Staff from the Isle of Man office of Standard Bank recently visited a centre in Johannesburg’s Soweto township that provides a home and education for orphaned and vulnerable children.
The team of four was visiting the headquarters of the Bank, which is Africa’s largest bank by assets, to meet with colleagues and attend the International Personal Banking Indaba conference but also joined Standard Bank colleagues from offices all over Africa to spend a day at the Othandweni Family Care Centre, which provides a home to 90 children, catering for their emotional, spiritual and educational needs.
Before their visit, the Isle of Man-based staff had appealed to colleagues for unwanted toys, bedding and clothing and they received an overwhelming response. A local stationery supplier also donated writing materials. The team took bags of items with them and handed them over in person to the centre, and the bank sent further packages by courier.
One of the team, Rachel Lee, who is Head of Isle of Man Distribution for International Personal Banking, said: “Despite their difficult backgrounds, all of the children were incredibly happy and appreciative of us taking time to be with them.
“Being there in person, we could see that the donations made by Standard Bank staff and supporters were perfectly ‘on the mark’ and would most definitely be welcomed and used. We could also see that the orphanage has a strong sense of nurturing the children, ensuring they get to school and have a good chance in life. Every child had a story to tell, and they were all quite different; many bore the visible scars of their story, too”
The team also joined the children with some team-building tasks, games and building bikes for the younger children to learn to ride.
Othandweni Family Care Centre is part of Jo’Burg Child Welfare, which plays a pivotal role in child care and protection strategies across South Africa. In 2016, its dedicated team of over 200 staff and volunteers reached over 47,000 children and individuals through protection, adoption, foster care, residential care, education and training work.
Standard Bank staff in the Isle of Man support a number of African-focused projects, including Mifumi Primary School in Uganda and the Send a Cow charity. Standard Bank is also the sponsor of the Isle of Man Government’s STEP undergraduate work experience programme.
