Mutual & Federal donates a Wendy house to Noah’s Ark

The Mutual & Federal Marketing team standing behind the Wendy house they built for Noah's Ark in Yeoville.

The festive season is the time of the year when companies entertain their employees with year-end parties and team building exercises. It is also an opportunity that can be used to remember those who are less fortunate.

The Marketing team of one of South Africa’s leading short-term insurers, Mutual & Federal, recently held a team building session to give back to the community. They constructed a Wendy house for Noah’s Ark in Yeoville.

“We felt very strongly about giving something special to the community we serve,” says Laurien Comyn, group manager for Marketing at Mutual & Federal. “We also want to encourage other people to do more for the less fortunate”, she continues. Mutual & Federal spends in excess of R2 000 000 per annum on various corporate social investment initiatives.

The 14 member Marketing team abandoned their head quarters on 26 November and headed for Emmerentia’s Botanical Gardens, which was the construction site for their project. Under the watchful eye of a representative from the Wendy house project, work began at 09h00. Corporate wear was soon replaced by dust coats, gloves and hard hats from the moment the team hit the ground running.

It took less than five hours for the structure to be completed. This was later followed by a painting session, which brought some colour to the house.

The team agrees that this was by far the best team building exercise they’ve ever had – not only because it resulted in something tangible, but also because it fulfilled a need.

Feedback from Noah’s Ark reveals that the Wendy house is already being put to good use. It serves as a counseling room and a doctor’s room to meet some of the children’s needs.

Noah is an acronym for Nurturing Orphans of Aids for Humanity. The organisation administers more than a 100 Arks or ‘networks of care’ across Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng. Their vision is to give vulnerable children ‘an opportunity to grow up into emotionally, psychologically and physically healthy adults’”.