Group
Datatec’s Corporate Social Investment (“CSI”) endeavours are central to the Group’s belief that a good education is at the heart of a successful economy. The Datatec Educational and Technology Trust (“the Trust”) remains focused on supporting educational organisations with a specific focus on uplifting the standard and talent in the fields of mathematics, science and technology (“MST”) within underprivileged communities in South Africa. In the year under review, Datatec spent in the region of R7 million on CSI activities with a primary focus on school level intervention programmes for learners and teachers; provision of technology infrastructure; bridging course and bursaries for tertiary studies.
| CSI activities FY15 | Direct beneficiaries FY15 | Indirect beneficiaries FY15 |
| School level intervention in mathematics and science | 2 742 learners | 100 000+ learners and students benefiting from enhanced teaching across South Africa |
| Bursaries | 11 students | |
| Career guidance | 800 learners | |
| Teacher training in mathematics and science | 670 teachers | |
| Access to computer technology | 4 000+ learners, students and teachers |
| CSI activities FY15 | Direct beneficiaries FY14 | Indirect beneficiaries FY14 |
| School level intervention in mathematics and science | 2 658 learners | 100 000+ learners and students benefiting from enhanced teaching across South Africa |
| Bursaries | 10 students | |
| Career guidance | 500 learners | |
| Teacher training in mathematics and science | 445 teachers | |
| Access to computer technology | 4 500 learners, students and teachers |
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School level intervention programmes – teacher and learner development
Datatec funds a number of organisations dedicated to providing professional development to teachers and providing learners with extra tuition in mathematics and science. The primary objective of our tertiary school level intervention programmes is to improve the performance of previously disadvantaged learners in mathematics and science, thus enabling them to obtain better grades in order to study disciplines such as medicine, engineering and accounting. The FY15 beneficiaries are set out in detail below:
| Beneficiary | Purpose | Datatec’s contribution FY15 |
| AIMSSEC – partnership between the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences and University of Fort Hare | Offers a teacher training programme consisting of a three-month mathematical thinking course and a two-year Advanced Certificate in Education (“ACE”) course. | Datatec has been in partnership with AIMSSEC since 2011. During FY15 the Company funded 25 teachers of whom 24 successfully completed their two-year ACE course. |
| The Vula Programme – Hilton College’s educational outreach and community support initiative | Provides an educational service to around 90 under-resourced schools in disadvantaged communities in KwaZulu-Natal. | In 2001, Datatec donated R3 million towards the establishment of a Centre for Innovation, which meant the school could share resources, facilities and access to technology with less privileged schools in the area. In FY15, Datatec funded three ongoing projects:
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| The Kutlwanong Centre for Maths, Science and Technology – ProMaths | The Kutlwanong Centre for Maths, Science and Technology focuses on addressing the challenges that South African schools face in the teaching and learning of mathematics, science and accounting. Its objective is to assist learners to obtain decent passes (minimum C symbol) in these subjects. | Datatec has been involved with Kutlwanong since 2011, funding extra tuition in mathematics and science for 300 top performing learners from 11 partner schools in the Mdantsane area of the Eastern Cape province. In FY15, the group of 89 grade 12 students achieved a pass rate of 94% and produced a total of 15 distinctions for mathematics and science. 52 out of 89 learners obtained between 50% and 100% for mathematics; and 44 out of 89 learners achieved between 50% and 100% for physical science. 61% of this group obtained a bachelor pass, compared with the national average of 27%. Datatec has committed to funding a new group of grade 10 to 12 learners for FY16. |
| Beneficiary | Purpose | Datatec’s contribution FY15 |
| The Tomorrow Trust – NGO that supports orphaned and vulnerable youth in South Africa, providing education and holistic support | Datatec partnered with The Tomorrow Trust to support the Saturday and holiday school programme which provides academic support for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. | This support enabled 30 learners in grade 8 and 30 learners in grade 10 to receive comprehensive academic lessons in mathematics, English, natural science and computer science/computer literacy as well as providing career guidance support, leadership workshops, and psychosocial support. |
| OLICO Youth – a community-based academic support programme for township school youth with a focus on senior phase mathematics | The aim of OLICO Youth is to provide learners with a pathway into high school mathematics by bridging the gaps in foundational understanding, thereby serving as a conduit into algebra and geometry. | In FY15 Datatec funded the development of the programme and mathematics materials as well as the programme director’s annual salary. |
Siyakhula Computer School students celebrate at their graduation ceremony. |
Provision of technology infrastructure
As a leading global technology company, Datatec recognises that access to ICT is vital in a growing economy and it is the Trust’s objective to provide previously disadvantaged individuals with access to computer equipment for the purposes of education, job creation and community support.
| Beneficiary/partner | Datatec’s contribution FY15 |
| Maharishi Institute – provides financial support, access to education, skills development and personal development tools to underprivileged students in Johannesburg. Students also gain valuable work experience by earning money while working in an on-site call centre | The Trust funded an extensive computer network with 450 network points on two floors, facilitating network access in all offices for all staff and providing all students internet and email access throughout the building. In addition, the Trust bought 100 computers and assisted the institute in sourcing hundreds more. Further, the Trust purchased two servers for the call centre, headsets for staff and voice over IP phones. To ensure proper maintenance and ongoing care for the network, Datatec continues to fund training for onsite IT staff. In FY15 many students were able to “learn and earn” through the support provided by the Maharishi Institute, with 500 students using the building ten hours a day during the academic year. |
| Afrika Tikkun – works toward the transformation of South African communities by caring for vulnerable children and orphans in townships. It operates in six communities across the country, providing “Centres of Excellence”, assisting them in taking responsibility for the day-to-day activities and outreach programmes implemented in the community | The Trust has committed to upgrading Afrika Tikkun’s national ICT infrastructure, which will enable Afrika Tikkun to collate comprehensive data to accurately track the conditions of families in distress and to inform management of these social conditions on a proactive basis. In addition, this infrastructure will be utilised by members of the beneficiary communities. Africa Tikkun has structured youth development programmes to run from these media centres/computer labs to provide IT skills training and research facilities for unemployed youths. |
| Siyakhula Education Foundation – operating as the Siyakhula Computer School, provides low-cost computer literacy training to underprivileged communities in Ivory Park, Ebony Park, Diepsloot, Zandspruit and Olievenhoutbosch | Datatec has been involved with Siyakhula since 2001 when it built a community centre in Ivory Park. This was used by members of the surrounding communities for various activities, including computer literacy training through the Siyakhula Computer School. In FY15 1 328 students received computer qualifications and training through four computer training facilities in Diepsloot, Ebony Park, Ivory Park, Olievenhoutbosch and Zandspruit. Datatec funds the programme director’s salary on an annual basis. |
Bridging course and bursaries for tertiary studies
The Trust supports not only secondary but also tertiary education and is of the informed opinion that investment in mathematics and science at secondary level will grow South Africa’s talent pool of students studying engineering, medicine, science and accounting. For this reason, Datatec dedicates a portion of its CSI funding to bursaries in the field of accounting.
| Beneficiary/partner | Datatec’s contribution FY15 |
| The Thuthuka Bursary Fund – a South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (“SAICA”) initiative established to provide full bursaries to 250 to 300 black students at selected SAICA-accredited universities | Datatec has been in partnership with Thuthuka since 2011 and provides full bursaries to ten students per year for a period of three years. In FY15, Datatec funded a new group of ten students who will complete their three-year studies at the end of 2016. |
| Living Through Learning – Living Through Learning’s TEACH programme seeks to address the knowledge gap in learners from underprivileged schools who go on to study at universities. It is focused on providing full-time tuition in mathematics, science and English. In addition, the programme also addresses areas including emotional intelligence, and personal skills (in respect of computers, communication, life and studies) to ensure the students are well equipped to successfully complete their tertiary studies at a university or FET college | Datatec, in partnership with Living Through Learning, launched a pilot project in Cape Town in January 2013. 35 underprivileged students who failed to achieve any form of university entrance were selected to attend the one-year programme. Overall the students increased their pass mark by 34%. 77% of the students gained entrance into tertiary education institutions. In FY15, 76% of students received entrance into tertiary institutions which is a great achievement considering none of the students had university exemption when they joined the TEACH programme. |
Westcon
Westcon fully supports a wide variety of corporate and employee-led charitable initiatives throughout the year, offering both time and resources toward social responsibility initiatives.
In North America, several offices held local winter clothing drives as well as food and toy donations to help families during the holiday season. In Omaha, associates collected a truck full of coats, hats, shoes and gloves to deliver to Open Door Mission a week before Thanksgiving, and have continued a monthly drive for food, toiletries and other items. During the annual Connect event in Orlando, all attendees built “big and bold” structures from non-perishable food items that were then donated to Second Harvest Food Bank. The Toronto office sponsored separate drives for the Children’s Aid Society and Mississauga/Oakville Food Bank. Meanwhile, Comstor US donated US$3 500 to the Learning Together Holiday Hopes Programme, sponsoring six families financially impacted by a cancer diagnosis, and also donated US$6 000 in Cisco’s Santa Connection Programme to help children in two Washington, DC area hospitals chat with Santa Clause via videoconferencing and receive gifts.
At Tarrytown headquarters, employees supported almost 20 charities through the “Westcon Gives Back” initiative in FY15, including donations to Good Counsel Homes, to support residential care and community-based services for homeless, expectant, new mothers and their children, as well as United Cerebral Palsy, a leader in the disability community and a strong voice for individuals with disabilities and their families. Other charities supported by Tarrytown include: Alzheimer’s Awareness; Adopt-A-Family; the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre; the Fight Ebola campaign, and many more. Many employees also completed the ice bucket challenge, raising awareness and funds to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“ALS”) by challenging each other.
In EMEA, nine teams totalling 78 employees participated in a Movember Mo-Off by growing moustaches and raising thousands of Dollars for the Movember Foundation to research men’s health projects. Meanwhile, its Middle Eastern operations held fundraisers to support All as One, an organisation to help children and orphans of Sierra Leone, and the Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs in Dubai. In addition, Middle East associates organised an Iftar (an evening meal after sunset during Ramadan) for people in worker’s camps in the United Arab Emirates. Crawley, UK, employees held a charity raffle and silent auction to benefit nearby St Catherine’s Hospice. Also, Westcon Germany employees raised money for “Holzwurmhaus”, a children’s youth club in Berlin, while Comstor Spain donated several thousand Dollars to Caritas Food Bank.
Westcon’s South African offices leveraged vendor relationships to source PCs at minimal cost for the 1 450 student Kliptown Secondary School, and also donated R100 000 toward the purchase of additional computers. As part of the Comstor Cares initiative, South African associates and Cisco helped to paint a school building in Soweto and collected almost R15 000 to pay for paint and other supplies, also donating more than 400 grocery items to the school. The South African office also purchased handmade “Hope” bracelets to benefit The Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust and participated in an NGO Field of Dreams event to raise funds for a children’s centre near Hartebeespoort.
In Brazil, employees provided sponsorship for Bola pra frente, a charity started by a former soccer player that provides a number of social programmes, including nutrition, musical instruments, athletic equipment and education for more than 15 000 children around Rio De Janeiro.
In Australia, associates supported a number of charities throughout the year including the Red Cross and Cancer Council Australia, while also providing donations and raising awareness through Pink Ribbon Day for Breast Cancer, Movember and R U Okay, a suicide prevention organisation. In New Zealand, associates rallied to raise more than US$20 000 for one employee’s young daughter diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The family was able to acquire a special trained diabetic assistance dog that recognises when the owner has hypoglycemia.
Logicalis
Logicalis encourages its operating companies in every territory to create initiatives that help improve the quality of life within the local communities where they work and live.
During the 2014 holiday season, Logicalis US again donated US$55 000 to 61 charities in communities where its employees work and live, ranging from food banks and homeless shelters to healthcare research. In addition, Logicalis US encourages all employees to donate their time in their local community by allowing eight hours of paid time off annually.
Logicalis Singapore participated in a number of charity events, including the Singapore Airlines’ charity run to raise funds for the Community Chest of Singapore. It also took part in the National Kidney Foundation “WALK OF LOVE” event. Cash donations were also contributed to Club Rainbow, a charity committed to providing help to children suffering from a range of chronic and life-threatening illnesses, as well as to the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home, a private nursing home for the elderly.
Logicalis Hong Kong was one of the corporate sponsors for the “Cook for Love” charity event organised by the Hong Kong Council of Early Childhood Education and Services (“CECES”). They also donated to CECES for its English workshops, which aims to help underprivileged students with their English language skills through music, art, drama and dance.
Logicalis UK set up a programme to support the local communities and has been working with a local community partnership to provide voluntary support to help the young, elderly, people with learning difficulties and charity organisations. These activities included gardening for the elderly, decorating at local schools, and mentoring children with CV writing and interview skills.
Logicalis UK also took part in the ice bucket challenge. The event raised £200 for the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“ALS”) charity and they donated £100 to UNICEF to offset the cost of the water used.
Logicalis UK has now set up a charity committee and has agreed an annual budget which will be used to support either nominated charities or to sponsor staff in charity events. The following charities have benefited from this venture: Water Aid, St Michael’s Hospice and Child Bereavement UK, Brain Tumor Charity, JDRF – Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, The Royal Liverpool Charity, The Children’s Trust for Brain Injury, Treloar Trust, Chatterbox, Cancer Research UK, MNDA – Motor, Neurone Disease Association, The Animal Sanctuary UK, British Lung Foundation and MacMillan Cancer Research.
Logicalis UK also held their annual Christmas party in aid of cancer research and raised over £10 000 from a charity auction, raffle, and sponsorship for the event.
Logicalis Ireland supported a number of chosen charities including the National Children’s Hospital Christmas Appeal with the sponsorship of a star on the hospital Christmas tree, and the Simon Community’s Christmas fundraising event. The Simon Communities throughout Ireland provide the best possible care, accommodation and support for people experiencing homelessness and those at risk. The team also supported the Irish Cancer Society’s annual Daffodil Day with funds being raised to support nationwide cancer support initiatives.
Logicalis SMC in the Netherlands supported several charities by getting involved in community and sport events to raise awareness and money. They sponsored the ALS Foundation, the Dutch KWF Cancer Foundation and the Movember Foundation against prostate cancer.
Logicalis Channel Islands continues to provide support to the community; providing computers and IT support to the Guernsey Bereavement Centre and also to domestic abuse charity Safer; to the Guernsey Sailing Trust and their programme of getting youngsters active and on the water; to the Jersey Ladies Volleyball team supporting their programme to get teenagers active and to take up sport; to the Gorey Regatta enabling the oldest sailing event in the world to continue to operate and provide a fun competitive event for all the family; and to the Jersey Rowing Club.
Logicalis Australia supported various organisations during FY15 including R U OK Day by hosting a morning tea to raise awareness for mental health, as well as the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, to end women’s cancer by supporting staff who participated in a 60 kilometre walk. Logicalis Australia also donated sporting memorabilia to the global campaign to raise awareness for the Alfie Fund.
Logicalis Southern Cone made donations to Juvenile Centre Paso Joven and Cruz Roja, by their offices in Uruguay and Paraguay, respectively. In Argentina, Logicalis supports the Fundación Equidad, which develops several training programmes for students in disadvantaged communities. Throughout the region, there’s great support for Junior Achievement projects, which seek to awaken the entrepreneurial spirit in young students and stimulate their personal development through educational programmes.
Logicalis Andean Region has participated in the Socios Por Un Día volunteering programme, in which the Colombia and Peru offices received a young member of the Junior Achievement organisation, who had the opportunity to spend a day working in the company as administration and finance manager. Throughout the four countries in the Andean region, the first edition of the Bienestar para Todos programme introduced Logicalis Runners, a human resources-organised initiative to encourage sports activities and a healthier lifestyle among employees.
In Brazil, PromonLogicalis prioritises investments and social initiatives in projects for educational and culture areas, considering them an essential factor in the society and the country’s development. They supported projects in non-governmental organisations – such as Ação Comunitária, Casa do Zezinho, Mozarteum Brasileiro and Associação Sociedade de Cultura Artística – and their employees got involved in the Volunteer Programme, participating in Junior Achievement projects, seeking to prepare young people for the labour market and reduce school evasion. The company has started to also support the English For All programme, teaching English to children and young adults.
Consulting Services
During the year, Analysys Mason donated funds to 12 beneficiaries, including the main three listed below:
- Unicef, addressing the long-term needs of children and women in developing countries everywhere;
- The Teenage Cancer Trust, expert treatment and support for young people aged between 13 and 24 diagnosed with cancer;
- World Transplant Games organised by The World Transplant Games Federation whose purpose is to visibly demonstrate the benefits of successful organ transplantation, work to increase public awareness of its success and thereby increase organ donation rates, as well as promote the full rehabilitation and wellbeing of participants.
Mason Advisory recognises the need for a CSR policy and statement. It is management’s intent to support staff in specific fundraising efforts during the course of the year.
Throughout the year Via has made nominal contributions to organisations which support the fight against cancer, multiple sclerosis and other notable organisations. On a few occasions the company has contributed several hundred dollars to individual families in need. This year, Via employees plan to participate in community organisations such as Habitat for Humanity.