SHE-MOVES in new Ford Tourneo Custom

The initiative which was introduced in South Africa, India and Nigeria from the start of 2019, subscribes to the five United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Wellbeing; Quality Education; Gender Equality; Clean Water and Sanitation; and Affordable and Clean Energy. Administering the initiative is a non-profit organization Global Water Challenge which receives help in the running of the initiative from World Vision International and Virginia Commonwealth University.

“Recognising that women are essential to community resilience and well-being, the projects funded by SHE-MOVES all have women at the heart of social enterprises, either as leaders or beneficiaries. Through the concept of Whole-Person Leadership, SHE-MOVES seeks to provide women with opportunities to promote better health, develop tools for critical thinking and activate their ideas within their communities,” Neale Hill, Managing Director, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.

SHE-MOVES has partnered with the woman-led NPO from Cape Town, the Uhambo Foundation in their efforts to assist children with disabilities, especially in the form of mobility to live full lives within their rural farming communities. Both SHE-MOVES and the Uhambo Foundation provide skills training and empowerment opportunities to parents and caregivers. With a focus on the creation of essential support networks, Uhambo will be using grant funds to introduce their support programmes and training to 216 members of additional communities. In their efforts to provide a platform for the voices of parents and community members to be heard and further educate stakeholders and participants of the programmes, the grant will additionally provide the opportunity to research the barriers experienced and the impact made to communities by the presence of disabled children.

In addition to the grant funds, Ford South Africa has also donated a Ford Tourneo Custom to further support the efforts of the foundation.

“We are extremely grateful to receive the SHE-MOVES grant and the donation of the Ford Tourneo Custom, both of which will assist us immensely in reaching out to more members of the community and help improve the lives of children affected by disabilities, particularly in the impoverished rural areas. While addressing quality of life and issues of mobility for these children, we also empower mothers, caregivers and the broader communities with essential skills to support these children and each other, and we truly appreciate the amazing contribution from Ford Motor Company which gives us the opportunity to help more people,” Sarah Driver-Jowitt, General Manager of Uhambo Foundation.

Ford has become involved in numerous local community and Sub-Saharan Africa projects and upliftment programmes. A recent example is the Ford Motor Company Fund grant which was awarded to World Vision SA and its water project, which sees an innovative solution for drought-stricken communities in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Read more about this project here.

“Ford is committed to supporting the communities in which we operate through a wide range of volunteer programmes, donations and through grants awarded by Ford Motor Company Fund, through initiatives like SHE-MOVES, World Vision SA’s water project and our wide range of employee volunteer programmes, which includes Ford’s annual Global Caring Month, we have an important role to play in the wellbeing and sustainability of society. We are delighted to be associated with these high-impact programmes that make a real, tangible difference in peoples’ lives,” Neale Hill, Managing Director, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.