Nomkhita Nqweni, CEO of Absa Wealth and Investments, took part in the 702 Sun International CEO Sleepout last week Thursday (18 June 2015). The challenge saw a number of CEOs from around the country spending an evening on the streets of Johannesburg.
Nqweni explained: “I participated in the CEO Sleepout because as a citizen and a leader it is important for us to be the change that we want to see. Lending my voice and effort behind highlighting the plight of disenfranchised girls and boys while also investing in their future to be economically active citizens, is a responsibility and effort I am proud to be a part of.”
As an entity, Barclays Africa has contributed R800 000 to the fund raising initiative, which aims to raising money for Girls and Boys Town to help homeless and vulnerable children.
“Sleeping on the streets of Johannesburg helped me to have a more acute awareness of the plight of the homeless and also the risks for girl children and women. The experience has motivated me to do more to assist those in need, so we can achieve shared growth,” highlighted Nqweni.
He added: “This experience has taught me that as South Africans, when we collectively put our efforts behind an objective and cause, we can achieve impactful change. We should apply the social cohesion effort from this initiative to many other aspects of our socio economic challenges to help our country move forward.”
To read more about the challenge, click here.