One hundred persons with disabilities and their families are set to benefit from Engen’s R848 680 donation to the Breede Valley Association for Persons with Disabilities (APD) over the next three years. 

The official handover ceremony took place at the Breede Valley APD premises in Worcester on Friday, 2 September 2022, which marked National Casual Day in support of Persons with Disabilities. 

Breede Valley APD is a Western Cape-based non-profit organisation that renders therapeutic, social and community development services to persons with disabilities in the areas of Worcester, Rawsonville, De Doorns, Touws River and surrounds.  

The funds donated will be used to support four established income generating projects specifically tailored for people with disabilities.  

All projects have been specifically established and developed to accommodate persons with physical and intellectual disabilities, providing them with the opportunity to engage in a working environment and develop their skills while at the same time supplementing their income.  

Projects include a waste management and recycling plant, a laundromat, and hospitality and woodwork programmes, all of which have been specially structured to provide the necessary skills and training to assist disabled youth and adults enter the workplace. 

Louine Griessel, CEO of Breede Valley APD, hailed Engen’s investment for the impact on the beneficiaries and the far-reaching impact on their families and the community of the Breede Valley.   

“We are grateful to Engen for assisting us in empowering persons with disabilities to improve their socio-economic future,” commented Griessel.  

“Access to skills development and employment for persons with disabilities remains extremely limited and deprives them of taking their rightful place in the socio-economic life of South Africa,” she added. 

For Engen, disability inclusion is one of the company’s key social investment focus areas, giving South Africa’s favourite* petrol station brand* an opportunity to contribute towards inclusive rights in South Africa.  

As a company, Engen champions nine of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 4 – Quality Education, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. 

“As a caring and inclusive company with ‘heart’, this aligns with Engen’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which endeavour to ensure a better and more sustainable future for all,” commented Khalid Latiff, Engen’s General Manager: Corporate Strategy and Communications. 

“In supporting the Breede Valley APD we hope to create an equitable society where persons with disabilities can share access to every sphere of educational, work and social life so that together we can forge a future that is inclusive of all people,” he added