Bringing aid to the communities affected by Cyclone Idai

In March 2019, one of the worst tropical cyclones in African history smashed into Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi on the east coast of southern Africa.  The cyclone was classed as a Category 3 and raged for 17 days. It left over 1,200 people dead and countless missing, and ultimately affected an estimated 2.8 million people who lost their homes, possessions, and livelihoods.

Hatch client, Kenmare Resources, has an operation in Mozambique and donated R30,000 to relief efforts. They invited Hatch to match that amount, which we were happy to do.

But we were sure more could be done. A call was put out to employees to help, and with the usual Hatch commitment to creating positive change, clothing, food, and blankets came pouring in from employees all over South Africa.

These donations were handed over to the Gift of the Givers Foundation and the Salvation Army, two of the many organizations managing the logistics of packing, transporting, and distributing thousands of tons of donations and ensuring they reached the families most in need.

This wasn’t all. Our employees not only dug deep into their cupboards, but deep into their pockets as well. An incredible R29,200 in monetary donations was made to aid relief efforts. This was also matched by Hatch, and the total of R58,400 is being used for ongoing efforts to assist survivors to rebuild their lives.