CSI and value to society
We are able to fulfil our commitment responsible corporate
citizenship through the Telkom Foundation. The Foundation
is responsible for the implementation of Telkom’s CSI initiatives across the country. Telkom believes in going
beyond the selling of products and services to communities
by caring for their needs and investing in them as well. Our
initiatives provide sustainable development solutions to
community challenges, and in building communities for
future generations.
The initiatives implemented by the Foundation are in line with
government imperatives of Broad-Based Black Economic
Empowerment which promotes social responsibility to
previously disadvantaged communities. Through the
Foundation, Telkom is able to create awareness around
the importance of corporate social responsibility among
employees, clients, suppliers and communities at large.
Telkom is committed to the development of sustainable
programmes aimed at equipping communities with key
skills, knowledge and resources. The main objectives are
to address social inequalities and provide access to the
previously disadvantaged. Within these objectives, the core
focus areas are education, community relief programmes
(health and poverty alleviation) and strategic development
of community entrepreneurs.
FOCUS AREAS
In considering the needs of communities and government
priorities, the Telkom Foundation committed to making
a contribution to sustainable development in the
following focus areas: education, entrepreneurship, social
development, and staff volunteerism.
Socio-economic landscape
Department of Basic Education statistics revealed that the
2011 national percentages of grade 3 learners who did
not achieve the minimum scores in literacy and numeracy
were 53% and 66%, respectively. Only 30% and 34%
of students achieved a pass rate of 40% and above for
Maths and Science, respectively, in the 2011 National
Senior Certificate examination. These results signal major
challenges regarding the quality of teaching and learning
in schools.
The unemployment rate was reported at more than 20%
in 2011 with over 50% represented by 17 to 25 year
olds, including graduates. The number of people living in
need and in receipt of government grants in 2011 was
15 million out of a population of 52 million. The affected
communities also required support through community
based organisations.
Initiatives
To contribute toward the improvement in the quality of
teaching and learning, the Telkom Foundation partnered
with the Department of Basic Education, various non-profit
organisations and schools to implement learner and teacher
development programmes. Learner interventions focused on
providing extra tuition in maths, science, and literacy and
on improving access to educational resources, with a strong
focus on ICT. Teacher development focused on improving
content knowledge, pedagogics, mentorship and ICT.
The Foundation also contributed to job creation initiatives
for youth and women by providing entrepreneurial training
to unemployed youth, aspiring entrepreneurs, women
and unemployed graduates. This training and mentorship
initiative was rolled out in Gauteng, Free State and the
Northern Cape.
The Foundation contributed to social development
and health through its Social Development and Staff
Volunteerism programmes. The Foundation was able to
partner and provide funding support to organisations
working in the fields of home based care, orphans and
vulnerable children, terminal illnesses, disability, income
generation and welfare.
Spend by focus
R42 million was spent on projects during the 2013 financial
year and the breakdown per focus area is shown below:
Spend by province
The Telkom Foundation has a national footprint and the
financial contribution in each province is shown below
based on a total spend of R 42 million:
Project highlights
Education
Educator Mentorship and Development Programme
The Educator Mentorship and Development Programme
(EMDP) is a partnership between the Telkom Foundation
and the Central University of Technology (CUT) to develop,
empower and mentor educators in science, technology, english and mathematics (STEM). The EMDP consists of training and
mentorship for 25 STEM educators in three primary schools
in Mangaung in the Free State province. The EMDP utilises
retired educators to provide critical support that enhances the
quality of teaching and learning. The programme will enter its
final year in 2013 and continues to stimulate the interest of
learners in subjects and careers within the fields of ICT .
Schools Connectivity
The Telkom Foundation is in partnership with the
Department of Basic Education to enhance the quality
of teaching and learning in rural schools through the
provision of computers and interactive boards. The
Telkom Foundation has donated computers and Internet
connectivity to more than 700 schools, with more schools
being added to the list every year. In 2011, 45 schools were
provided with full computer labs and in 2012, 21 schools
were provided with full labs and more than 60 schools were
given interactive white board packages. All the schools that
have received full computer labs have also been provided
with furniture for the ICT laboratories. In addition, as of
2011, each school that has received ICT equipment has
also been offered an opportunity for training on computer
literacy for two teachers.
Partnership with Mindset Network
To maximise the use of the ICT labs, Telkom Foundation
works with its partners to provide content that is relevant
and aligned to the curriculum. As part of the schools
connectivity project, the Foundation partnered with Mindset
Network, a non-profit organisation that specialises in digital
content to install satellite dishes and digital equipment with
content to 45 schools in five provinces. The content is purely
on Maths and Science.
Multi-grades Mobile Units
The Telkom Foundation, through its partnership with
the Department of Basic Education, implemented the
ICT and Literacy Mobile Units project to assist 50 multi-grade
schools in Limpopo, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal,
Mpumalanga and North West provinces. This project
provided multi-grade classrooms with a mobile trolley
fitted with laptops, books, LCD TV, DVD and educational
materials and content.
Rally to Read
To contribute to improving literacy, the Foundation
partnered with Read Educational Trust and Bidvest in the
Rally to Read programme which provides literacy resources
and educator training to rural disadvantaged schools across
South Africa. The main target for the project is Grade R and
other Foundation grades. The Rally to Read programme has
reached over 37,000 learners. The Foundation is the sole
sponsor of the programme in the Limpopo province and
supports 14 schools in the Vhembe district, reaching more
than 10,000 learners.
National Teaching Awards
As part of its strategy around teacher development, the
Foundation partnered with the Department of Basic
Education and sponsored the 2012 National Teaching
Awards. The National Teaching Awards promote excellence
in teaching by recognising the hard work of teachers in
various categories. The National Teaching Awards had
13 categories for 2012 including the following that were
sponsored by the Foundation: Excellence in Grade R Teaching, Excellence in ICT Enhanced Teaching, Prof Kader
Asmal Lifetime Achievement Award.
Entrepreneurship Programme
Training and Mentorship
The Foundation partnered with the University of Pretoria to deliver a range of entrepreneurship training programmes to youth and women in particular. The programme has benefited 350 youth and women, unemployed graduates, entrepreneurs, and aspiring entrepreneurs in Gauteng, Free State and Northern Cape. The programme offers training and mentorship to ensure that beneficiaries establish and grow sustainable businesses that also provide employment.
Social Development
The Foundation supports organisations that work with
the disadvantaged and vulnerable communities in deep
rural areas of our country through the Social Development
programme. It has provided support of more than
R5 million within the 2013 financial year to
community-based organisations supporting needy
communities in various focus areas including: poverty
alleviation, chronic diseases, HIV/AIDS, orphaned and
vulnerable children, and people living with disabilities.
Staff Volunteerism
Adopt-A-Project
Adopt-A-Project is a voluntary programme for the senior
leadership of Telkom to participate in community
development and empowerment through the donation
of funds from the Telkom Foundation and being patrons
of deserving community development projects of their
choice. Through this programme, the senior leadership
also avail their time, skills and resources to their projects.
During the 2013 financial year, the programme contributed
approximately R3 million to more than 30 projects.
Going forward
The Telkom Foundation will continue to work with CSI and
supported projects. Visibility will be enhanced through
continued pursuit of strategic partnerships that enhance the
impact and outcomes of the Foundation’s investments. The
Foundation is repositioning itself to ensure that its projects
are designed to deliver maximum impact and transform, in
a meaningful way, the lives of the disadvantaged.
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