Insights
Stonehage Fleming- Supporting Cradle to Career with Afrika Tikkun
This week, Senior Stonehage Fleming team members visited two Afrika Tikkun centres in Alexandra (Phuthaditjaba) and Uthando (Braamfontein) as part of our long-term commitment to the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award (DoEI). The visitors met several key members of the Afrika Tikkun team including Chief Executive, Marc Lubner, Kevin Handelsman, Group Investment Officer and Nehwoh Belinda, General Manager of the Uthando centre.
The experience, combined with learning more about Afrika Tikkun's "cradle to career" strategy, left visitors in awe of the enthusiasm, positivity and expertise of the team on the ground.
“It was a humbling experience,” said Stonehage Fleming CEO, Chris Merry. "We were delighted to learn more about the DoEI programme's impact in the communities we visited. We heard first hand from facilitators about the positive changes they've seen in programme participants, such as increased self-confidence, resilience, and a desire to volunteer. We were also given the opportunity to learn more about the scope of work in both centres, which ranged from early childhood education to preparing adolescents and young adults for employment."
Chris was particularly struck by the sheer scale of the task at hand and the exceptional quality of the work he saw. “It is nothing short of inspiring. Tracey Lander and Mina Bloudanis Ventrice, part of Stonehage Fleming’s HR team in South Africa and Switzerland deserve special thanks for their contributions to the development and shaping of this programme."
The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award is Stonehage Fleming’s flagship charitable commitment for the next 3 years. The Award will be delivered by Afrika Tikkun reaching almost 700 disadvantaged young people in South Africa.