Empowering women has long-term positive socioeconomic impacts, making women’s empowerment, career development and mentorship programmes a compelling narrative for companies . However, great disparities still exist both globally and locally.
In order to start to address this challenge, Tsebo Solutions Group, the leading provider of facilities management solutions across Africa and the Middle East, established a Women’s Trust namedthe Tirhani Trust. The trust contributes towards advancing the development of women in South Africa. By funding beneficiary partners, Tsebo Solutions Group contributes towards small women owned businesses and upskills women across South Africa to be activeparticipants in the prosperity and growth of the economy.
“The participation of women in the economy is essential and at Tsebo we embrace our female stakeholders, where woman make up more than half our employees, more than half our management and representalmost half the ownership of the group. Diversity and the true inclusion of woman is critical in building stronger economies, achieving positive development and sustainability, and improving the quality of life for women, their families and their communities,” explains Clive Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Tsebo Solutions Group.
One of the organisations supported by the Tirhani Women’s Trust, The National Movement of Rural Women (NMRW) is a non-profit organisation founded in South Africa in 1990. The NMRW was set up withthe purpose of providing rural women in South Africa with a voice. The NMRW seeks to increase women’s participation in village meetings or lekgotlas, meet with the government on issues pertaining to women’s interests and upliftment in rural communities, andchange oppressive traditions that are still very prevalent in many communities across Africa today.
Furthermore, Tsebo Solutions Group has pledged it support to the DreamGirls Academy, an organisation that focuses on empowering and mentoring teen girls in the areas of life design, goal settingand financial planning, career and entrepreneurship guidance, tertiary education options and study aid, leadership and active citizenship and finally, women’s wellness. Through this partnership, Tsebo Solutions Group in partnership with DreamGirls seeks todrive education amongst young female learners and actively support the upliftment and empowerment of young women through education by launching the DreamGirls Bursary Fund which saw three tertiary education bursaries awarded to students for 2018.
Tsebo realises that tackling poverty and achieving positive impact in community development and transformation can only be achieved when the untapped potential of women in their ability to improvesocial-ills is recognised and supported.
“Although great strides have been made, many women remain marginalised in various areas of society. Tsebo Solutions Group is actively working to change this by creating opportunities that empowerwomen to be leaders and decision makers,” concludes Clive.
References:
1 https://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-opinion/soapbox/investing-in-women-is-key-to-sa-socio-economic-development/
About Clive Smith
An accountant by trade with an eye for identifying and unlocking multi-level complex strategic opportunities, Clive Smith has mastered the ability to build focused performing teams in large distributed businesses.
With his strong financial background, Clive has held leadership positions across the Tsebo Group that has spanned over the last 25 years, including time as CEO of Drake and Scull, a global industry leader delivering state-of-the-art projectsand solutions across various high-performance sectors. Clive also served as CEO of Fedics, the catering division of Tsebo Solutions Group.
About Tsebo Solutions Group
Tsebo Solutions Group enables businesses in Africa to optimise their efficiency and productivity, and become more successful. The group takes responsibility for non-core activities outside of its expertise, enabling them to focus on theircore. When Tsebo optimise non-core operations, clients enjoy reduced costs, risk and complexity, and increased quality, efficiency and productivity. Tsebo is unique. The Group is the only Pan-African service provider that offers clients the combined benefitsof African expertise and global standards.
For more information visit: http://www.tsebo.com/
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