Brother lives by its motto “at your side”

Brother is committed to making a positive difference by uplifting local communities and to help build a society where sustainable development can be achieved. As part of its corporate social responsibility initiative, Brother International has participated in various charitable organisations and events this year.

Staff members of Brother participated in the CANSA Corporate Relay for Life on 3 and 4 September this year. Relay for Life is a unique event that offers everyone the opportunity to play a part in the fight against cancer, and South Africa was one of many international countries that participates in this initiative.

Relay team members take turns to walk or run around a track for 12 hours and companies are persuaded to enter as many teams as possible. Over 106 corporate teams consisting of 5 000 people took part in this event, and there were 3 500 members on the track at any given time.

The event started with the Survivor's Lap, with cancer survivors taking to the track. This was followed by the Luminaria Ceremony, where candles were lit and placed in bags around the track. The Luminaria Ceremony is held in memory of those who have passed away and in honour of cancer survivors. At six o'clock the following morning the event ended with all participants once again walking around the track for the last time.

R320 000 in cash and R1.2 million worth of donations was collected from the event for CANSA. “This is a very worthy cause and Brother International will definitely participate in the Corporate Relay for Life again next year,” said Wayne Everton, Director of Brother International South Africa.

Good Morning Angels is an initiative of Jacaranda 94.2, a radio station based in Gauteng, South Africa. This initiative aims to help deserving individuals and organisations in need of funds or donations.

Brother International registered with Good Morning Angels and was contacted by The Children's Medical Emergency Fund. This NGO recently opened four new branches that needed printers that could scan, fax, print and copy, and Brother International donated four multifunction printers to the value of R18 000.

The NGO aspires to help sick children from disadvantaged families to receive the best medical treatment and after care. Their goal is to work towards an improved sustainable standard of living for these children and to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. They strive to reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, promote gender equality and empower women.

Brother International worldwide sees CSR as an integral part of its profile and will continue to support these worthy causes.