12
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
OCTOBER
2014
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MARKETPLACE
TheLafargeEducationTrustprovidesholisticsupporttocreate
an effective education environment for historically disad-
vantaged South Africans; the Lafarge Community Trust aims
to mobilise communities with an emphasis on empowering
From left: Thierry Legrand (former CEO Lafarge South Africa), Graeme Bloch, Waheeda Carvello (chief education specialist), Cheryl Carolus
(chairperson: Lafarge Trusts), Eugene Schalkwyk, Teboho Mahuma, Tsholofelo Moshimane, Ilse Boshoff, Felix Motsiri and Mpogeng Nkgadima.
THE JOURNEY
Celebrating
Lafarge South Africa Trusts – that is the Lafarge
Education Trust and the Lafarge Community
Trust – along with their empowerment partner
Sinako, were created five years ago. The trusts
contribute to community empowerment
through education and social development.
women and providing support for organisations that are improving
the quality of life for the visually impaired.
To celebrate the work and achievements of the trusts over the
past five years, Lafarge Trusts have published a book:
Celebrating the
Journey: The First Five Years of Creating Change
, which recognises and
honours the exemplary efforts they have taken to make transforma-
tion a reality.
The book’s foreword is written by outgoing Lafarge Country CEO,
Thierry Legrand, in which he notes: “The success of South Africa and
our success as a local company that employs over 2 000 South Africans
is intrinsically linked to the provision of sustainable quality educa-
tion for the country’s children. It is a core policy of the international
Lafarge Group that, as an industry leader in sustainable development,
to be responsible neighbours that help facilitate the improvement of
communities in which it operates.”
The trusts’ success can readily be seen in the improved perfor-
mance of learners involved in their initiatives, something credited to
the very hands-on approach of the trusts’ leadership and partners.
The book – launched by Cheryl Carolus, the chairperson of the
Trusts – highlights the trusts’ pioneering commitment to education
upliftment; its bursary programme achievements; its investment in
science facilities; and looks “from here to the horizon” – what the
trusts and their recipients can look forward to in the future.
Change is most evident in the Bodibe community where the trusts
implemented a flagship whole school development project with 11
schools. The Bodibe Village community has a long-standing associ-
ation with the Lafarge Lichtenburg cement plant in North West. The
project was a culmination of consultations with government, busi-
ness, tribal councils, local non-profit organisations and other commu-
nity structures.
“The trusts took on the daunting challenge of contributing to the
improvement of education for the children in South Africa’s impover-
ished communities,” says Cheryl Carolus.
“We have built relationships with selected partners, including
government agencies, who can combine their special skills and
resources with those of the trusts. Consequently I confidently look
forward to the trusts’ future. I am proud of our positive results thanks
to the dedication and unfailing efforts of schools’ leadership and
the unique corporate support the trusts receive from Lafarge SA and
Sinako Holdings. The best part is that we created replicable models –
pioneering support for the visually impaired and implementing whole
school development projects. This inspires me and I am honoured to
be part of these efforts to make a long-lasting difference.”
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