Since its inception in 1995, Overstrand has been an active participant in the Department of Environmental Affairs' Working for Water (WfW) programme, recognised globally as one of the most outstanding environmental conservation initiatives on the African continent. The WfW regards the development of people as an essential element of environmental conservation, and by offering short-term clearing jobs aims to create an enabling environment for skills training that will help to empower communities.
With funding from the Department of Environmental Affairs, the WfW extended this initiative in 2013 by introducing an Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) project intended to assess and improve the literacy and numeracy levels of its beneficiaries and contractors.
Recently, its commitment towards furthering the development of WfW beneficiaries, high level of professionalism and excellent cooperation with the service provider earned Overstrand the Christine Fortuin Memorial Award as ABET Client of the Year. A well-deserved accolade indeed given that those who sat for the exam achieved a hundred percent pass rate and, with the encouragement of the municipality, managed to ensure that the WfW project remained fully operational throughout.
On being handed the trophy during the council meeting on Thursday 26 February, Mayor Nicolette Botha-Guthrie congratulated Stephen Muller and Liezl Bezuidenhout respectively Director and Manager Environmental Services, on their team’s success and lauded all involved for their commitment to this initiative.
On the picture from left: Mayor Ald Nicolette Botha-Guthrie, Liesl Bezuidenhoud Manager Environmental Services, and Tracy Sampson Working for Water project manager, Coenie Groenwald Municipal Manager and Stephen Muller Director Infrastructure and Planning.