Volkswagen Community Trust: driving positive change for 35 years

Established in 1989, the Volkswagen Community Trust is celebrating 35 years of making a difference in local communities.

The trust supports corporate social investment (CSI) through programmes that cultivate the learning, social and creative skills needed by the broader Nelson Mandela Bay community to empower themselves economically and socially.

The trust invests in initiatives within the important areas of education, youth development, health and wellbeing and employee volunteerism. 

Among its successes from the past 35 years are:

• 15 nonprofit organisations supported with vehicle placement;
• An estimated R90m invested in support of external NGO partners;
• A total investment of about R620m in CSI projects;
• 6,854 children reached and 144 teachers trained through various literacy initiatives;
• 1,202 learners supported in learning by the establishment of the Ikhwezi Lomso Early Childhood Development Centre in Kariega;
• About 350,000 youth supported through the loveLife Youth Centre and its programmes;
• 147 businesses assisted and 608 job opportunities created through the Volkswagen Business Support Centre, in partnership with Raizcorp; and 
• More than 5,700 participants (Volkswagen employees and their loved ones) in Show of Hands volunteer events, to the benefit of the local community.

Volkswagen Group SA wishes to thank the team behind the trust — as well as all employees who have supported its efforts — for their hard work and dedication to making a difference.

This article was sponsored by Volkswagen Group SA.