Wipro (NYSE:WIT), a leading global IT, consulting and business process services company, has contributed R50 000 to the Slovo Centre of Excellence (SCE), a non-profit organisation (NPO) in Johannesburg. The donation will be used to help disadvantaged children.
Located near an informal settlement in Slovo Park, on the boundaries of the Crosby and Coronationville suburbs of Johannesburg, the SCE is a ten-year-old aftercare facility to support the pre-school and after-school activities for disadvantaged children in the area. Founded by Lorraine Cockrell and supported by a group of volunteers and a small team of staff, the facility provides a warm cooked meal every day, constructive educational and social support, and encourages children to participate in sports activities. The programme helps the children improve their proficiency in English, mathematics and science, while providing them with emotional and social support.
Wipro made the contribution at the 10th edition of the company's 'Spirit of Wipro Run', an annual global event. The event saw over 68 000 Wipro employees, their families, friends, customers, partners, analysts and suppliers run together on the same day at different locations across the world in September 2015.
Commenting on its association with Wipro, Cockrell said: "The donation by Wipro has enabled us to continue supporting the needs of the children from the Slovo Park community. Last year's donation from Wipro was utilised to improve the infrastructure of the facility and also provided a boost to our general operations. We were able to renovate the 'toy library' with two reading rooms and play areas. We also renovated the barn and upgraded some areas to be used as training rooms. This year, SCE's core focus remains educational support, and as we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we are transitioning to become a sustainable NPO. We remain thankful to Wipro for their continued support and involvement, while we look forward to continue making a difference in the community we serve. Their enablement is our empowerment."
Ankur Prakash, Vice-President - Emerging Markets, Wipro, said: "At Wipro, we are conscious of our responsibility to make a meaningful contribution to the communities where we operate in. It was heartening to see so many enthusiastic and determined participants come together to make the 2015 edition of the Spirit of Wipro Run in South Africa a big success. And even more heartening to know that the effort was towards a worthy cause. In keeping with our long-term commitment to social and community causes, we are proud to support Slovo Centre of Excellence's vision of LINK (Love in action, Inspire, Network and Keep going)."
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