Winner — Company Partnership Award: Absa Early Childhood Development Awards
‘Social partnerships are the cornerstones of successful and sustainable programmes,” says Mihloti Mathye, the general manager of Absa’s corporate social investment division.
The proof is to be found in the South African Early Childhood Development (ECD) awards programme, which has seen Absa form strategic partnerships with several organisations. It is a capacity-building, training and competition project in the ECD sector, launched by Absa in 2003 and expanded on a national level in 2006.
Absa is the primary sponsor of the project — spending R11.4-million since 2006 — and provides national infrastructure to run the awards, as well as logistical, marketing and communications support. It has recruited partners to help build awareness about ECD services, encourage innovation and excellence, strengthen capacity and improve caregiver skills, Mathye says.
“Tough economic conditions have called for CSI [corporate social investment] practitioners to generate greater awareness with fewer funds,” she says.
Partnerships with SABC Education and the Sowetan Aggrey Klaaste Nation Building Foundation have helped raise awareness, and a recent alliance with the Jim Joel Fund has introduced a database of training and support organisations Other project partners include the South African Congress for Early Childhood Development , the United Nations Children’s Fund and the departments of basic education and social development.
“Absa’s partnerships are based on an agreement relating to resource commitments for the duration of the year. The agreement outlines how partners will contribute and participate in nomination and outreach, training, provincial and national adjudication and event support.
“Winners do not simply receive cheques. The whole project is geared towards encouraging ECD centres to be registered and to apply best practice in the physical, cognitive, emotional and spiritual development of children,” Mathye says.
It produced the Handbook on Best Practice for ECD Managers, Practitioners, Assistants and Volunteers, which was used to train more than 250 ECD practitioners by July 2010. The project also assists ECD centres to achieve financial sustainability.
The Investing in the Future judging panel praised the broad reach and the creativity of the project. Its strong partnerships support benef iciaries of ten overlooked by society, they said.
“Company partnerships in the CSI context are good only if the parties involved are learning from and benefiting one another. This is happening with the ECD project,” the judges said.