Making community development part of your corporate culture

In a nutshell, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a broad term which describes a companies effort to uplift or improve society. Often companies are not sure how to get involved and small companies think they are too small to have a CSR arm. CHoiCe Trust can make it simple for you and your business and guide you to make a sustainable difference to rural communities in Limpopo.

CSR is no longer a “nice to have”, but needs to become an essential arm of any company.

As a health and development organisation, CHoiCe can provide a range of services around these areas for employees. With extensive experience working to support the development of a healthy and enabling environment on farms, the organisation is able to develop packages which suits different employer needs and work contexts. Specific services include:

• The provision of health talks on relevant health themes for groups of employees, available in all local languages
• The development and distribution of promotional materials on relevant health themes, including posters or pamphlets
• COVID rapid testing on site, conducted by a nurse, to confirm COVID-status of employees
• HIV testing and other health screenings on site, including TB and STI screening, blood pressure and blood sugar testing
• The provision of accredited First Aid trainings, which ensure compliance with Department of Labour standards and requirements. Our next course is on the 22-23 July in Tzaneen and geared towards farm workers (image below).
• The provision of key trainings to support the development of employees, including around health and development topics such as economic strengthening and financial literacy, and the establishment of Savings Clubs amongst employees for long-term impact
• Provision of basic counselling, including Trauma Release Exercises, to groups of employees
• Demonstration and distribution of condoms and the establishment of a condom distribution point

There are a few options and can be tailored to what your company is looking for. There are even financial and marketing benefits by including a CSR arm to your company. These include tax deductions:

• Tax Deductions: As a registered Public Benefit Organisation, CHoiCe is able to provide a Section 18A Certificate for any funds received by the organisation from a corporate entity. This means that companies can benefit from donating funds or items to the organisations by receiving a donated item which can be captured at its fair market value. This means that, not only is the company contributing to the sustainability of CHoiCe – an organisation working for community health and development in Limpopo since 1997 – but the company would also benefit from receiving a tax deduction from SARS for the donation provided.
• Marketing benefits: CHoiCe can provide information on what the donated funds are used for and, depending on the specifications of the company around the donations, assist in raising the public profile about the generous and socially responsible support provided by the company.

As a business owner it’s ultimately your decision and you will hopefully start making changes. As an individual in the company, you can play a pivotal role too. Start asking the questions; “How do we give back to the community that we depend on?”; “Can I start our CSR efforts?”; “Can we find out which communities need support in our area”. Once the conversation starts you’d be surprised at how willing your co-workers are to be a part of community development.

Now is the time to get involved – And remember, CSR is no longer a “nice to have”, but a necessity.