Chevron South Africa invests in people, partnerships and performance. Our social investment program in South Africa promotes sustained economic growth. We focus on three key areas: education, health and economic development.
Education
Chevron supports formal education, including preschool and basic adult education.
Caltex, in partnership with the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), sponsors the Caltex/SAIIA Interschools Quiz in Cape Town. The competition brings together high school students from diverse communities in the Western Cape Province to test their awareness of international affairs, how these developments affect South Africa's foreign and domestic policies, and the country's role in our rapidly changing world. This quiz, like our other education initiatives, is part of the Caltex Energy for Learning® program.
In partnership with Discovery Channel, Chevron has sponsored 15 Learning Centers in Limpopo and Western Cape provinces. The program gives under-resourced schools a television, a DVD player and a library of educational videos. These tools, together with extensive teacher training, are making a proven, positive impact on student learning and teacher effectiveness.
As part of our ongoing relationship with the Du Noon community near our Cape Town refinery, Chevron funded the renovation and restocking of the Inkwenkwezi Secondary School library. The project included remodeling the library, installing information technology systems, new audiovisual equipment and new curriculum materials. Chevron also funds the employment of a librarian and an assistant.
Chevron has also funded the construction of a new library facility at Du Noon Primary School and a full-time librarian.
In partnership with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Chevron funds a 14-week School Incubator program that uses cutting-edge technology to improve teaching techniques for math and science. The program follows a unique technology-based teaching method and provides an effective learning model for 11th and 12th grades.
Health
We support the Du Noon Community Home-Based Care Centre, which provides home care visits and basic meals for homebound people living with HIV/AIDS. Better nutrition can make antiretroviral treatments more effective and improve patients' overall health. Chevron also provided caregivers with project management training to ensure the program remains sustainable and can be run by the community.
Chevron partnered with the North Star Alliance to start a roadside wellness clinic at the Caltex truck stop in Cato Ridge, along one of the busiest transportation routes in Africa. The initiative focuses on transport workers, a group identified as being one of the most at-risk categories for sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
In partnership with the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, Chevron also funds the Kethuphila Youth Centre, which offers youth health services in addition to study and recreational facilities. The aim is to curb high-risk sexual behavior, answer concerns around HIV testing and address feelings of vulnerability among youth in the Masiphumelele Township.
Cancervive, a Chevron-funded cancer awareness program, aims to educate South Africans about cancer and to promote early detection. Twenty-five cancer survivors visit local communities in small towns and schools across the country.
Community and Economic Development
We also support the Amy Biehl Foundation, which offers children from impoverished communities hope for a brighter future. Programs provide educational and cultural activities that help young people cope with negative influences in their daily lives, such as HIV/AIDS, poverty, gangs, violence and crime.
Our efforts to help build stronger communities now extend to projects that can generate employment. Chevron works to create job opportunities and supports small business development and income-generating projects for women and youth.
Chevron supports Intervention with Microfinance for AIDS & Gender Equity (IMAGE). The purpose of the IMAGE program is to improve the economic condition and independence of women, reduce vulnerability to both HIV and gender-based violence, and foster robust community mobilization to address common concerns. Based in South Africa, IMAGE is a community-centered intervention initiative that combines micro financing with a gender and HIV training curriculum known as Sisters for Life.
Our Cape Town Refinery has started a trade skills program in conjunction with the Northlink Training College and Emprotrain. Together we train about 200 men and women per year from Du Noon and other nearby communities in basic trade skills and provide "learnerships"—similar to apprenticeships—that teach skills useful in refinery work.
Updated: April 2013
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