Thursday, 30 July 2015
On 1 August 2015, South Africa's largest closed medical Scheme, the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS), will invest in the future of the people of the Free State through a special Corporate Social Responsibility initiative in Wesselsbron, Monyakeng Township.
Last year, the Scheme ran a competition whereby GEMS members were asked to nominate charities for support. The winner was a non-profit organisation called Let's Empower Via Educating Society Effectively (LEVESE), nominated by Mr Raselloane Oupa Tlhone. LEVESE, which has been in operation since 2012, works to alleviate poverty and encourages pupils to attend school.
"We are pleased to have the opportunity to offer much-needed assistance to LEVESE and the community of Monyakeng Township, as we feel that education is an integral aspect of every child's life and that no child should go to school without a proper uniform and on an empty stomach," says GEMS Principal Officer, Dr Gunvant (Guni) Goolab.
"Education and future prospects, of the individual and the community, are deeply interrelated. These concepts go hand-in-hand with wellness and the prosperity of the nation, overall."
In the past two years LEVESE has rolled out educational intervention programmes to sponsor school essentials for disadvantaged pupils. In addition, LEVESE has Sectoral Leaners' Support Groups, which assist pupils with learning difficulties through providing mentorship.
This initiative, which marks the next step in GEMS' ongoing quest to promote health and wellness in underprivileged communities, will be undertaken the day after the Annual General Meeting of the Scheme, which will be hosted in Bloemfontein on 31 July 2015.
The GEMS staff and management, under the leadership of Dr Goolab, will be donating the following much-needed supplies to LEVESE:
These will go to different schools and households in the Monyakeng Township.
Furthermore, the Scheme will donate equipment, appliances, teaching aids and other essential items to the LEVESE team to enable the organisation to continue their community outreach programmes.
The GEMS team will also offer its time to engage with the children through reading exercises. They will also roll up their sleeves to help with the first gardening project by planting seeds at Ithabeleng High School.
"The sowing of seeds not only serves the practical purpose of beginning a fruitful vegetable garden that will, in time, help to nourish the pupils. It is also symbolic of an investment in South Africa's future leaders and serves as a reminder that great things can spring from humble beginnings," Dr Goolab explains.
"Through our ongoing CSI initiatives, we will continue to contribute towards better livelihoods not only of our members, but also for the communities at large," concludes Dr Goolab.
Members of the media are invited to join GEMS in sharing the spirit of "ubuntu" on 1 August 2015 at Ithabeleng High School, 1299 Boikhutso Street, Monyakeng Township, in Wesselsbron, in the Free State, at 08:30.
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