Barclays
September 2009
Barclays has committed to ensuring social investment in the areas of education, health, social welfare and entrepreneurship.
Junior Achievement Zimbabwe -
Barclays Zimbabwe has embarked on a three-year partnership with Junior Achievement Zimbabwe that will encompass entrepreneurial training of ‘A’ level students. This partnership was launched in March, 2009 and will see more than one hundred and fifty students from ten schools in Harare, directly benefiting from the programme.
Through participation in the Company Programme, students start up a company with the key focus of creating, manufacturing products/services and liquidate at the end of the programme. This allows them to learn business fundamentals at an early stage whilst providing an opportunity for Barclays mentors to support each company. As part of the reward to the winning school, Barclays runs a Job Shadow programme where students spend a day with Barclays senior management, shadowing them as they go through their daily work. Barclays has invested £90,000 in this partnership.
Cholera Intervention
In efforts to harness the spread of cholera at the beginning of the year, Barclays initiated an internal campaign that was supported by distribution of cholera tablets to over 900 colleagues. Over 2000 dependencies in-directly benefited from this over a six month period until there was a significant decline of cholera cases in the country.
Building on Brighter Futures
Barclays, in conjunction with World Vision Zimbabwe, are constructing a school in the rural areas of Mutoko where over 1000 children will directly benefit from having a proper classroom to learn from. The school will effectively reduce the distance most children have to walk to get to school. The school will undergo a number of phases and once complete, over 500 members of the community will benefit.
Make a Difference Day (MADD)
MADD initiatives encourage Barclays colleagues to actively participate in various charity projects across the country. The programs are geared to ensure that disadvantaged groups benefit from sustainable programmes that will contribute positively to the communities in which we operate. In 2008, over 60% of colleagues participated in MADD with a total of £14 500 donated towards project work.
