ROSSLYN, GAUTENG – As South Africans brace themselves for a bitterly cold winter and looming electricity blackouts, Nissan South Africa's employees have once again joined forces with Nissan SA to demonstrate their generous spirit by donating blankets for the less privileged.
It's become a Nissan tradition to offer comfort and warmth at this time of the year to the needy in the vicinity of the manufacturing plant's headquarters. Despite the challenges of the ever-increasing cost of living to their own lives, Nissan workers stepped up to the plate to help the impoverished among their communities.
With 300 blankets to distribute, this year's beneficiaries were carefully chosen. Institutions caring for the young and the elderly were hand-picked and include orphans and abused street children, the aged, the disabled and those rejected or neglected by their families.
The inhabitants of Bathusi Care Centre, Direlang Community Project, Child Soul Care, Jehovah Jireh Orphanage and Ditlou Day Care Centre will all sleep a bit easier this winter.
Guests at today's handover included employees of Nissan SA and representatives of the benefitting organisations.
Nissan SA's corporate affairs director Wonga Mesatywa did the honours. "For Nissan SA, the blanket drive occupies a special place in our corporate responsibility programme," he said, "not least because our employees are so determined to help people in need among their own communities."
Lizzy Molokomme, Project Manager of Bathusi Care Centre for the aged, expressed her organisation's gratitude. "The building that houses our elderly residents is big with a corrugated zinc roof," she said, "so it gets very cold in winter especially for four of our grannies currently sleeping on the floor."
Phinah Kgosana, Senior Social Worker at Child Soul Care that provides for orphaned and abused boys, many of whom have been rescued from the street, was equally appreciative. "The blankets bring warmth to the children in need and at risk," she said, "and we regard Nissan as family because they show they care."
The Nissan SA blanket drive forms part of Nissan's corporate social responsibility programme aimed at building community relations and making a difference to people's lives.
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