As South Africa continues to battle the peak of its COVID-19 infections, unemployment and hunger are devastating the nation. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the need for collaboration to provide relief to those most vulnerable.
Lockdown regulations that resulted in school closures have meant that many children are now at home, placing households under extreme pressure to provide meals during the day. To assist with this need, Wärtsilä partnered with CoronaCare, a platform that connects South Africans with organisations working on the ground to support those in need during the pandemic. CoronaCare paired energy company Wärtsilä with an NPO called Uthando and the Masibulele Educare Centre.
The Masibulele Educare Centre, which was started in 1995, is based in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. The school has 100 pupils who range from infants to six-year-olds. The school relies only on school fees to cover costs, and since the lockdown regulations, teachers have been struggling as a result of no income. The school also runs a feeding scheme where the children are fed twice a day at school, which is no longer the case during COVID-19.
Responding to the needs of the school, Wärtsilä has donated R50 000 worth of food parcels for the pupils and teachers. Food will also go towards the meals that the school provides to the children during the school day. Wärtsilä will make a further donation towards the school fees and salaries of the learners and educators at Masibulele once the school re-opens, in order to sustain the school for a period of time. The school has prepared for the return of the learners and is awaiting inspection and approval by the department of education that they are COVID ready.
Patrick Borstner Ceballos, Managing Director & Energy Business Director, South and East Africa at Wärtsilä, says, “As Wärtsilä, we acknowledge that we cannot exist without the communities within which we operate. They are important to us, and we are because of them. It is therefore vital, now more than ever, that we provide the necessary support to help minimise the devastating impact of this pandemic on South Africans.”
Wärtsilä Energy in brief
Wärtsilä Energy leads the transition towards a 100% renewable energy future. We help our customers unlock the value of the energy transition by optimising their energy systems and
future-proofing their assets. Our offering comprises flexible power plants, energy management systems, and storage, as well as lifecycle services that ensure increased efficiency and guaranteed performance. Wärtsilä has delivered 72
GW of power plant capacity in 180 countries around the world.
www.wartsila.com/energy
Wärtsilä South Africa (WZA) was established
in 1994 with its headquarters in Cape Town and an office in Johannesburg. WZA has branch offices in Fort Dauphin Madagascar, Ndola, Zambia and Maputo Mozambique, which are managed by WZA. Wärtsilä South Africa employs nearly 110people
of various nationalities.
The company serves in the Southern African region an installed engine base of 1473 MW (993 MW Power Plant and 480 MW Marine) in the region under its responsibility. WZA covers 12 countries that include Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Reunion Island, Swaziland, Zambia and of course South Africa.
Wärtsilä in South Africa provides a full range of services to support both marine and power installation thanks to a solid network of service stations, and a strong team of flying engineers.
WZA has been involved in various CSR activities in the local communities. Among the most recent projects was a contribution made to the Masibulele Educare Centre. The centre, which was started in 1995, is based in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. The school has 100 pupils who range from infants to six-year-olds. The school relies only on school fees to cover costs, and due to lockdown regulations, teachers have been struggling as a result of no income. The school also runs a feeding scheme where the children are fed twice a day at school, which was no longer the case during the pandemic. The donation of R50 000 went towards providing food parcels to the children and their families.
WZA is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company.