GIBB have an ethos of giving back to the community. Through our many Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiatives, we are committed to contributing to the upliftment of communities and the less fortunate. We give because we want to. We give because we care and want to make a difference. This year, Isaiah 58 Children’s Village in East London was one of the beneficiaries of the GIBB warmth.

Every year, our staff take part in the “Spreading the Warmth throughout the Nation” initiative, where blankets are collected during the winter and donated to the needy. This year, we donated our blankets to Isaiah 58, a non- profit organisation in dire need of assistance.

“Isaiah 58 is a very well run non-profit organisation housing around 140 children, aged from newborn to 18 years old. Their aim is to shelter, clothe, feed and educate these children, as well as uplift them socially and spiritually,” says Jo-Anne Stolworthy from GIBB.  “This safe house is mainly for abused or badly treated children who have been removed from their parents by the courts. The 33 staff members at Isaiah 58 try to help these children feel safe, cared for, loved, part of a family and of course, they try to help them grow beyond their traumatic experiences.”  

The children’s village aims to positively change and train the children with skills and knowledge, which will path their way to a better and brighter future. Isaiah 58 has a school on the premises that provides schooling from Grade R to Grade 7, thereby showing that they value each child’s education.  They have little cottages for different groups of children, each with its own “house mother”, giving the children a safe, warm bed to sleep in at night and a sense of belonging to a family.  They have a little playground and a big eating area where all the children get together for meals.  There is so much that the staff at Isaiah 58 would like to do at the haven, like create a soccer field on an open piece of land next door and they also want to create a recreation area for the children.  They are slowly but surely (as they acquire funding) upgrading the cottages, school and offices and have come a long way in the last couple of years.

The GIBB staff were taken on a tour of the village. “What stood out for us was how neat, clean and tidy everything was. We were very impressed with the standard of living they are trying to maintain for these children,” continues Jo-Anne.  “They do get a government grant, but are running at a loss of about R40 000 per month which they have to make up for in donations.  For some children the grant is only R12 a day.  Who can honestly live on that? There are so many organisations like Isaiah 58, and we wish we could help them all.”

In addition to the blankets that GIBB donated, they also collected toys and clothes for the children and GIBB will be considering future involvement in Isaiah 58. “We feel so privileged to be able to help those children. It was amazing for us to be a small part of this initiative where the staff and management are so selfless and generous and it was a real pleasure spending time with the people and kids of Isaiah 58.”