately 500 people on a daily basis
- Care for abandoned babies
We also offer bursaries for the BMI (Business Mathematics and Informatics)
programme at the NorthWest University.