Mandela Day celebrates the idea that each individual has the power to transform the world and the ability to make a positive difference. At Cox Yeats, every staff member is encouraged to give time each year to the outreach initiatives the firm is involved in.
"Mandela said, 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,' and Cox Yeats hopes to do just that by continuing to invest time and resources into the projects we work with," says CSR coordinator and Partner, Carol McDonald.
To celebrate the exceptional life of Nelson Mandela who dedicated 67 years to changing the lives of all South Africans, the staff of the Durban and Johannesburg offices spent the day on two major projects. In Durban, at the Amaoti No 3 Secondary School in eNanda, and in Jozi, staff partnered with the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (Southern Africa Chapter) in raising funds to provide reusable sanitary panties to female learners to enable them to attend school without any interruption due to their monthly cycle.
Cox Yeats Durban has been involved with Amaoti Secondary since 2018. Identified as a school ‘with heart and promise and a place where we felt we could make a positive difference in the lives of the learners, the educators, and the greater community’, the ongoing relationship with the school has deepened over the years.
This year 2 400 hot dogs were made and packed into lunch boxes and 1200 juices poured into individual bottles, which every learner took home with them. In addition, 1000 examination pads were donated to the school due to the lack of paper for writing tests on, and each educator was presented with a gift, in recognition of their hard work and dedication. Staff were treated to a performance about Mandela by the Drama students in the drama studio, which Cox Yeats had funded and handed over on Mandela Day 2022.