Education has long been cited as one of South Africa's key social challenges
Miway’s experience shows the importance of nurturing meaningful relationships to ensure corporate social investment (CSI) projects deliver long-term social impact.
Education has long been cited as one of South Africa's key social challenges, with many students forced to abandon their educational pursuits prematurely. As such, it's no surprise that education is the key focus of countless CSI initiatives: in fact, recent studies suggest that as much as 48% of this funding goes towards schools . And while this is undoubtedly a move in the right direction, these investments typically come in the form of once-off financial donations, with little heed paid to the outcome.
“It’s one thing to be given an opportunity through a bursary or scholarship, but quite another to know how to make the most of it,” says Nthabiseng Moloi, Executive Head: People and Brand at Miway Insurance.
Nthabiseng refers to the company’s CSI programme, The MiHeart Project which places sustainable mentor-mentee relationships at the forefront of its community investment initiatives. The programme provides ongoing support to learners as they make multiple transitions into unfamiliar territory, from being a learner at school, to a student at university, then from being a university graduate to an inexperienced new recruit in the workplace.
“Navigating unknown territory can be quite daunting, so we knew that our assistance would need to extend beyond finances. Over the past 6 years, we have focused on building long-term relationships with the learners who participate in The MiHeart Project’s programmes. We’ve learned that by engaging authentically and honestly with our beneficiaries, we can create a “virtuous cycle” that ensures we deliver sustainable impact through our CSI initiatives,” adds Nthabiseng.
Miway’s aim is to nurture and sustain them, providing financial support in the form of bursaries and backing it up with plenty of heart. This holistic, collaborative approach puts the learner front and centre, and has enhanced Miway’s efforts to empower young people to achieve their personal goals, while simultaneously tackling some of the underlying social issues which may hinder their future success.
And the results speak for themselves. They are beginning to truly see the impact that ongoing and authentic relationships can have on the learner experience, as the first beneficiaries, Itumeleng Mnisi and Romeo Losaba, near the end of their tertiary studies as they complete their post-graduate degrees.
Itumeleng was in Grade 9 when The MiHeart Project got underway at her school where she was identified as a learner with great potential. She was assigned a Miway mentor in her matric year, and this relationship played a big role in helping her to navigate not only matric, but the transition to university life.
Based on her matric results, Miway offered Itumeleng a one-year bursary to attend university, but she was unsure whether she wanted to pursue tertiary education. Her mentor played a decisive role here, helping her to overcome her fears and to understand the opportunities that such a move would afford her. The subsequent job shadowing experience offered by Miway convinced her that a career in finance was what she wanted. Itumeleng is currently completing a learnership for a major financial services company and plans to complete her post-graduate studies in 2023.
Romeo Losaba has also reaped the benefits of a long journey with Miway. He knew from an early age that he wanted to be an accountant, and when he was identified for The MiHeart Leaders in the Making mentoring programme at school, he knew this was his chance to excel and qualify for the bursary Miway offered to the top achiever.
After completing his first year at Wits, it became apparent that he would need help to cover expenses for the second year. Aware of his potential, Miway decided to continue to provide financial support beyond the originally envisaged period of one year, thus enabling him to graduate with a BCom and then embark on a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting.
A position at Miway’s head office then became available, and he joined the company as a Junior Accounts Administrator, achieving a promotion after just six months. He is currently working to complete his postgraduate diploma part-time.
“These success stories are testament to the power of collaborative, long-term relationships that are agile and responsive enough to ‘colour outside the traditional CSI lines’. Every learner’s journey is different, which is why it's fundamental to understand and support it, every step of the way. It's also important to learn from learners and to adapt the parameters of any given programme to suit their needs. We've been taught so many things by the bright and inspiring minds we've met during this journey; and have made every effort to adapt The MiHeart Project to achieve the best possible long-term outcomes,” concludes Nthabiseng.
Miway is a licensed non-life insurer and Financial Services Provider (FSP 33970).
