A-MAIZE-ING contribution to the community

From left to right-Lauren Laing (Communications Specialist at FMI) Yvonne Haviland (Indlela) Clement Msomi (Indlela)

At the beginning of April, Financial Management International (FMI) set out on an ambitious campaign to get each staff member to contribute a bag of maize for the benefit of Indlela, a non-profit organisation that runs community support programmes like Fair Haven Abandoned Children’s Homes.

After monetary and actual maize contributions from generous staff, FMI handed over just more than 300 kgs of Maize Meal to Indlela earlier this week.

Considering that Amaoti is one of the most destitute townships in Kwazulu-Natal and is essentially FMI’s neighbour, they wanted to offer support in any way that they could. FMI adopted Indlela several years ago and have since provided regular contributions to help them meet their practical needs.

Amongst other initiatives, Indlela are also responsible for Life Skills Programmes and Feeding Programmes that look after approximately 19 000 children in the township of Amaoti. In consultation with the FMI team, Yvonne Haviland from Indlela, explained that the most practical contribution they could make was a food donation of maize meal. Maize has significant nutritional value and, considering that the meal from Indlela is sometimes the ONLY meal some of the children may receive for an entire day, it had to go a long way.

The 305kgs of Maize that FMI handed over will feed approximately 61 families, with 5 members per family, for an entire week. FMI hope that other companies will be inspired enough to kick-start their own initiatives and collect food or funds for those less fortunate within their own surroundings.