As part of its 30th anniversary celebrations in Mauritius, leading investor services group IQ-EQ has renewed its commitment to supporting local NGOs in Mauritius, announcing a new sponsorship of the NGO “Sponsor a Child” by providing educational support, and renewing its partnerships with “I Can School” and “Reef Conservation”.
Speaking at an event held at the IQ-EQ office in Port Louis on 13 October 2022, Feroz Hematally, Chair of the IQ-EQ Mauritius CSR Committee, highlighted that IQ-EQ has been playing an active role in the community through supporting a range of local NGOs, including SOS Children’s Villages, Les Amis de Zippy, M-Kids Organisation, and the Medcare Academy, among others.
He explained that IQ-EQ has also been actively supporting the National Blood Transfusion Service and the Ministry of Health & Wellness, where the company held its second blood donation drive of the year in early October, which across the year had brought in total 200 donors to donate over 100 pints of blood. Feroz commented that: “At IQ-EQ we are not just a financial hub but we are also giving back life to our community on our 30th anniversary.”
Support to “Sponsor a Child”
In terms of new initiatives forming part of the 30th anniversary celebrations, Feroz announced that IQ-EQ would be supporting “Sponsor a Child”, an NGO which supports children with educational needs who are in schools and colleges in Mauritius and Rodrigues.
IQ-EQ will provide sponsorship to 30 students in difficulty up to tertiary education, with the support amounting to over MUR 1 million over the next three years.
Sponsorship of “I Can School”
IQ-EQ also reaffirmed its support for children with special needs through its continuing support for “I Can School” which helps children with autism and disabilities to develop their creativity and basic skills. IQ-EQ has recently sponsored the school in moving to a new facility, where it helped with plumbing and painting, and where it will now be offering further support with the purchase of pedagogic tools, electric supplies and security doors.
Commenting on the support received by IQ-EQ, Vrinda Luchmaya, Head of “I Can School”, said: “With the help of IQ-EQ and other sponsors we have made it. We are very happy that the school is going to continue and that every child has a place.”
Partnering with “Reef Conservation”
Reiterating its support for the environment, IQ-EQ has organised two beach clean-ups in collaboration with the NGO “Reef Conservation” to collect and recycle wastes on beaches in the North of Mauritius. Boat trips were also organised to educate and sensitise IQ-EQ staff members on the island’s marine environment.
IQ-EQ is now renewing its partnership with Reef Conservation to sponsor the Eco School project for students of Rodrigues.
Reaffirming IQ-EQ’s commitment to the community
Commenting on IQ-EQ’s support for local NGOs and communities, Sridhar Nagarajan, Regional Managing Director, said:
“For an organisation like IQ-EQ that is celebrating 30 years in Mauritius, it is the contribution of our people that counts both for our business and for the community. We understand that the community has invested a lot in its people and, with 650 employed locally, we are benefitting a lot from that.”
“It is also vital for us to work with the right partners, as I am pleased to say we are doing with the important organisations that we are supporting.”
“I believe that our engagement in the community must be two-pronged. It should be sustainable and our staff should be involved in it. Our core should be how we engage with the community and if we do that then the rest should fall into place,” he concluded.
