Master Data Management achieves Level 2 BBBEE status through partnership with Passion to Serve

Master Data Management (MDM) is pleased to announce that it has achieved Level 2 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) status.

This was achieved in partnership with Passion to Serve, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) focused on addressing the challenges of unemployed youth. Passion to Serve is now a majority shareholder in MDM.

“The work done by organisations like Passion to Serve is critical to the future of our country. Through ensuring that a majority of our profits go to this deserving organisation, we are helping to uplift a broad community of previously disadvantaged persons in a meaningful way,” explains Gary Allemann, Managing Director of MDM.

Youth unemployment currently sits at 58.1%, a staggering figure that means that more than half of South Africa’s eligible workforce is not contributing toward economic development and sustainability. Passion to Serve was founded in October 2015 to help create opportunities for these individuals, who often have skills and training but lack the support structures necessary to find employment. The NGO’s goal is to improve the lives of previously disadvantaged youth, their families and vulnerable communities, specifically in the Cape Flats  area of the Western Cape.

“Learnerships are common practice in South Africa, but frequently once individuals have completed their training they remain unemployed. At Passion to Serve we are concerned about the future employment and employability of these vulnerable young people. We developed a model of psychosocial support alongside a very strong network of business partners who assist with work placements. Our shareholding in MDM enables us to fund many of our initiatives without outside support,” says Malcom Salida, Founder and Executive Director of Passion to Serve.

Through its shareholding in MDM, Passion to Serve hopes to solidify its support to areas like Lavender Hill and Cafda, where gang fights and deaths are almost a daily occurrence.

Many NGOs choose not to work in these areas due to the difficulty and  danger, making the work of Passion to Serve even more crucial. The organisation is also hoping to build an enclosed area for their offices and workshops in order to support groups and working groups can be held in a sheltered, functional space.

Without the support of organisations like Passion to Serve, many youth will remain unemployed and unemployable, a burden on their communities and the country.

Passion to Serve is looking to expand its model, which is fully endorsed by the government, to maximise the positive impact on the lives of the disadvantaged youth and society as a whole.