Volunteers across the country pull up their sleeves to build 10 homes for the less fortunate

In the next few days, between July 15 and 19, a group of 700 dedicated volunteers from the Nedbank Group will join teams from the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Habitat for Humanity to build 10 new homes for South African families from low-income communities in various parts of South Africa.

This initiative is in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Nelson Mandela Day and honours Tata Madiba’s legacy of generosity and giving, as well as his stated desire that South Africans come together to break the cycle of poverty in the country.

According to Greg Salter, the managing executive for Nedbank home loans, the bank’s involvement in the building event is a tangible demonstration of its commitment to delivering on its purpose to use its financial expertise to do good for individuals, families, businesses and society.

“Nedbank has always enjoyed very strong support of its staff and client volunteerism initiatives,” he explained.

“The fantastic response from our clients to take up this opportunity to roll up their sleeves and be involved in physically building houses for their fellow South Africans demonstrates that our people share our bank’s values and purpose and literally want to be part of building the future of our nation.”

The project will see volunteer teams erecting quality homes, costing around R100 000 each, for beneficiary families in Palm Ridge, Germiston, Umbubulu in KwaZulu-Natal, and Wallacedene in Cape Town.

“The builds are not only a practical way of harnessing the power of collaboration and partnership to uplift vulnerable families from shelter-poverty to self-reliance, they also help to break the cycle of poverty and unemployment by giving community members the opportunity to participate and learn construction skills that can enhance their employability,” said Salter.

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Salter pointed out that Nedbank has a long history of supporting and volunteering in the Habitat for Humanity house builds and said that the practical involvement in construction activities by the bank’s staff members has made a profound difference in the lives and futures of many families in SA.

“There are few more meaningful and rewarding contributions that anyone can make to uplifting society than enabling a family to move from an informal shelter into a well-built house that they are proud to call home,” he said.

“We are incredibly proud of our employees, who are so willing and eager to be the hands and hearts that make our purpose to do good come alive in the lives of these home recipients.

“Many of our Nedbank Group executives, such as our CEO Mike Brown and leaders, will be joining our volunteer teams on-site in Palm Ridge to help with construction on Mandela Day,” he said.

“We urge members of the public across the country to go to https://habitat.org.za/ and find out how and where they can also get involved in building a better South Africa, brick by brick.”

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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.zaor Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist) kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za

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