Little do people know that a Non-Profit Organisation accepting donations in the form of securities, such as equities and bonds, has helped touch the lives of many children in need across South Africa.
Previously investors who wished to dispose of their unwanted shares to neaten up their portfolios were deterred by the cost of selling them. As a result, thousands of Rands were tied up in assets that cost more to sell than they were worth. SCS was created to address these small, unwanted South African listed shares by collecting them via investor donations of such shares, dematerialising the shares if necessary and partner stockbrokers selling them on the JSE at no cost.
Since its inception in July 2002, SCS has distributed R7.61 million to charities dedicated to helping children. The people and companies involved in SCS all give their time and labour free of charge.
Education, early childhood development and crucial medication supplies are just some of the things made possible through donations, such as those provided for via SCS. Charities that have historically been the recipients of donations are the African Children Feeding Scheme, Bethany House Trust, Child Welfare Tshwane, Cotlands, Childline, Guild Cottage, Salvation Army, Nazareth House, Salesian Life Choices, Topsy Foundation and Zisize Educational Trust.
Beneficiaries of the SCS programme have been able to achieve the following and more due to the donations received.
- Guild Cottage provides protection to vulnerable girls. The donations from SCS have contributed to covering their transportation costs, office costs, therapy and medication.
- Through the donation made to Zisize, they have made it possible for the children of Ingwavuma in KwaZulu-Natal to receive quality education through early childhood development and foundation phase teacher training.
- SCS’s support of The Topsy Foundation has allowed them to provide the best services to children in Dipaleseng, Mpumalanga. Their Early Childhood Development programme currently benefits 1 923 children a month.
- The SCS initiative has enabled Bethany House Trust to optimise services to their beneficiaries, including educational support to children in alternative care. The donation has also enabled them to appoint educators and equip the homework centres with resources.
- The funding to Cotlands has contributed to the delivery of early learning opportunities to more than 13 000 children, including serving 314 000 meals. These services are delivered through early learning playgroups, toy libraries and mobile toy libraries and also through capacity building of skills in parents. .
- Childline has been able to further their Community Awareness and Prevention Programme through their donation from SCS. As part of this programme, Childline hosts School Talks, Positive Parenting programmes and trains staff and volunteers.
The nurturing of children should be everybody’s business. Children are our most precious resource, our nation’s future depends on them. What we do for them determines their outcomes and potential in life, and they will be the people who generate the wealth and strength of our economy.
We would like to extend our appreciation to our clients and those involved in making a change in a child’s life. We also want to encourage more and more South Africans to donate their unwanted shares and get involved in this worthy cause.
Clients can get involved by contacting SCS, either directly, or through their broker, to donate their shares. They can also receive a tax benefit for doing so. In terms of Section 18(A) of the Income Tax Act, when investors donate their shares to SCS, they are issued a receipt that can be claimed against their taxation liability.
