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Children at the Heartbeat Emthanjeni
project in Mpumalanga receive new
clothing

csi - what’s already been done

csi – what we’re doing

surplus food and clothing donations

Woolworths is committed to using its surplus products to help ease the burden of poverty in South Africa. Each year, Woolworths gives away millions of Rands’ worth of its clothes and surplus food to underprivileged South Africans. The food is surplus that is past its “Sell-By” date but before its “Best Before” and “Use By” dates.

Most surplus food and some surplus clothing is distributed by Woolworths stores to local charities of their choice.

R239m worth of goods was donated by Woolworths to needy charities in 2008 (2007: R183m). Note: These figures represent the cost to company, not the retail price of the items.

The Woolworths Trust has four defined focus areas:

food security in schools

Through our major sponsorship of the Woolworths Trust EduPlant we assist South African schools in developing permaculture food gardens. 2 400 schools have benefited on an annual basis from the Woolworths Trust EduPlant programme, co-ordinated by Food and Trees for Africa. This is the Trust’s flagship education initiative and provides sustainable food security through food gardens to school communities. The project currently receives in excess of R2 million a year from the Woolworths Trust.

• Through the Woolworths Trust EduPlant programme, schools develop food gardens using permaculture techniques. In harmony with nature, EduPlant schools grow vegetables, fruit, herbs and medicinal plants. These schools provide food for hungry school children; and
• through their participation in Woolworths Trust EduPlant, thousands of schools across the country have become champions of community development; promoting food security, improved nutrition and self-reliance.

improving education

Through MySchool and Making the Difference through Design and Making the Difference through Nutrition, Woolworths contributes to the improvement of education in South African schools.

We’ve contributed more than R72m in five years to MySchool on behalf of our customers. In 2008 alone we contributed R24.5m to the MySchool programme (2007: R19.6m) through 575 000 active MySchool supporters. The contributions have supported more than 10 000 schools, many in impoverished areas around the country.

Also in 2007/8 we expanded the successful initiative to two new projects: MyVillage and MyPlanet, which support selected charities and environmental organisations – such as the Amy Biehl Foundation, South African National Council for the Blind, I Care, the National Horse Trust and The Wildlife Foundation, among others.

1 900 schools are benefiting from Woolworths Making the Difference through Nutrition or Design school initiatives. In 2008 Woolworths extended the Making the Difference programme to include education on the environment and sustainable development.

orphaned and vulnerable children

The Woolworths Trust is committed to playing a role in the national effort to support orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa. We believe in strengthening families, communities and school communities so that they are better able to care for them.

The Woolworths Trust partners with Heartbeat to promote and enable community care for orphaned and vulnerable children. 3 000 orphaned and vulnerable children are able to stay in their own communities as a result of Heartbeat.

staff giving

Woolworths stores are encouraged to support social development projects, schools and charities in their local communities. The Woolworths Trust matches the funds raised by stores with contributions of up to R4 000 per store per year. In addition, stores have their own community giving programmes distributing surplus food and clothes to local charities.

• In 2008 R116 457 in matching funds was donated (2007: R166 865); and
  
• R182 489 was raised by stores and business units.
  
  Woolworths also encourages and supports employees who are involved in meeting social challenges in their communities. In 2007, the Woolworths Trust launched Working Wonders, an employee recognition programme for community work.
  

where we’re going

• Make a total contribution to social investment needs in excess of R300m per year by 2012;
  
• continue with EduPlant but also launch the Mentoring Schools category in the competition whereby schools with a number of years’ experience partner with new EduPlant schools – broadening the EduPlant programme and forming closer links between CSI and enterprise development opportunities;
  
• Heartbeat – focus on the development of our flagship project in KwaZulu-Natal – the Heartbeat learning centre (virtual centre) which will provide mentoring and support to other NGOs that want to be trained on the Heartbeat model of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children Care;
  
• look at ways to reach out to more communities through our store community interventions (matching funds); and
  
• investigate alternative models, including an enterprise development initiative, to distribute our surplus food and clothing.