The Amalgamated Bank of South Africa (ABSA) donated R100 000 to the Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Trust (TVET) on Tuesday.

The money, which was raised by ABSA employees from their own pockets since December 2001, was handed over to the community on Tuesday morning at Ditike Travel and Tourism Centre. The grant will be used for the support of a Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) Programme at the trauma clinics in Tshilidzini and Donald Frazer hospitals, entailing funding for the provision of e-pap food supplements, care packages and subsidised travel vouchers for survivors attending counselling and blood tests.

The contribution was made possible through the ABSA Give As You Earn Project, which is a voluntary scheme for employees to make monthly contributions to worthy causes.

All beneficiaries in the Give As You Earn Programme are non-profit organisations in the HIV/Aids field. These beneficiaries specifically focuses on the purchase of formula feed to assist in the prevention of mother to child transmission and the funding of programmes that work with rape survivors, providing them with counselling, care and anti-retroviral drugs where possible.

"We are overwhelmed by the generosity of Absa employees, and the sympathy they have shown towards the plight of rape survivors," said Ms Fiona Nicholson, Chief Executive Officer at TVET. "We hope that they realise that it is not only the money that is important, but also the motivational boost we get from knowing that people out there really do care," she added.

From November 2001 until November 2002 Absa, through the enthusiastic, caring and generous attitudes of its employees towards their local community members, was able to raise R1 million for HIV/Aids causes. Other beneficiaries of the Give As You Earn project include R100 000 towards Community Aids Response (CARE) in Alexandra Gauteng, R100 000 towards the Greater Nelspruit Rape Intervention Programme (GRIP) as well as R100 000 towards Life Line & Rape Crisis, Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu Natal. The total number of employees currently contributing towards this programme is 6 000.

"Staff involvement in community investment has become a growing trend in many corporate organisations and with no exception in Absa as well. The altruistic support that the Absa employees offer to the NPO sector is recognised as vital and Absa would like to applaud these efforts," said Gail Campbell, General Manager: Corporate Social Investment.