CA, global IT management solution provider, has donated R210 000 to the Starfish Greathearts Foundation. This is the second contribution that CA has made to the organisation, underpinning the company's commitment to making a difference in impoverished communities. Starfish is an organisation that aims to enrich the lives of children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.
The cheque was handed over to Starfish Greathearts Foundation at the CA offices in Sunninghill recently. The donation will go towards empowering disadvantaged youths, through offsetting educational expenses such as schoolbooks, stationery, school fees, uniforms and skills and training.
"CA has decided to support the Starfish Greathearts Foundation, as we truly see the benefits that the organisation provides for the children. CA is very active in education and we are delighted to be part of an initiative that provides us with a platform to share our IT skills and knowledge," says Diane Walters, Human Resources officer at CA.
The partnership between Starfish Greathearts Foundation and CA is not only beneficial to the children but also to the respective companies, as they realise their shared vision of enabling the next generation of leaders, by facilitating access to education.
"We are delighted to have CA back on board for the second year. CA has played and will certainly continue to play a key role in the upliftment of the children we support. Approximately 450 children are orphaned each day in South Africa. However, behind these devastating statistics are children, who have hopes, dreams and ambitions just like any other children. We believe that it is companies like CA, through their support of Starfish, that will make it possible for these children to have equal opportunities in life and fulfill their ambitions," says Kelli Givens, resource development manager at Starfish Greathearts Foundation.
"This sort of initiative is a great way for companies to mobilise their staff's collective consciousness and sense of personal responsibility to community service," adds Walters.
"Starfish Greathearts Foundation is just one of many organisations that CA is supports, placing the building blocks for the next generation of IT workers to come through the system. One of the other initiatives that CA is assisting is The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, which is aimed at teaching entrepreneurship to young people from low-income communities to enhance their economic productivity by improving their business, academic and life skills" says Walters.
There are currently an estimated 1.7 million orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa and Starfish Greathearts Foundation , working through numerous NGOs and community-based organisations, supports approximately 20 000 of these children by providing access to social, educational and nutritional support. By 2010, the organisation hopes to have assisted 100 000 children.
With the motto of life, hope and opportunity, Starfish Greathearts Foundation believes that every person can make a difference in a child's life.
For more information about the Starfish Greathearts Foundation, please go to www.starfishcharity.org
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CA (NYSE: CA), one of the world's largest information technology (IT) management software companies, unifies and simplifies the management of enterprise-wide IT. Founded in 1976, CA is headquartered in Islandia, N.Y., and serves customers in more than 140 countries. For more information, please visit http://ca.com.