NEWS, VIEWS & OTHER INTERESTING THINGS

Grant Brown, co-MD and Chief Operating Officer of Zando, an online fashion store, has encouraged his staff to get involved in the community. Their support is already pledged to The Sunflower Fund and the World Wide Fund for Nature; this attests to Zando’s commitment to making a difference in communities and the environment.

In wanting to create an internal attitude of corporate social responsibility, feeding into core Zando values (GOING THE EXTRA MILE) employees were asked to share their time, skills, and talent by taking on a new corporate social responsibility initiative. Upon looking into where a meaningful contribution can be made, Claire Le Roux, Legal and Compliance Officer stumbled upon help2read. This was a great match because help2read supports Cecil Road Primary School, which is in close proximity to the Zando Head Office in Salt River.

Twelve employees attended the training, which equipped them with the necessary knowledge and skills to assist learners with reading, and in July, the team began their journey as Volunteer Reading Helpers with their first reading sessions at Cecil Road Primary.

At the induction to the school, some of the employees were fortunate enough to meet the learners who they will be spending the weekly half-hour with. The nervousness that had been building since the first training session transformed into excitement. The training was reported as being fun and interactive, important elements of the reading sessions they will conduct with learners.

When asked about what employees felt about the initiative, the response was: “The social need in South Africa can often be overwhelming at first glance, so finding an initiative like help2read is great because it offers us a platform for outreach. We all want to contribute to a better society, but struggle to find ways to give back. We’re very grateful to have organisations like help2read that make the connections for us.”

The volunteers have done an average of four sessions with their learners thus far and some of the teachers have already reported seeing a positive change in the learners. The volunteers are thoroughly enjoying their time spent with their learners and have indicated that they would love to stay on to assist learners beyond the time that was expected. The Zando team feel appreciated by the learners, teachers, and principal at Cecil Road Primary and love the fact that they are able to give back to the community while doing something that they enjoy.

In July, Zando celebrated Mandela Day by donating 6,7% of their sales (full price items only) generated within a 67min period from 12 to 1:07pm.

While the volunteer work that employees are able to offer is a short-term initiative, our partnership with Zando will most certainly have long-term effects. help2read is grateful to have partnered with such a dynamic group of corporate volunteers who care about literacy.