Engen employee Asheen Singh has used Engen’s Employee Community Partnership Programme (ECPP) to raise funds for Whizz Kidz Special Needs Centre.

Based in Pinetown in Durban, Whizz Kidz Special Needs Centre is an educational and holistic school serving children from birth to grade R who live with disabilities, including Down Syndrome, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and Pervasive Development Disorder.

Responding to the centre's need for funding, Asheen utilised the ECPP to raise funds for the NPO, which provides childcare and education, including speech, physio, and occupational therapy to children who may not meet the criteria for other special needs schools due to their physical and cognitive impairments.

ECPP seeks to foster partnerships between Engen employees who are engaged in community upliftment initiatives and their local communities.

Asheen, who works as a Business Solution Architect at Engen, was eligible for a R5,000 ECPP grant, which will contribute to purchasing equipment for educational programmes at Whizz Kidz that are tailored to the specific needs of each child.

Expressing gratitude to Engen for their support, Whizz Kidz Chairman, Graham Anderson emphasised the importance of donations from organisations like Engen in sustaining the centre and covering its costs.

“Whizz Kidz provides a wide range of indoor and outdoor equipment to enhance the individual development of each child's skills, ensuring a strong learning foundation for their transition to primary school,” says Anderson.

“We advocate for early intervention to improve children's participation and community inclusion,” he adds.

For Engen, disability inclusion is a key focus area of its social investment, providing an opportunity to contribute to inclusive and equitable rights in South Africa.

"As a caring and inclusive company with 'heart,' this aligns with Engen's commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which strive to ensure a better and more sustainable future for all," comments Olwethu Mdabula, Engen’s CSI Manager.

"Engen advocates for the creation of an equitable society where persons with disabilities can access every sphere of education, work, and social life, forging a future inclusive of all people."

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