Page 60 - Integrated Annual Report

CORPORATE SOCIAL INVESTMENT (CONTINUED)
TERTIARY STUDENTS
Staying in touch with our bursary recipients
The pandemic produced enormous challenges for students studying at tertiary level, demanding a high level of maturity and self-motivation from them. We stayed in touch with our bursary students through online workshops, surveys and one to one mentoring.
Many students revealed that they were struggling with a sense of isolation and anxiety and other mental health issues. Being distanced from university also led to a lack of educational guidance and an inability to access data, as well as missed contact with peers. The interpersonal support we offered students was particularly
meaningful and important for them during this time.
Hand in hand with their own determination to succeed, a focus on resilience and problem solving led to 125 (67%) of the 203 strong 2020 student cohort successfully graduating.
The Foundation’s Graduate Development and Alumni programmes also maintained contact with ex-students during this period. To date the Foundation has placed 55 of our graduates in HCI companies and partner NGOs; of these, 13 have secured permanent employment.
COVID-19 AND FOOD SECURITY
As the devastating impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on the communities we serve became clear, the Foundation worked on a fundraising
campaign in partnership
with eMedia and with 269 partner NGOs to provide much needed food relief. 65 000 households and an estimated 260 000 individuals in extreme need were reached as a result of this campaign.
Whilst this intervention undoubtedly helped to fill a gap in the short term, we realised that a more sustainable initiative was necessary. The level of hunger in our society confirmed the urgent need for us to find ways to support communities to grow food on a small to medium scale.
As a result, the Foundation has begun working with a limited group of partner organisations in the food security field who can help us understand the issues at stake and who will be our implementation partners in this project.
This strategic vision forms the basis of a new pivotal programme in the Foundation for the next three years. At the current time we are in the implementation phase of our Sustainable Food Security Programme together with 5 implementing partners in three provinces. This is an exciting growth area for the Foundation and will be reported on in the year ahead.
58 INTEGRATED ANNUAL REPORT 2021 HOSKEN CONSOLIDATED INVESTMENTS LIMITED