Globeleq donates vehicle

Help at hand

Globeleq’s Solar Power Plant in De Aar, South Africa, has donated a vehicle to the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR), based in the town which is believed to have the world’s highest incidence of foetal alcohol disorders.

The handover of the vehicle, which is valued at just over $30 000, took place during the official re-opening of the FARR/Joan Wertheim Centre in De Aar, which was also refurbished with the help of funding from the plant.

“We hope that the vehicle will help the Centre and its staff support the community of De Aar, who rely on their dedication and work against Foetal Alcohol Syndrome,” says Marion Green-Thompson, Economic Development Manager for the power plant.

A preventable disability

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the most common preventable form of mental disability in the world and is estimated to affect three million children in South Africa, with a significant percentage of them from the communities in and around De Aar.

The condition is linked to a mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy which affects the way the baby’s brain develops. Children born with FAS experience both mental and physical problems.

Improving lives

The FARR/Joan Wertheim Centre is a hub for experts, community workers and ordinary people who work to improve the lives of those affected by FAS, their families and caregivers.

“This community centre has an important role to play, offering its clients and the wider community a valued service and support by providing sustenance to a community in need,” says Marion.

Access to information and knowledge

FARR is also involved in training, education, research, prevention, support and management projects across South Africa.
“Our community at large understands that FAS is more common than Down’s syndrome, Spina bifida and Autism combined,” says Marion, “and that the damage to the unborn child is permanent and cannot be reversed.”
(Left to right in the photo: Leana Olivier, CEO of FARR with Bhekisizwe Landela, Solar Technician, De Aar Solar Power)