Corporate Social Responsibility

Boyden Sub Saharan Africa is committed to being a responsible and contributing corporate citizen and our strategy has been designed to have a real impact on the lives of people whose circumstances are less fortunate than ours.

To this end, our involvement with the Soweto Canoe and Recreation Club (SCARC) started in 2009, when Jules Kieser, himself a canoeist and member of the Dabulamanzi Canoe Club, was introduced to SCARC through the partnership between the two clubs. SCARC is based in Orlando, a poor suburb in Soweto, which is the most populous black urban residential area in the country, situated close to Johannesburg.

SCARC, founded 7 years ago, aims to give children and young adults the opportunity to be introduced to swimming, water sports and other activities, thereby encouraging participation in healthy and positive activities and improving their overall quality of life. In addition, all children of school-going age must participate in an education programme, which includes schooling, English coaching, Maths and Sciences coaching, subject and career counselling. SCARC also assists with access to bursaries and scholarships.

More recently, SCARC has established a connection with Sparrow Schools, based in Melville and Sophia Town, Johannesburg, where the children will be assessed, in terms of their current level of education as well as what their future educational needs would be and will be enrolled at the school. It was specifically in this area that Boyden Sub Saharan Africa felt we could have an impact on, and participate in, improving the prospects of these young people. Jules Kieser and Janet Liefeldt have been particularly involved in the career coaching and assessment of the children, as well as in developing educational policies for the organisation. The aim is for SCARC to obtain corporate funding to cover the costs of primary and tertiary education. The children are monitored, supported, encouraged and counselled on an on-going basis.

To date, SCARC has been recognised as having produced some of the best South African canoeing talent over the past seven years. In late 2010, a group of SCARC canoeists travelled to Tunisia where they participated in the African Youth Olympics. The team performed exceptionally well and returned with 5 medals - 3 gold and 2 silver. In the Unlimited Duzi Canoe Marathon 2010, two SCARC participants won first place in the K2 under 16 category and another won a silver medal. The Duzi is one of the world's largest and most challenging canoeing competitions; it is held over three days and covers a distance of roughly 120 Km along the Msunduzi River in Kwazulu Natal.

http://www.scarc.co.za

Sfiso Cebekhulu and Jules Kieser (Orlando Dam, Soweto 04/04/2011)

Some of the paddlers out on the water (Orlando Dam, Soweto 04/04/2011)

Some of the SCARC team, SCARC management and Boyden (Orlando Dam, Soweto 04/04/2011)