Palabora Foundation impresses VIPs
2008-05-23
VIPs visiting Palabora Mining Company (PMC) and the Palabora Foundation on 22 May agreed that Ba-Phalaborwa benefits from one of the most impressive corporate social investment (CSI) programmes in the country. The visitors, all PMC copper customers, spent the afternoon visiting the Palabora Foundation’s three main centres in Namakgale and Lulekani as part of their two day visit to the town.
Some of the customers had been to Phalaborwa before as part of PMC’s annual copper customer mine tour. However, this was the first time that the mine had included a tour of the Foundation in its itinerary. Although the Foundation is partially funded by other companies and organisations, PMC was the founder and provided the initial start-up funding, and continues to provide the lion’s share of the Foundation’s donations. However, money is useless unless it is carefully utilised, and that is what sets the Palabora Foundation apart from similar organisations.
After an introductory talk and a presentation on the HIV/AIDS programme, the visitors were taken to see the training centres for masonry, carpentry, sewing, plus the new kitchen, which Food Preparation and Cooking learners had used to prepare the delicious lunch served in Leboneng’s gardens. They also saw the professional craft products at Hi-Kurile and were able to watch the materials being silk screen printed.
The unanimous response to the tour was that it was “an eye opener” and “very impressive”. Everyone interviewed was slightly awestruck by the sheer scale of the Foundation’s activities, despite only seeing part of it. One lady commented, “Just one company is helping so many communities. Just think if every company did this”. However, she continued that the Foundation’s job was made easier because the community appears “peaceful”; she wondered whether the facilities would be used properly in other parts of South Africa, where there is more tension. On leaving the classrooms at Rixile where Master Maths, TechnoKidz and PROTEC learners were quiet and industrious, another wide-eyed visitor commented, “My faith has been rekindled!”
The tour even impressed PMC staff who had joined the tour as hosts, having never visited the centres before. “I didn’t realise the programmes were so extensive. It makes me feel more impressed by the company”, said one of the hosts.
Sometimes it is easy to focus on what we don’t have rather than what we do have. The VIPs’ reaction was a great boost to everyone at the Palabora Foundation, reminding them why their work is used all over the world as an example of best-practice in CSI. As one visitor put it, “We expected to be shown a few run-down schools which had received a bit of funding, maybe a few new books. But this”, he indicated with a sweeping gesture, “... This is ownership”.
The Palabora Foundation is the Palabora Mining Company’s corporate social investment arm. The Foundation also receives funding from various organisations including Foskor, Sasol Nitro, Oxfam, SEDA, the National Development Agency and the National Lottery.
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