The strategic focus of Air Products’ Corporate Social Investment (CSI) is on the youth and education, as well as to give back to the communities in which they operate.
The CSI committee encourages employees to nominate entities in the communities where they work and live, who need assistance. The Odin Park Primary School in Ennerdale, which is close to the company’s flagship facility in Vanderbijlpark, was nominated by an employee, Byron Ah Tow, who attended this school as a learner some years ago.
The pre-primary school was initially included as part of the WitnessHappiness initiative, which focuses on early childhood development centres (ECDs) for a period of three years.
During this time, Air Products provided learning aids for learners and teachers, with a specific focus on maths and science.
The primary school needed infrastructure developments, and Air Products committed to fund a few projects. Sixteen wash stations were built at the school to provide learners with access to clean water. To address the ongoing frustration of water outages in the area, and not having water to drink or flush toilets, Air Products donated a JoJo tank, which will assist in overcoming this difficult situation. A vegetable garden was also created for the school, and the vegetables will be used as part of the school’s feeding scheme.
During a recent event to celebrate the relationship with Odin Park Primary School, Air Products’ MD Charles Dos Santos, told the teachers that they should never underestimate the role that they play in shaping the lives of learners and they will be remembered for years to come.
Arthi Govender, Chairperson of the CSI Committee, mentioned that Odin Park Primary School, like most other government schools in the country need to accommodate learners from impoverished surrounding areas whose parents are not in a position to pay school fees. As a result, schools are faced with having to maintain the infrastructure, which is costly, and a difficult task for schools. She concluded by commenting that Air Products strives to make a difference to learners, teachers, and the community at large and encouraged them to look after the donations they have received.
In addition to the event where Odin Park teachers, members of the governing body, Air Products executives and other employees attended, the learners were not left behind. More than 1 000 learners were treated with lunch packs to join in the celebrations.
Odin Park Primary School principal, Mr Rickets, highlighted the importance of donations from companies such as Air Products and expressed their appreciation for the long-term assistance they received. He also thanked the company for embracing nominations from employees such as Byron Ah Tow, which has brought new hope and excitement to the school.
