SSI is intensifying its Corporate Social Investment (CSI) programme by making it an integral part of our company’s operations. As a result, CSI at SSI is growing and becoming a key component of our business strategy. SSI’s commitment to the community flows from a dedication to contribute positively to the development and growth of all our stakeholders.
CSI highlights
NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION WEEK 2006
National Construction Week 2006, an initiative of the Department of Public Works, is a nationwide awareness campaign to promote the image and profile of the construction sector, to give young learners the opportunity to experience a wide range of exciting opportunities available in today’s built environment and construction sector.
The event was held from 27 July 2006 to 3 August 2006 and involved hundreds of events hosted country-wide by government infrastructure departments, academic institutions and the private sector. Events included site and office visits conducted by the private sector, “open days” by academic institutions, hands-on demonstrations of construction skills, organising national construction-related competitions, and many more.
SSI hosted 20 maths and science students from Mom secondary school in Duduza. The children arrived at our headquarters at 8am and were presented with branded T-shirts and caps, shown around our offices and then treated to breakfast. Our CEO, Naren Bhojaram, then gave the kids a motivational speech, telling them all about the construction industry, SSI, and the reasons why working in the industry — especially in engineering — was an exciting, important and valid career path.
Pauline Makama, SSI Public Relations Officer, then took the children to a site at the Johannesburg International Airport, where the kids saw for themselves what an actual engineering and construction site looked like. This was followed by lunch at the airport’s International Arrivals point, and a return to the site. The kids had an entertaining and educational day, and we hope that we’ll meet some of them in the near future — perhaps even on our staff.
Caption for National Construction Week 2006:
SSI CEO Naren Bhojaram with a group of maths and science students from Mom secondary school in Duduza, during National Construction Week 2006
SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES
On 8 February 2006, SSI and SOS Children’s Villages in South Africa signed a memorandum of agreement, according to which SSI will provide SOS Children’s Villages professional services to the value of R150 000 per year for three years, from January 2006 to December 2008. This is in line with our Corporate Social Investment Strategy.
(Left to right) Naren Bhojaram (SSI CEO), Linda Thompson (Fund Development Manager, SOS) and, also from SSI, Pauline Makama (PRO), Nthabi Manchidi (Training Manager) and James Chimpelo (Group Manager, Marketing and Communications) outside the SOS Children’s Village in Ennerdale, near Johannesburg.
TAKE A GIRL CHILD TO WORK
SSI recently took the opportunity presented by Cell C’s ‘Take a Girl Child to Work Day’ to encourage girls to consider engineering as their chosen career. SSI is proud to be associated with the initiative and was involved for the third year running in 2006.
SSI, a member of the South African Association of Consulting Engineers, is actively involved in various skills development initiatives to help alleviate the county’s current skills shortage, which is so vital in order to facilitate the government’s massive infrastructure rollout. Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has stated that the eradication of the skills shortage is the government’s first priority, but even she admits that the government is not moving fast enough in this regard.
Pauline Makama, SSI PRO, was proud to facilitate the participation in the initiative of SSI’s Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Pretoria, Pietermaritzburg and Sandton offices, where each branch hosted twenty high school girls in their province.
The girls arrived at each office at 8:00am and heard various presentations. They then enjoyed breakfast, before being taken on tours to SSI projects. The tours exposed the girls to the practical side of engineering and how SSI goes about its business. All staff members participated in making the day a success by giving the kids a very warm welcome and making them all feel at home.
Caption for Take a girl child to work:
The girls were exposed to the practical side of engineering during tours to SSI projects.
USIZO SCHOOLS DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE
SSI’s next major CSI undertaking will be the Usizo Schools Development Initiative (USDI). This initiative embraces a range of projects, from renovation of school buildings and premises, to giving career guidance to school learners. These previously disadvantaged schools desperately need various forms of assistance and SSI will assist in whatever way our resources permit.
