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I'm Deidre,
At the V&A, we’re serious about connecting important causes with the resources they need to have a meaningful impact. We build long-term partnerships with organisations to stimulate lasting change in communities, in line with our values and commitment to people and planet.
Going beyond a tick-box
As an organisation, as a business and as a neighbourhood, being a responsible corporate is at the top of our priority list. We endeavour to embody our values as we champion sustainability, nurture inclusivity and create opportunity for communities. We do this through our business decisions and operations day to day. But we also take our corporate social duty seriously.
Corporate Social Responsibility at the V&A goes beyond giving hand-outs. Our strategy is rather to nurture long-term partners who are already passionately making a difference and need a helping hand to take their impact to the next level. We work with these partners, tailoring our support to their needs, as a way to breathe life into our values.
At the V&A, everything that we do comes back to our Shared Value approach where we prioritise the needs of people and our planet. We are driven to do good business while doing good. They go hand in hand. Good business enables you to do more good, just as doing good creates an environment for good business.
One organisation cannot do it all. That’s why we’ve focused our partnerships on these key areas: nutrition and the food ecosystem; job opportunities; and improving the economy. One of the NPOs that we support is the Lalela Project, which helps underprivileged school learners access arts education and personal development. Our neighbourhood sponsors classrooms, showcases the work of the learners (such as on the back of our iconic Cape Town sign) and offers career tours to help learners plan their futures.
Another partner NPO is the Justice Desk. We provide space and sponsorship for their Girls and Boys Programme against Gender Based Violence, a scourge on our society with devastating effects on individuals, our social fabric and our economy. They are working tirelessly against this emergency in our country. Birthed out of another emergency, GrowSA (another one of our NPO partners) was started during the COVID crisis. The organisation works against food scarcity, by innovating re-purposing food waste. There is also a 6-month learner-ship opportunity for food businesses looking to take their business to the next level. These are just some of the good causes that we sponsor, building long term relationships with each NPO.
A day in the life
“Every day we ask ourselves: how can we connect deserving organisations with access to the resources they need to make a difference. It’s the V&A’s way and I’m proud to dedicate myself to seeing the impact reach those who really need it.”
Deidre / CSI at the V&A
In the voice of our partners
Ladles of Love
GrowSA
The Justice Desk
Lalela
From our team
to their
communities
From our team
to their
communities
At the V&A Waterfront, we also offer a Small Grants Programme to our employees. Many Waterfrontiers are already doing good in their own communities, whether working with their local NPOs or on the grassroots themselves. We encourage our staff to apply for funding to empower them to amplify the good that they are already doing. Already this year, thanks to an employee’s application, we were able to donate much-needed uniforms to schools, ensuring that poverty does not prevent the next generation from tapping into their potential.
Read the next chapter
Chapter 07
Luxolo
V&A Academy Graduate
