"A Hand Up…Not A Hand Out"

Corporate Social Investment ("CSI") is an important strategic initiative of Octane as well as the broader Sanlam Group. We wish to fulfill an important role in enhancing our reputation as a truly South African company. Our goal is to move beyond pure philanthropic donations and have our company associated with passion for sustainable community development.

As part of the Sanlam Group, Octane has been on a "journey" of uplifting, bringing about change and interacting with our selected CSI beneficiaries. Having a presence in South Africa, Octane believes that it is important for us to complement and support Sanlam with their strategic CSI initiatives. At Octane we have set our own goals for the various grassroots projects:

• Assisting needy organizations to become self-funding projects;
• Being an integral part of the communities we support;
• Providing hope and encouragement through our initiatives.

Octane CSI Projects and Focus Areas

Octane grassroots focuses on four areas, namely education, entrepreneurship, HIV / AIDS and arts and recreation. We currently have six beneficiaries comprised of one school, three children’s homes, one HIV / AIDS project and one arts and recreation project. Our focus on education is common to all six projects and is achieved via financing towards school fees, the supply of textbooks, educational material etc. Entrepreneurship is translated in a form of educating pupils and adults on enterprising skills.

Our involvement in HIV / AIDS has been in the way of nutrition; supplying patients who are taking ARV medication with food parcels so they can have a balanced meal with their medication. Arts and recreation are tools used by one of our beneficiaries to rehabilitate street children and encourage them to use art as an outlet.

For further enquiries or details on Octane grassroots initiatives please contact:
Mandisa Mbekwa
Tel + 27 11 684 1370
mandisa@octanefund.com

Our Beneficiaries

Johweto Combined School

Johweto Combined School is located in the South of Johannesburg at Sweetwaters in Walkerville. The school caters for approximately 500 learners from Grade R to Grade 12. The school has a number of challenges but we focus on supplying the school with educational material in form of textbooks, school furniture and school administration software. In conjunction with Junior Achiever South Africa (JASA) we also offer ongoing training on Mini Enterprise Development.

Emthonjeni: Fountains of Life HIV / AIDS Project

Emthonjeni is in the same community as Johweto Combined School. The project provides counseling, home-based care and assists with micro-income schemes for HIV / AIDS infected and affected people. Recently they had 10 homes built with assistance from other funders and Octane purchased stoves and fridges for each home. The homes are for orphans in the area and are housed with children placed by the Department of Social Development. Our involvement in the project is ongoing and one of our key projects has been to provide people on ARV medication with food parcels in order to ensure a balanced meal with their medication.

Creative World

Creative World is based in Langlaagte, South of Johannesburg and recently opened a branch in Hillbrow. They focus on using art as a form of therapy for street children, to promote creative skills and thinking. They also offer a course on Early Childhood Development. In addition to financial donations, Creative World is also contracted to design and manufacture gifts, greeting cards and invitations for Octane.

Luvuyo Orphanage

Based in Soshanguve, North of Pretoria, the project caters for orphans and vulnerable children. The home accommodates 25 children and makes provision for a day care for other children in the community. Our involvement at Luvuyo has been towards financing education for the children by paying their school fees, buying uniforms and books. We also assist the home with ongoing skills training for the caregivers.

Malibongwe Mother and Child Haven

Malibongwe Mother and Child Haven, which is based in Johannesburg, serves homeless women and their children. The program offers a two-year bridge between homelessness or shelter living and permanent housing while the women receive discipleship and obtain much needed skills to become independent and maintain their own household. This program specifically targets homeless women who have the desire and motivation to get their lives back. The programs offered at Mother and Child Haven includes individual and group support, life skills, arts and crafts, education and employment support as well as children’s programs. They house a maximum of five to six families at a time. We support this project through financing the children’s education.

Home from Home

Home from Home is in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. The model for the orphanage is a house that can accommodate six children, with a house-mother. Home from Home now has seven homes in operation and is currently caring for 42 children. They also run the Lizo Nobanda Day Care Centre in Harare, Khayelitsha, providing pre-school care for three to six year olds, the majority of whom are in foster care. This facility cares for a maximum of 40 children on a daily basis. Our involvement has been to make sure that the children’s school fees are paid for annually.

Ad-hoc Sponsorship

In addition to our beneficiaries we have various ad-hoc sponsorships. Some of organizations that we have supported include, Intyatyambo Community Project in Khayelitsha, Cape Town; Mother Theresa Home in Hilbrow, Johannesburg and WH Coetzer Primary School in Rosettenville, Johannesburg.

Student Mentorship Programme
Octane provides students with the opportunity to gain experience in a formal working environment. We strive to provide students a one to three month opportunity to spend time in a working environment and to engage actively with our staff.