In a safe community our children can flourish
Mar 29, 2011
Thanks to the MBSA corporate social responsibility programme, 230 community members have found gainful employment and 37 schools in the townships of Atteridgeville, Soshanguve and Mamelodi are all the safer for the work done by the Peace and Development Project (PDP) in the north of Pretoria.
A public private partnership that has many years of successful implementation in various communities around the country, the PDP is a collaboration between the department of community safety, local communities and the corporate sector.
MBSA is the main funder of the project in the Pretoria area, as it continues its legacy of promoting the development of a leading nation through sponsorship of community projects. Corporate social investment manager, Tina Buys, says: “We believe that our youth - the future of our nation – need a safe and wholesome environment in which to grow up. This is why we support initiatives which promote safer communities as part of our corporate responsibility programme.”
Issues such as child abuse, drug trafficking and abuse, domestic violence, youth crime and road safety are tackled in a way that makes it easy and fun for children to understand. In the process the child’s self esteem is given a boost making them less vulnerable to the undesirable elements in our society, as they are educated about their basic rights.
Unemployed youths are trained as peace workers to assist in crime prevention and conflict mediation. They become skilled and experienced in aspects of community safety that make them sought after in the fields of security and law enforcement. Transported by specially branded Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans and neatly clad in pristine uniforms, the community peace workers also act as a visible deterrent to crime by attending township events.
Some of the other positive spin-offs of the project in these communities have been improved school attendance and performance, as well as a more stable environment conducive to sustainable economic participation.
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