A partnership between a petroleum company and humanitarian relief organisation, Gift of the Givers, will see to it that the latter receives R2 million worth of fuel every year for the next three years.
A ceremonial cheque handover was held at the Gift of the Givers office in Penlyn Estate on Tuesday February 18, where executives of Engen donated the first R2 million.
Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder and chairperson of Gift of the Givers, said Engen’s willingness to come to them was “humility and generosity at its best”.
“You are giving us the money and you come to us,” Dr Sooliman said.
He said the organisation had a total of 21 projects but it was its intervention when disasters struck that made it internationally known.
He explained to the donors that the organisation had been started through an instruction given to him by his spiritual leader, Muhammed Saffer Effendi al Jerrahi, in Istanbul, Turkey in August 1992.
“I can’t take credit for anything. It is only by the grace of God Almighty. Already this month we have been in Alice in the Eastern Cape, providing relief to victims of the flooding; Calvinia in the Northern Cape, where farmers and farmworkers have no resources available for themselves or their animals; Graaff-Reinet to provide items crucial for the survival of drought victims; and Ntinini in KwaZulu-Natal to feed the hungry, among others.”
Dr Sooliman said their convoys travelled long distances across the country to deliver relief to those South Africans most in need.
“This generous commitment by Engen to assist with our fuel costs is going to make a significant difference to the reach of our intervention efforts.
“A partnership with like-minded brands such as Engen, will enable us to strengthen our ability to make an impact on the lives of some of the most vulnerable people across South Africa,” he added.
The cheque handover ceremony was attended by Engen chairperson Dato’ Sri Syed Zainal Abidin and Engen managing director and chief executive officer Yusa’ Hassan.
“Given the challenging social context in South Africa, Engen is firmly committed to investing in sustainable development initiatives that offer tangible value to the communities in which we operate.
“And given the wide reach and incredible national relief efforts of the Gift of the Givers, Engen sees much value in this partnership” said Mr Abidin.