Giving Tuesday 2021

Written by Henry Findlater

Today is Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving celebrated by non-profits, corporations, and donors alike. Global Giving, a founding partner of Giving Tuesday, has championed this day of fundraising since its inception in 2012 to help the non-profit community make the most of every giving season. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving in the US and the well-known shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the UK, Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to harness the generosity of people around the world to bring about real change in communities.

Here at MASECO, we have always been big believers in the ‘doing well by doing good’ philosophy. As the first financial services B Corp in the UK, we have always been committed to creating real environmental and societal benefits and proving that businesses can be a force for good.

In recognition of Giving Tuesday, we highlight some of our charitable initiatives and how we give back to both the local community and the wider world, demonstrating that companies can reflect the values of their people and be a force for a positive change in the world.

MASECO sponsors and fundraises for LondonSports, the UK’s largest youth baseball and softball league

For the past four years, MASECO has been the lead sponsor of the league and has organised and hosted charity softball tournaments. This year, we hosted a charity event on 25th June in aid of and in partnership with LondonSports, co-sponsored by seven other firms in the US/UK ex-pat service business who we recruited as sponsors.

The tournament raised thousands for LondonSports and MASECO also donated to the league for general running expenses and to buy equipment. We strongly believe that in the age of technology, it is important that children have the opportunity to be outside in the fresh air and to participate in a team-based sport.

LondonSports is a participatory, non-competitive league and their goal is to give every player the chance to learn about the sport, improve their skills and develop self-confidence and self-esteem. We hope our annual contribution and annual event inspires other firms who participate to promote the league and its value amongst their clients.

Our charitable initiatives

Each time a new client comes on board at MASECO, we donate to causes close to our hearts. We donate to each of our three main charities per client.

• Msizi Africa – Each donation we make will feed a child for one month.
• Against Malaria Foundation – Each donation we make will buy five mosquito nets to help prevent the spread of malaria.
• Schistosomiasis Control Initiative – Each donation we make will help deliver treatment to 45 people.

Msizi Africa

Msizi Africa is a charity that helps feed orphaned children in Africa. The charity was founded in 2007, by British traveller Lucy Herron, after seeing the difference that good nutrition made to the lives and development of fifty children living in an orphanage, in Lesotho Africa. Since 2007, Msizi Africa have served over 3.03 million meals to orphans in need. They ensure that children receive nutritious meals and are supported and monitored.

By supporting Msizi Africa over time we have helped to: 

• Build 15 houses to date for vulnerable families 
• Supply over 1,000 school uniforms 
• Build a new dormitory, a sick bay and a playground at Mants’ase Children’s Home 
• Pay school fees to ensure vulnerable children can remain in school 
• Pay college fees to support teenagers through engineering and nursing courses 
• Support sporting talent by funding teenager’s football training 

The Against Malaria Foundation (AMF)

The Against Malaria Foundation (AMF)[1] is a charity that funds anti-malaria long-lasting insecticidal nets. The Against Malaria Foundation works closely with in-country partners to ensure the nets are distributed to beneficiaries as intended and used correctly and that ‘universal coverage’ is achieved i.e. every sleeping space is covered. Nets are the most effective way of preventing malaria (there is no vaccine) – if the mosquito cannot feed for 10–12 days she cannot reproduce therefore ‘breaking transmission’ and reducing the mosquito population and malaria levels.

• 200 million people fall ill and more than 400,000 die from malaria every year 
• Malaria is the one of the world’s most significant killers of pregnant women 
• 70% of the deaths are children under 5 

That’s the equivalent of two jumbo jets full of children under 5 dying from malaria every day.

AMF monitors net usage to ensure the nets continue to be used and surveys are carried out every nine months to assess their condition. Monthly malaria case rate data is gathered from health centres and used to indicate the impact the nets are making and determine where additional education is required.

Malaria is preventable and every net matters.

The SCI Foundation

The SCI Foundation[2] aims to improve the health of the poorest and most marginalised societies in the world through the elimination of parasitic worm infections.

The SCI Foundation have helped establish and grow programmes against parasitic worm infections in 15 sub-Saharan African countries where none previously existed, and now support the delivery of millions of treatments each year.

Parasitic worm infections affect people in the poorest and most marginalised communities in the world. They can impair child development, reduce school attendance and productivity, increase the risk of HIV in women and lead to infertility and internal organ damage.

Parasitic worm infections include schistosomiasis and intestinal worm infections. They affect people without access to clean water and sanitation and are estimated to infect over 1 billion people in some of the world’s poorest communities. The highest levels of infection are mostly found in school-age children.[3]

The Schistosomiasis Control Initiative was founded within Imperial College London in 2002. Thanks to 19 years of support from the College, the SCI has been able to grow from a small research group to its own standalone charity: SCI Foundation. SCI are helping those affected by parasitic worm infections receive treatment and care and they are educating communities to change their behaviours to reduce the risk of infection.

We don’t stop there!

At MASECO, we try and help as many people as we can. We also donate to local charities and fundraisers such as One Tree Planted and many other good causes. We are always looking for new ways to use our business as a force for good and we hope to continue to demonstrate our commitment to social and environmental responsibility.

[1] https://www.againstmalaria.com/
[2] https://schistosomiasiscontrolinitiative.org/
[3] Words from SCI Foundation Nov 2019