NATIONAL FOODS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
National Foods builds and invests for future growth, acts with resilience, and combines Group resources to create value for both society and shareholders. The Group provides monthly support to 48 carefully selected centres in vulnerable communities throughout the country. These beneficiaries are divided as follows between the nine Provinces:
Harare
- Kambuzuma Orphanage, Harare
- Ruvimbo Special School, Harare
- Felly Orphanage, Harare
- Nazareth House, Harare
- Vocational Training Centre, Harare
- Zimcare Trust, Harare
- Homefields Care Centre Mt Hampden, Harare
- Shingirai Trust, Harare
- Emerald Hill Children’s Home, Harare
- St Joseph’s House for Boys, Harare
- Zambuko House, Harare
- Rose of Sharon Children’s Home, Harare
- Harare Children’s Home
- Place of Safety Children’s Home, Harare
- Flame Lily Retirement Home, Harare
- The Zambezi Society, Harare
- Runyararo Children’s Home, Harare
- SPCA Harare
- Sunshine Zimbabwe, Harare
- Vimbainesu Children’s Home, Murombedzi
- The Dorothy Duncan Centre, Harare
- Tose Respite Care Centre, Harare
- St Christopher Hatcliff, Harare
- Nyathi Family, Harare
- Sharon Cohen Special School, Chitungwiza
Mashonaland East Province
- Mother of Peace Community, Mutoko
- Mushawevana Children’s Home, Marondera
- Kukura Neshungu Institute, Marondera
- Ruwa Trust Lodge, Ruwa
- Bally Vaughan, Shamva Road
Manicaland
- Rekai Tangwena Children’s Home, Nyanga
Bulawayo
- Jairos Jiri, Bulawayo
- Marula School, Bulawayo
- Queen Elizabeth Adventist Home Children’s Home & Early Learning Centre, Bulawayo
- Ekuphumuleni Old People’s Home, Bulawayo
- Isaiah’s Children’s Home, Bulawayo
Matabeleland North
- Good Hope Mother’s Trust, Hwange
- Rose Of Charity Children’s Home, Victoria Falls
- Pristine Victoria Falls Society
Midlands
- St Agnes Gokwe Children’s Home, Gokwe
- Midlands Children’s Home, Gweru
Masvingo
- Mucheke Old People’s Home, Masvingo
- Morgenstar School for the Deaf, Masvingo
- Mapuvire Primary School, Chivi
Mashonaland West
- Mola Hostels, Kariba
- Come Unto Me Children’s Home, Karoi
Mashonaland Central
- Kutenda Children’s Home, Bindura
- Ponesai Vanhu Children’s Home, Shamva
The Company’s commitment to enhancing lives is demonstrated by the support given to these vulnerable communities and during F2023 the Company spent a total of USD177 514 in supporting the communities. The community initiatives are described in more detail in the table below:
Mrs Zenda (third from right) and Mrs Tabengwa (right) from Felly Orphanage are pictured above receiving their monthly donation from the National Food’s Group HR Executive, Mrs Alice Pawarikanda (second from right) supported by National Food’s staff Mr. Chikumbirike (left), Mr. Banda (second from left), and Mr. Mutambara (partially obscured)
Contract Farming
National Foods Ltd, through Paperhole Investments (PHI), supports 200 small-scale farmers. The farmers are given inputs such as seeds and/ or fertiliser, as well as drought insurance cover for growing maize, sorghum, and sunflowers. Through PHI the farmers are also assisted with technical support. After harvest the farmers deliver the produce to the PHI hub.
This initiative fully supports the national drive to heir kiosks and tuck shops.
achieve:
- Food security
- Improved household incomes and
- Sustained education and family welfare
Educational Support
The Pristine Victoria Falls Society (PVFS) works with fortytwo (42) primary and secondary schools in the Victoria Falls area on a project dubbed “Pristine Schools Awards” (PriSA). National Foods supports this initiative through a monthly cash donation. PriSA is a competition for both primary and secondary schools which aims to encourage schools to actively participate in keeping their surroundings clean through sound solid waste and environmental management practices. 42 primary and secondary schools with an estimated 1 000 students are participating in the program carrying out various environmental activities within their schools. All participating schools have formed environmental clubs within their schools.
PVFS launched Pristine Junior Eco-Warriors project in April 2023 through support availed by National Foods. 20 Pristine Junior Eco-Warriors (11 girls and 9 boys) have been selected from 7 different school and are beneficiaries of the National Foods scholarship fund. 10 of the Eco- Warriors are in primary school while the other 10 are in secondary school. Each of our Pristine Junior Eco-Warriors automatically becomes a junior member of the Pristine Victoria Falls Society. They are required to dedicate 8 hours per month for the duration of their scholarship program assisting with clean-ups and promoting good waste management practices throughout the community.
National Task Force on Traditional Grains
National Foods have partnered with local farmers to produce affordable traditional grains across the nation. Successful innovation demands collaboration. To achieve its shared objectives, a National Task Force for traditional grains will be launched in F2024 with the main aim to raise awareness and educate the market on the benefits of traditional grains. All the 10 Provinces will participate in this program.
Gloripreneur Programme
Youth empowerment is a priority, and through the Gloripreneur programme the Company equipped hundreds of young men and women with practical baking skills and business knowledge.
Research revealed an aversion to baking because of its technical nature and high risk of failure. The programme aimed to demystify baking and use practical means to demonstrate how easy one could achieve consistent results in no time.
The latest innovation Gloria Quick Mix Muffins was the right partner to recruit the youth into baking.
The aim of the Gloripreneur programme was to achieve the following within its communities:
- Address the issue of baking aversion through training
- Promote economic activities at community level by encouraging in-home baking and selling of easy-to-use value-added flour products
- Contribute to employment creation through skills transfer and entrepreneurial development
The programme was a 3-pronged model which achieved the following results:
- Trained over 6 000 men and women with practical baking skills. All trainees received Gloria Baking Certificates which motivated them to continue.
- Supported 400 youths with Business Starter Kits (Selling / Profit Model, all product and utensil requirements for them to run a muffins business).
- Equipped Local Traders with tools to help them sell more Gloria Flour in their kiosks and tuck shops.
Maureen’s Success Story
Maureen is a vendor who sells Sweets, Doughnuts and Scones at her road-side stall.
The Gloriprenuer Starter Pack came as a boost to her business as she was struggling to raise capital for expansion and relies on that business for survival.
Maureen says:
“First day I sold 3 packs selling at $1 for 3, I did not give up on the project but decided to spice up my muffins by adding vermicelli to attract more customers. This worked and I managed to sell all my muffins.
“I restock Gloria Quick Mix from the local tuck-shop and sell the muffins at schools and church services”.
“I look forward to using the profit from this project to pay school fees for my grandchild”. “Frequent power cuts are my biggest challenge at the moment.”
Stockfeeds Agents – Container Project
Through market research, National Foods identified underrepresented areas for accessing the supply of poultry feed for the small-scale poultry sector. To bridge this gap, 40-foot containers were deployed and were allocated to Stockfeeds Agents who had a proven track record.
Currently, the geographical locations include Chitungwiza, Waterfalls, Goromonzi, Borrowdale, Bulawayo and Lupane. Several additional sites have been identified.
Focus in terms of product lines was on the Tri-phase Broiler feed; however, going forward there is scope to expand this product range. 14 containers were placed in F2023 with average volumes of between 20 – 45 tonnes per month.
Supporting Youth Through Sport
Sport enables people to come together and share a desire for self-improvement, positive development, and fosters sportsmanship amongst other critical life skills.
This year Nutri Active partnered with more than 40 sporting events across multiple disciplines. In addition, Nutri Active sponsored kit for 10 different teams including the Zimbabwe Junior Sables National Team (U20) as well as the illustrious National Netball team, The Gems.
Awards
During the year, the following accolades were received by National Foods:
Our People
The Company believes it has created a workforce that has a strong sense of belonging supported by safe and productive spaces to enable them to excel.
This starts with leaders who walk the talk and believe in which we are proud of. empowering people for the future. Staff empowerment and growth, particularly for critical staff, remains a key focus area and one of the reasons the Company continues to drive learning and development for its employees. In F2023, the Company joined 62 employees in celebrating the following milestones in terms of service years:
Number of Employees crossing each Milestone in 2023
Left to Right – Mike Lashbrook (Group CEO), Darlington Chipere (Long Service Award recipient for 25 years), Maidei Chipere (Spouse), Swys Viviers (Managing Executive Stockfeeds), Ennet Enson (HR Business Partner Stockfeeds)
TOPP Programme
National Foods and IAL Head Office are both Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe (ICAZ) Training Outside Professional Practice (TOPP) accredited training centers. National Foods has 14 trainees (5 males & 9 females) enrolled for the TOPP programme. 7 (4 men and 3 women pictured below) of the 8 students who sat for Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) examination in December 2022 passed and are now qualified Chartered Accountants. One of the young women in the Group, Ms. Tinotenda Chivaura, was the top national student; a remarkable achievement indeed which we are proud of.
Back (Left-to-Right) - Tinotenda Chivaurah (top national student), Tinashe Dzapasi, Tinashe Mberi and Ronald Mahanyana. Front (Left-to-Right) - Mazvita Chiradza, Tinashe Matizha, Blessing Chingombe