Soccer club to boost home’s coffers

With just days to go to the MTN 8 soccer tournament, Bidvest through its soccer club, Bidvest Wits, has pledged to make a donation to Bethany Home on behalf of every supporter attending the opening game at Bidvest Stadium.

The Bidvest Wits match against Bloemfontein Celtic takes place on 9 August, National Women’s Day, and gives Bidvest the perfect opportunity to also honour women throughout South Africa. For this reason Bethany Home, in Bertrams, was chosen. It provides shelter to women and their children who are escaping abuse at the hands of husbands or partners.

Brian Joffe, Bidvest’s Chief Executive, said the work done by the shelter tied in perfectly with the aims of the group’s corporate social investment initiatives. “Bethany Home helps the most vulnerable among us to get back on their feet, which ties into our own philosophy of giving people the tools to be self-sufficient in a sustainable manner.”

The shelter helps women to be self-reliant through counselling, skills development and assistance with school placement for their children. Once the women are emotionally stable and the children settled in school, her interests and levels of education are assessed, and she is sent on training courses to acquire skills necessary for a job in the field she wishes to pursue. The whole rehabilitation process takes between six to 12 months.

Bethany Home’s manager Bridget Edwards described Bidvest’s pledge as a blessing. “Without the assistance of companies like Bidvest, we would struggle to assist the women and children who need our help the most. In anticipation of Friday’s match, we would like to thank Bidvest Wits and their fans for contributing to our initiative.”