SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

As a South African retailer, we are faced with complex social challenges, and we believe in working together to make a real difference. Every programme or initiative we launch makes room for collaboration with one or more of our partners or suppliers. 

We take this approach in every country in which we operate, and are sure to tailor the way we do things to their specific social context.

In South Africa, our social development efforts are overseen by the Woolworths Trust. Established in 2003, The Woolworths Trust is managed by a Board of Trustees, and reports to the WHL Social and Ethics Committee.
 

  • OUR PLAN IN ACTION

    Education

    As a business, we believe in contributing to an inclusive, equitable, growing economy, powered by a skilled and educated workforce. 

    -    MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet

    MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet (MySchool) is a long-standing, multi-partner loyalty programme aimed primarily at fundraising for education, but also for charities that support local communities, animals, and the environment. MySchool leverages the national customer and school base of Woolworths and its other retail partners, enabling customers to use their shopping and loyalty cards to support schools and other charities.

    SIGN UP TO MYSCHOOL 

    -    Woolworths Educational Programme

    This programme is one of the ways in which Woolworths uses its expertise in good food, healthy living, wellness and sustainability to support the upliftment of education, and the health and well-being of children at schools in South Africa. The programme provides teachers with a suite of educational content in Social Sciences and Life Skills, as well as experiential educational components that give us the opportunity to take learning beyond the pages of the classroom. These include our fun-filled online classes, CAPS-aligned lessons hosted by a professional presenter, with printed learning material that learners can access at a later stage. 


    Food Security

    Millions of people around the world do not have food to eat, yet about 30% of the food produced globally goes to waste. As a food retailer, we recognise our important role in working towards a food-secure future. #zerohunger2030

    -    FoodForward SA

    For many years, Woolworths has worked with structured charity organisations to donate surplus food from food stores to communities who need the support. This contributes to the alleviation of hunger in local communities, as well as reduces food waste to landfill from our own operations. One of our key partners is FoodForward SA, a  non-profit organisation that recovers edible surplus food at various stages of the food value chain, and redistributes it to communities in need across the country. 

    -    UNICEF WASH and Nutrition Pilot Programme

    Woolworths has partnered with UNICEF and the Gauteng Department of Education, with the aim of improving child health, education and nutrition, and alleviating hunger among primary-school learners. Woolworths is providing funding for a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme, and a nutrition pilot programme. The programme also trains community members who volunteer as food handlers to safely and hygienically prepare balanced meals for school children. Learners are taught about good hygiene practices, including the importance of washing their hands with soap before eating. In partnership with UNICEF, Woolworths has installed handwashing stations and provided hand soap to some of the participating schools in South Africa.

    -    Living Soils Community Learning Farm

    In partnership with Spier Wine Farm and the Sustainability Institute, we’ve launched a community learning farm near Stellenbosch. Together, we want to create a self-sustaining learning farm, and grow nutritious food using sustainable farming methods. Incorporating training and development for young and emerging farmers and the broader community, the two aims of the learning farm are the development of long-term food security in the local community, and helping to address youth unemployment.

    Employee Community Involvement 

    The main aim of our employee community involvement efforts is to encourage our employees to give back to their communities and foster a culture of giving. “Teaming up for Just Cause” is a programme that invites Woolies staff to choose a charitable cause to support. Each cause selected receives seed funding to get it started, and for every team that reaches its fundraising target, we match the figure by up to R40 000.

    PLAYING YOUR PART

    We also invite our customers to give back and raise funds for important conservation and sustainability related issues through the sale of products like our cause-related reusable shopping bags, Relate beaded chains, and monetary or in-kind donations at till points or online. 

    DID YOU KNOW?

    •    Woolworths consistently donates more than R500 million annually in surplus food to those in need
    •    Almost R800 million has been donated by MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet since its inception

    Find out more in our policies and position statements.

     

  • OUR SOCIAL DEVEOPMENT PROGRAMMES CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THESE UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

     

    • No poverty.

  •  

    • Zero hunger.

  •  

    • Good health and wellbeing.

  •  

    • Quality education.

  •  

    • Clean water and sanitation.

  •  

    • Partnership for the goals.

  • Find out more about our Good Business Journey and our social development programmes in our annual Good Business Journey report.