Anglo American’s dedicated Corporate Social Investment (CSI) arm, the Chairman’s Fund, is helping to educate and empower young people in South Africa through its support of holistic youth arts development programme, Field Band Foundation. The Field Band Foundation was founded in 1997 and teaches life skills through the mastering of art forms such as music and dance.
Since 2010, the Chairman’s Fund has supported the Foundation with over R6 million in grants. In 2013, two grants of R475 000 each were approved towards the operational costs of the Thabazimbi (Limpopo) and Kuruman (Northern Cape) bands. Each band supports up to 250 learners from neighbouring communities.
The funding also supports an HIV/AIDS programme and life skills training which is offered to each member in each band. These costs incorporate sending each student to the foundation’s academy and each band’s leadership to the National Academy Workshop.
Retha Cilliers, CEO of the Field Band Foundation, notes that the Chairman’s Fund support has had a significant impact on the organisation’s reach.
"The continued support provided by Anglo American has made it possible for the projects developed by our foundation to achieve sustained successes, and allows us to positively impact many communities around the country.
"They have been involved in so many aspects of our programmes and have not just supported us financially, but have also provided invaluable operational assistance which shows us that they really care."
The organisation’s support model also extends to helping students gain access to potential jobs, and it consults closely with the communities it works with and serves around South Africa, which includes eight provinces and 34 townships.
Chairperson of the Chairman’s Fund, Norman Mbazima, concludes that Anglo American’s on-going support of the Field Band Foundation is based on its commitment to youth empowerment.
"The Chairman’s Fund strives to empower South Africa’s youth by backing initiatives that create a tangible and sustainable difference in their development, and this directive has guided our continued support of the Field Band Foundation. Ultimately, through the unique training and support model that it offers, this organisation is helping to nurture the leaders of tomorrow and developing them to be productive and positive members of the country."
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