Assupol proudly supported the 702 Sun International CEO SleepOut

Assupol Group CEO, Rudi Schmidt, proudly participated in the inaugural 702 Sun International CEO SleepOut™ which took place outside the JSE building in Sandton on the night of Thursday 17 June 2015.

This was the first time that South Africa was included in this global challenge to raise awareness about the plight of homeless children, by sleeping under the stars on one of the coldest nights of the year. Each participant was given only a sleeping bag, soup and a cardboard box for the 12 hours under the winter skies.

In total, 244 of South Africa’s most powerful business leaders and influencers from the private sector donated or raised a minimum of R100,000 each, leading to a fantastic total of over R23 million for Girls and Boys Town (GBT). GBT, a government-recognised non-profit organisation, has been going for many years and has well-proven and highly successful programmes to rehabilitate and strengthen youth and their families and communities in difficult times.

“I am extremely proud and humbled to have been part of this highly successful initiative to raise funds for GBT. As a responsible corporate citizen, Assupol’s contribution of R100,000 will together with the other R23 million raised, make a meaningful and lasting contribution to the success and sustainability of GBT. I do not see my participation as a sacrifice or challenge, but rather as an enormous privilege and honour. The event gave me time to reflect on the plight of homelessness and particularly the homeless children of South Africa,” said Schmidt.

“Spending an evening under the African winter sky gave me a small glimpse of the discomfort, cold and risks that so many face each evening and how privileged I am. But this is not only the fate of the homeless, there are many South African families, including children and infants, who may not sleep on the streets, but still face the same discomfort, cold and danger in their make-shift homes,” he said.

Addressing the inadequacies in our society, and in particularly homelessness can only be addressed by a focused joint effort between the government and businesses. The 702 Sun International CEO SleepOut™ initiative has shown what difference we can make if business joins hands.

As a result of this year’s inaugural 702 Sun International CEO SleepOut™ in Sandton, the event is to be extended in 2016 to include Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth. The CEO SleepOut™ proposes to inspire a new way to lead social innovation in South Africa.

Homelessness is not a choice and does not discriminate - all types of people find themselves homeless. On any given night more than, hundreds of thousands of people experience homelessness in South Africa, but an even greater number are just a pay-cheque away from this terrible plight.

According to recent research, children under the age of 12, many of whom are escaping family or domestic violence, make-up a staggering 17% of those experiencing homelessness. This causes devastating personal harm, greatly impacts on the community and damages our fragile economy. Homelessness is a problem that is not going to be resolved on its own. As a society we simply can’t afford to disregard it.