When my partner and I adopted our baby boy in September 2022, I realised I wanted to do more to support those less fortunate than myself. As Responsible Business Lead, I already work closely with organisations that need it most, to ensure Capita is giving back to our communities. So, supporting the amazing charity that is SOS Children’s Village was a natural next step.
Giving back - ensuring every child grows up with love, respect and security
For 40 years, SOS Children’s Villages in South Africa has been providing care for children who have lost, or are at the risk of losing, parental care. As an independent, non-governmental organisation, they advocate for the rights of South Africa’s most marginalised children and offer loving, family-like care to transform lives.
The start of a great partnership
As part of my day-to-day role, I’m responsible for reaching out to organisations and charities we can work with and who align with our responsible business strategy. I worked with the manager at SOS, and we scheduled several meetings to discuss a partnership with Capita. All our payroll giving members were then given a vote, to choose which charitable cause to support for the next few years and SOS was the chosen charity.
Rolling up our sleeves for a good cause
Alongside other Capita colleagues, we used our 8 hours volunteering leave (which is offered to everyone in the organisation) to transform one of the charity’s 16 children’s homes, revamping it completely. We focused on painting and installing new flooring to freshen-up the rooms as well as providing new beds, bedding, appliances, and curtains.
We spent almost 3 weeks completing the project, and Capita was instrumental in ensuring everyone had sufficient time offline and was available to work together to complete the project.
Big plans for the future
We’re currently in the planning phase, but our goal is to redo all 16 homes at the village within five years, and to do this we are challenging all our campaigns teams to “adopt” a home and help with the specific needs of that home. This could be fundraising, redecorating or providing vital supplies for the children. Our goals are big, but this is an amazing opportunity and the difference we can make to the lives of these vulnerable children is out of this world.
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