Social responsibility

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A Union with heart

The PSA, as an organisation serving people, realises that it has a significant role to play in respect of social responsibility activities and a section has been established to address such needs. The PSA, as part of its focus on social responsibility (SR) activities, annually nominates exceptionally needy communities, local welfare and charitable organisations as beneficiaries of donations.   

Food gardens

The PSA’s search for sustainable, self-empowering social responsibility projects with long-term benefits for a broader target group resulted in a joint venture with the Food Gardens Foundation (FGF). The FGF is a non-governmental organisation, established in 1977 as a socio-economic project to teach people to help themselves by growing essential food according to sustainable organic principles.

Lapdesks

Lapdesks are a practical solution to the situation in many schools in South Africa without formal classrooms and desks. The PSA, with the assistance of shop stewards, have in a joint venture with one of its business partners, distributed thousands of lapdesks to learners, mostly in rural areas.

PSA care bears

 The PSA’s care bears, distributed to children’s wards and police stations, have brought joy to many children who are victims of traumatic incidents.  

School desks

 The PSA supplied school desks to rural schools that are hampered by a lack of infrastructure. These durable desks are made of recycled plastic that is weather resistant for more than 60 years – making them ideal for schools without classrooms. Vlakpan Primary School near Licthtenburg in North West and Sekgopo Primary Skool at Ga-Sekgopo in Limpopo each received 25 desks, which have been hailed as most suitable for their environment.

Structures

 The PSA stepped in to address the severe shortage of classrooms to support quality teaching and learning by donating pre-manufactured buildings to schools. The first structure was handed over to Vlakpan Primary School in North West in February 2011. The second school to benefit was Qumra Junior Secondary School in the Eastern Cape.

Vending trolleys

The PSA supports job creation and entrepreneurs and in 2009 launched a project to empower registered hawkers by providing them with custom-made trolley to sell their goods. Food vendors in North West, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Limpopo and Gauteng as well as a shoe repair business in Gauteng have benefitted from the project.

Warming lives

Blanket distribution This seasonal project, backed by staff and member donations, sees the distribution of hundreds of blankets to identified beneficiaries at the start of winter.