Anglo American Funding Furthers Socio-Economic Development Of Women And Children In Johannesburg Inner City

Online, November 12, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Funding over the last two years from Anglo American's dedicated corporate social investment arm, the Chairman's Fund, to Jo'burg Child Welfare's (JCW) Thembalethu programme, is making a significant difference in improving the lives of women and children in Johannesburg's inner city.

Over 2010 and 2011, the fund provided separate and equal grants totalling R500 000 towards core costs of the Thembalethu programme, including training and economic empowerment, food and groceries, salaries and operational costs, and other professional and referral services. Subsequently, these grants have enabled JCW to develop the Thembalethu programme into a best practice model ,and considerably further skills development and employment opportunities for women in need.

Thembalethu is a skills-training programme that JCW runs in conjunction with outreach services, with the intention of uplifting unemployed and often vulnerable women. JCW initiated the Thembalethu programme as a means to extend to women the range of services it provides to abused, abandoned, orphaned and neglected children in the greater Johannesburg area.
Thembalethu has offered services to a total of 302 women, which included training, counselling, and referral services. Further, 97 women participated in economic empowerment skills training.

JCW is also currently conducting extensive research into what specific skills are required for women to start their own businesses or secure formal employment, and has developed partnerships with a wide range of community leaders, municipal resources, and small business support organisations.

Jo'burg Child Welfare's Fund Developer, Edith Shikumo notes that the donations from the Chairman's Fund have enabled the organisation to function better and create a widespread impact.

"Thembalethu operates as a non-profit organisation, and we urgently require the support of outside benefactors. Therefore, the Chairman's Fund's financial backing has proved crucial in ensuring we are better equipped order to achieve Thembalethu's primary goals of positively changing the lives of the women we train, and creating a safe haven for our inner-city children."

Shikumo adds the Chairman's Fund's support has enabled JCW to better evaluate the impact of training programmes, and create sustainable programmes that allow women to earn an income.

JCW was established in 1909, and is one of the oldest and largest non-profit organisations in the country. The organisation, which is held in high regard both nationally and internationally, has consistently been supported by the Chairman's Fund since 1998.

Chairperson of the Chairman's Fund, Norman Mbazima, concludes that the Fund's support of JCW is aligned to its overall objectives with regards to women.

"The Chairman's Fund is firmly dedicated to empowering and uplifting women from disadvantaged communities, and Jo'burg Child Welfare is certainly accomplishing these goals through the Thembalethu programme. Notably, the programme is making a real difference in the lives of these women and their families by providing employment opportunities, which not only helps to alleviate poverty, but builds social capacity, confidence and self-worth.

"We are therefore proud to support Jo'burg Child Welfare, and further enable the sterling work they are undertaking in improving the socio-economic status of women and children in the Johannesburg inner city."

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South Africa

Hulisani Rasivhaga, Media Relations
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Notes to editors:

Anglo American is one of the world's largest mining companies, is headquartered in the UK and listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges. Anglo American's portfolio of mining businesses spans bulk commodities - iron ore and manganese, metallurgical coal and thermal coal; base metals - copper and nickel; and precious metals and minerals - in which it is a global leader in both platinum and diamonds. Anglo American is committed to the highest standards of safety and responsibility across all its businesses and geographies and to making a sustainable difference in the development of the communities around its operations. The company's mining operations, extensive pipeline of growth projects and exploration activities span southern Africa, South America, Australia, North America, Asia and Europe. www.angloamerican.com

About Chairman's Fund

The Anglo American Chairman's Fund is one of the dedicated instruments through which Anglo American channels its corporate social investment (CSI) spend, and is the oldest professionally managed CSI programme in South Africa. The Fund is renowned for best practice within the CSI arena, and supports a highly diverse range of projects from the smallest to the largest among different social development sectors countrywide.