"The company contributes towards the development and social upliftment of the Saldanha area in several ways through its foundation, which manages all our social investment programmes," comments Irvin Esau, Sea Harvest operations director and chairman of the Sea Harvest Foundation.
"Our philosophy is to build capacity and empower the communities in which we operate. Corporate companies are best placed to provide consistent support and make a real impact on regional economies. Over and above this, through our Foundation we run dedicated corporate social responsibility programmes, where education is a key focus area."
Bursaries are awarded to successful matriculants, very often from impoverished backgrounds. Over 50 bursaries were awarded in 2010 to help young learners fulfil their dream of completing their university studies. The company contributed R150 000 in 2010 and looks to continue providing this type of funding in order to help the students of South Africa. Doctors, dentists, teachers and accountants have all graduated in recent years with the help of these bursaries.
Another vital project for the foundation has been the Kids for Kids campaign, which launched in November 2010 and runs till 31 January 2011. The campaign is in partnership with the Children's Hospital Trust and aims to raise a minimum of R250 000 towards the building of a Surgical Skills Training Centre at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital. The training centre will benefit not only South Africa but Africa too as it will be the first facility of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa. Surgeons will be trained in endoscopic (minimally invasive) surgery in a virtual environment.
"We believe that good health along with education make up the foundations and pillars of a strong nation and we strive to continually do our bit in helping South Africa achieve this," concludes Esau.
