UK citrus fruit importers Eurodix has given a financial boost to an iniatiative to build a crèche for more than 100 children at Buffeljagsrivier near Swellendam, South Africa.
Alex Fortmann, head of the South African operations of Eurodix announced that the company has contributed more than 62,000 Rand towards the project.
The crèche is an iniatiative of the Early-learning Rural Foundation (ERF), a non-governmental organisation that focuses its educational efforts on the western Cape. It pays close attention to rural areas with high incidence of poverty, alcoholism and unemployment. ERF’s partners in the project are Uniting Reformed Church, the Swellendam Rotary Club and the local municipality who has made money available for the crèche.
Fortmann said: “Helping to build a crèche is an excellent way of contributing towards the quality of farm workers’ lives.”
Sarah Cornaby, director of ERF, is delighted with Eurodix’s contribution. She said: “This will enable us to build one of the three classrooms of the crèche at Buffeljagsrivier, an area that has been identified in need of such a facility. We are concerned about the plight of young children while their parents are at work.”
Commenting on the new initiative, founder and managing director John Hawdon, said: “We were the first company to gain an export license for citrus from South Africa, since that time our business has gone from strength to strength. It gives us great pleasure and satisfaction that we can become involved in a project that will give something back and hopefully make a difference to a country with which we trade.”
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