As we go through this global pandemic together, it is the little things we miss. A high five, a handshake, a walk with loved ones… right now, there’s one little thing we all need to do – stay home and stay safe. However, while this little – microscopic, in fact – virus wreaks havoc on our world, our opportunity to make a collective impact has never been greater. Now’s the time to do our bit. Sanlam
is committed to making a difference.

To date, outside of South Africa, the Sanlam Group and its partners have pledged close to $12 million to COVID-19 relief efforts across the 33 countries in which they operate.

The group has called on its corporate contemporaries across the continent to do all they can. Heinie Werth, Group Executive: Corporate Affairs and Services at Sanlam Emerging Markets (SEM), says, “Now is the moment to make a real tangible financial contribution to the cause if you can. Economies are on their knees. All around us, people are suffering. The situation is dire. We’re on a precipice where we have the chance to change lives and save lives.”

As a business deeply interwoven in the countries in which it operates, Sanlam is proactively taking steps to ensure these regions are equipped to effectively respond to the coronavirus and its economic and societal aftermath.

Werth says the task may feel overwhelming, “African economies require significant packages of monetary and fiscal stimulus given the challenges currently being faced. These cannot be achieved by anyone entity alone. A crisis like this calls for strong partnerships between all sectors of society. It is uniting us in a common cause and bringing out the best and purest aspects of our humanity. Large and small acts of compassion and kindness are happening all the time – often unseen. But we believe we can do more. Business has a crucial role to play.”

Now is the moment to make a real tangible financial contribution to the cause if you can. Economies are on their knees. All around us, people are suffering. The situation is dire. We’re on a precipice where we have the chance to change lives and save lives.

He adds that Sanlam Emerging Markets (SEM) and its partners had identified meaningful ways to contribute to relief. Some of the initiatives include:

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  • Sanlam Uganda has donated US$75 000 to the Government of Uganda’s National COVID-19
    Response Fund
  • Sanlam Namibia contributed R1 million to the SEM donation
  • MCIS Life has donated personal protective equipment to Sabah’s medical society in Malaysia
  • BIHL set aside P4.5 million for the Botswana Government’s COVID-19 Relief Fund

Many of these initiatives require further support. “We encourage our peers to join us. Every contribution counts.”

“Our hearts go out to everyone affected by COVID-19. We know that this virus is having an unprecedented impact on the world, in many ways we cannot yet see. We are committed to doing everything within our power to support South Africans and Africans during this chapter. We will continue to contribute economically. We will support our clients, our staff, and our partners in whatever ways we can. We will actively seek initiatives we know can make a difference.”

Resilience stems from solidarity. Werth concludes, “We need to come together. We need to do our bit. We all miss the little things. But we can make a bigger difference now than we ever thought possible.”