{"id":99553,"date":"2017-08-08T03:53:17","date_gmt":"2017-08-08T01:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/make-more-impact-with-your-csi-buck\/"},"modified":"2017-08-08T03:53:17","modified_gmt":"2017-08-08T01:53:17","slug":"make-more-impact-with-your-csi-buck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/make-more-impact-with-your-csi-buck\/","title":{"rendered":"Make More Impact With Your CSI Buck"},"content":{"rendered":"

Make More Impact With Your CSI Buck<\/a>: <\/p>\n

\"Ramona<\/p>\n

Ramona Kasavan , CEO and Founder of Mimi Women<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

MAKE MORE IMPACT WITH YOUR CSI BUCK<\/p>\n

\u201cIf companies spent their full 1% of net profit after tax on one Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiative instead of spreading it across many different projects – which make the investment insignificant – they could make a more profound impact in South Africa,\u201d says Ramona Kasavan, CEO of Mimi Women.<\/p>\n

Kasavan says it makes more sense for sectors that are legally compelled to contribute to voluntary social development activities to focus their attention on one project that they are passionate about, rather than spending it in a fragmented way. \u201cIn this way, companies can make a deep impact rather than applying plasters to several problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cImagine the bearing an entire sector could make on enterprise development, infrastructure, education and health if they focused their full CSI spend on one significant project that would uplift the communities they operate in.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a social entrepreneur and founder of Mimi Women, South Africa\u2019s first black female-owned sanitary pads company, Kasavan is committed to helping girls and women in some of South Africa\u2019s poorest areas to empower themselves.<\/p>\n

She understands how one idea can lead to another and how her initial mission to supply sanitary pads to disadvantaged girls was just scratching the surface of the many social issues in the country.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why her company continues to evolve, always with a view to empowering South African women. \u201cI realised that what initially started off as a fund-raising process to raise money for a massive sanitary pads drive needed to become a more sustainable venture,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

This insight saw the company, formerly known as Happy Days, transform into a for-profit operation aimed at supporting what then became its non-profit arm, the Mimi Foundation, which keeps girls in school through donated sanitary pads. In addition, a direct selling and distribution arm was established to provide business opportunities for women in impoverished areas.<\/p>\n

In this respect, Kasavan developed MimiBizBox, a business-in-a-box tool that allows disadvantaged women \u2013 or Agents of Change \u2013 to sell affordable sanitary pads in their local communities and create an independent living for themselves. The women are coached in financial literacy and business skills before being signed on as Mimi Women sales representatives.<\/p>\n

The next step \u2013 and a highly critical one \u2013 in the evolution of Mimi Women is to establish a factory to manufacture sanitary pads locally. \u201cA large percentage of South Africa\u2019s sanitary pads are sourced in China. Creating jobs in South Africa by manufacturing our own locally produced and therefore more affordable product is the next logical step for Mimi Women,\u201d says Kasavan.<\/p>\n

The sanitary pad factory will facilitate the way for Mimi pads to enter the local FMCG market. And for every Mimi pack sold, a pack will be donated to the foundation, making for a more sustainable reality.<\/p>\n

This vision has seen the creation of a fundraising arm aimed at raising enterprise development funds for the establishment of a local factory. \u201cI would like to partner with businesses or sectors that have a similar vision to Mimi Women and who are passionate about empowering women and creating opportunities for them to make their mark on the economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe Mimi Women is positioned to make a massive impact in South Africa. A profitable manufacturing plant will allow us to distribute more sanitary pads and offer more women entrepreneurial opportunities. Ultimately, I see the company becoming a vehicle for even greater change in the country, but we need corporate South Africa\u2019s help to achieve this vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kasavan is therefore calling on all responsible corporate citizens such as Anglo American and Sun International, who are committed to making a difference through their Corporate Social Investment spend, to make a real and substantial difference in the lives of South African women by investing in Mimi Women.<\/p>\n

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