Earlier in 2020, the Professional Provident Society (PPS) Insurance and the PPS Foundation made a three-fold donation for personal protective equipment which included a R150 000 donation for the purchase of PPE and a delivery of a range of items including gloves, face shields, surgical gowns and face masks to SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. They are also in the process of donating an additional R 100 000 towards the purchase of PPE.
“The donation of personal protective equipment from PPS and the PPS Foundation assisted our student volunteers to carefully navigate the risk of COVID-19 while working on the frontlines. We are grateful for the contribution they made when we were in dire need of support,” says Candice Egan, Fundraiser at SU's Development and Alumni Relations Division.
Founded in 1941, PPS is the only mutual financial services company in South Africa that focuses exclusively on graduate professionals, providing tailor-made insurance, investment and healthcare solutions to its members.
The Foundation which was founded in 2016 is a PBO and has been supporting SU's Work Study Programme for several years. The Work Study Programme aims to alleviate the financial burden of students from low-income backgrounds by providing them with an opportunity to earn a subsistence income. In 2019, PPS also donated over 10 800 meals to the University's #Move4Food initiative that aims to alleviate food insecurity on our campuses.
Subashni Gounder, Programme Manager: PPS Foundation, says the programmes offered by the Foundation look squarely at improving the teaching and learning experiences in the tertiary education space. Since its inception in 2016, the PPS Foundation has seen its efforts in the sustainable development of South African public universities and communities. "Our primary aim to nurture the potential of our youth."
According to Louhan Nel, PPS Graduate Marketing Specialist based at the SU campus, this relationship is built on trust and mutual respect. "We truly see our partnership with the University as one that assists in building the future of our country. What we do for and with the university, is to develop South Africa’s future leadership. To quote John Maxwell, “We rise and fall on leadership”. If we can do our part to help people see the leader within them, then tomorrow they can help the next generation to do the same and thereby, build the nation.”