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It’s not often that one takes the time to consider all that is involved in providing just one woman with a sustainable job. Women’s Month brings awareness to a much-overlooked aspect of our business.
The majority of workers at our packing facility are women, many of them women with children or single mothers who would be unable to work if their children are not looked after.
- One of the first and greatest benefits is that our creche is very close to the factory. Here free creche and after-school facilities are provided to parents while trained staff facilitate the children in developmental programmes. Breastfeeding mothers get paid time off to nurse their babies.
- Teenage children regularly attend information sessions on relevant topics such as bullying and family planning.
- Tertiary studies are sponsored for workers and their children.
- Adult training programmes provide ample opportunity for women to improve themselves by studying in various fields of interest, i.e. Plant Production, becoming Health Care Workers, Forklift drivers, studying Early Childhood Development or becoming Social Workers. All social services are provided free of charge on personal matters and work-related concerns.
- Information sessions are hosted touching on the various roles of women at work, at home and in their community.
- Sponsorships include social outings with free transport as well as time off to attend their children’s sporting events, parent-teacher evenings, funerals, illnesses in the family and free visits to the doctor or clinic.
- Fairtrade sponsorships assist us greatly in running these programs. In 2020 Bergendal Boerdery (our exclusive Carmien processing and packing facility) was selected as a finalist in the Campaign of the Year category of the annual International Fairtrade Awards.
- Annual breast cancer awareness events supported by CANSA and the Department of Health are another great help in our commitment to ensure the best health education and awareness programs for our workers and their families.
We believe in making a difference, not just in the products we grow and supply, but in the lives of the people behind our products without whom we would have no business.