Capricorn Group has launched the Capricorn Foundation as a non-profit association to act as a vehicle for corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The Group stated that the establishment of the foundation follows a thorough review of and research on the best practices on CSR and several stakeholder engagements over the past two years.
The Capricorn Group and its subsidiary companies aspire to be ‘connectors of positive change’ by creating economic value in a responsible way that creates sustainable opportunities for advancing and improving the economic and social conditions in the communities where it operates.
The Capricorn Foundation will be funded by the Group and its Namibian operating entities. The Bank Windhoek Social Investment Fund has, to date, been the main contributor to the Group’s social investment. This fund has, since its establishment in 2001, been widely recognised for its positive contribution to the communities in Namibia through a number of projects in the areas of, mainly, job creation, entrepreneurship, education and health. The Bank Windhoek Social Investment Fund will continue supporting a number of its signature projects in addition to its financial support to the Capricorn Foundation. The Foundation will also solicit funds from other donor companies, individuals and organisations that share the vision, goals and philosophy of the Foundation.
Marlize Horn, the Group executive: brand and corporate affairs, who has more than 23 years of experience in the field of corporate social responsibility, and who played a leading role in the establishment of the Capricorn Foundation, as well as the Bank Windhoek Social Investment Fund in 2001, will fulfil the role as acting head of the Foundation until a substantive appointment has been made. She will work closely with a management committee that will be established, as well as with the board of the Capricorn Foundation, to coordinate and manage the day-to-day running of the Foundation and to ensure the proper governance processes are implemented in line with the Group’s CSR policy.
The key focus areas of the Capricorn Foundation are divided into primary focus areas and supplementary focus areas. Primary focus areas include economic advancement with a focus on entrepreneurial skills development, and education and training. Supplementary focus areas include health, with a focus on major dread diseases, as well as mental health and disability programmes; vulnerability projects that address the basic needs of vulnerable groups with a focus on children (hunger and poverty) and gender-based violence victim counselling; and sustainability programmes that contribute to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The main aim of the Capricorn Foundation is to act as a “vehicle” through which Capricorn Group manages its corporate social responsibility activities, by identifying or creating programmes, projects or organisations that need support from the Foundation. By contributing to these programmes, projects or organisations, the Foundation aims to make a positive impact on the local communities, within the Foundation’s chosen key investment areas.
The Capricorn Foundation will collaborate closely with the Group Brand & Corporate Affairs department of Capricorn Group on the successful #Changemaker programme which encourages employee volunteerism in the communities. In celebration of the launch of the Capricorn Foundation, a number of #Changemaker events are planned for July 2020.
“For Capricorn Group and its subsidiaries, CSR refers to our Group’s sense of responsibility towards the communities in which we operate and commitment to integrate social concerns into our business operations. This sense of responsibility helps us to be socially accountable to ourselves and our stakeholders and to minimise any negative effects on society so that we make an overall positive impact. For us, corporate social responsibility simply means: Doing the right thing, for the right reasons,” said Johan Swanepoel, chairman of Capricorn Group.
“With the establishment of the Capricorn Foundation, we truly live up to our brand promise of being connectors of positive change. We are eager to partner with like-minded foundations/institutions to address national concerns and to more actively engage our stakeholders to identify community needs,” said Marlize Horn, acting head of the Capricorn Foundation.
“Our approach to being a responsible citizen is built into the DNA of all our businesses in Namibia, Botswana and Zambia and is supported through our aim to be open, transparent and accountable in our reporting on our CSR activities and programmes and its impact. We are excited to embark on this journey to strengthen our Group’s position as connectors of positive change by making a deep and lasting positive impact on our communities,” concluded Swanepoel.