This noble initiative coincided with the globally celebrated Mandela Day, dedicated to honouring the legacy of the late Nelson Mandela and promoting the values of service, justice, and equality.
On Thursday 18 July 2024, the collaborative effort saw the companies and the local community pool their resources, skills, and expertise to revamp the youth services centre, making it a more conducive space for the youth and healthcare practitioners of Alexandra Township.
The project was an initiative of the Same Foundation, an award-winning NPO that undertakes high-impact community-development projects throughout South Africa.
Speaking on the impact of the event, Tyrone Pols, spokesperson of Same - the SA Medical and Education Foundation - said, “This Mandela Day we envisioned implementing a legacy project that will have a lasting impact on the wellbeing of the youth, and the Alexandra Community Health Centre is a perfect fit.
"Our donors and the community certainly heeded the call to action. Not only did the donor companies fund the renovations; they arrived in full force with more than 180 participants on Mandela Day to work on the renovation project.”
Pols explained that the project was an extension of development work Same has already done at Alexandra Community Health Centre, which saw the accident, emergency and therapeutic services units fully renovated and equipped in 2023.
Over the next few months, the centre will be fully equipped with the furniture and medical equipment required to deliver state-of-the-art services to the youth.
The participating companies included Bidvest Facilities Management, Bongani Rainmaker, Clyde & Co, Dentsu Creative, Fragomen Africa, Full Circle Media, Ingerop, Komatsu, LNW Gaming Africa, Lumax Energy, Metrofile, Parker Hannifin Africa, The Energy Company, Volkswagen Financial Services, and Water Skills SA.
The Alexandra Community largely drove the success of the project and had a large contingent of volunteers on the day and SMMEs that worked on the project.
“All service providers on the project were sourced exclusively from the Alexandra community. Various suppliers, contractors, security, catering, and facilities management were sourced in partnership with the Johannesburg Economic Development Forum.
This project underscores the power of collective action and the shared commitment to fostering positive change and empowerment within the community, Pols said.
