Seypec’s ‘We Care’ policy |28 June 2019
Continual support to children with special needs
The helping hand to the needier is a gesture well anchored in the work culture at Seypec (Seychelles Petroleum Company) both at corporate and staff levels. This is best epitomised by the continual support to the School for the Exceptional Child. Over the years the partnership has taken shape in different aspects ranging from donation of equipment to fund-raising or beautification of the school’s premises. The original bearing of the corporate social support is that it is not only the company which shows the solidarity to the school; the staff members of Seypec are actively present as volunteers to help in demonstrating their care.
During the past few months, employees at all levels regularly joined hands during their off days to work on the schoolyard beautification in time for its 25th anniversary this month. General managers, supervisors, office and factory workers of Seypec were all holding paintbrushes or garden tools to show this ‘citizen social responsibility’ towards the special needs students.
“This project illustrates the continuous collaborative efforts between the School for the Exceptional Child and our company,” Seypec’s chief executive Conrad Benoiton says. “This is in line with the sustainable development goal the company has set out to support children with special needs, help them overcome learning barriers, enhance their accessibility and independence in the school and at home as well as to realise their vision.”
Staff volunteers of Seypec have planted over 100 flower plants and fruit trees in the gardens surrounding the school. The plants were graciously donated by the Landscape & Waste Management Agency (LWMA) as well as the Seychelles National Parks Authority (SNPA) to whom Seypec is very grateful.
“It is with great emotion and enthusiasm that all our colleagues have participated in this on-going beautification project,” Unice Romain, general manager, corporate and human resources at Seypec tells Seychelles NATION. “They feel proud to be able to share some of their free time to perform a job that is heart-lifting. We value such actions among our staff as we look forward to sustain the school through similar activities in the future. We were all so happy to participate in the 25th anniversary celebrations last week.”
Seypec has also recently contracted a private landscaper to ensure the continued beautification of the school yard all year round with its compound always remaining maintained, bright and beautiful. Furthermore, works for the re-tiling of the main hall were successfully done and a fresh coat of paint was given to the school building, while new sign boards were also installed all in time for the anniversary celebrations.
On the curriculum front, Seypec continued its equipment improvement programme this year again. Last week, to coincide with its 25th anniversary, the school received a whole range of learning tools especially for students with sight problems. This included a specialised laptop handed to blind student Tanie Samedi. Other Braille machines and Braille books as well as a talking clock for blind students were handed over to the school together with a bath bed for the severely disabled.
“We always want to uphold our pledge to the school,” Josie Michaud-Payet, Seypec’s communication and PR specialist comments. “We want our commitment to the school to make a positive difference in the lives of these special children. Irrespective of disability, our company wants all children throughout the school to have access to sensory experiences at various levels and Seypec staff are always researching ways of reaching out to the most disabled pupils and getting them involved independently.”
Another useful project was the training course organised by Seypec to train the teaching staff of the school in dealing with children requiring special needs. A lecturer from the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE) was hired to direct the sessions and during the anniversary ceremony certificates were handed out to all the participants. Altogether 40 teachers benefitted from this training – 20 from the School for the Exceptional Child and 20 others from the Ministry of Education.
This fruitful partnership with the school started in 2015, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Seypec when it decided to adopt the School for the Exceptional Child. Since then, the desire to assist the school has continuously been renewed with the same vigour and enthusiasm to give the students, teachers and administrative staff more tools for development. ‘We Care’ programme is therefore here to stay for long!
Heidi Francourt – Head Teacher:
‘I am extremely grateful to Seypec for its partnership with the school. Seypec is not only a sponsor but a very passionate one. I appreciate the compassion and care that the employees of the company show towards the school and the students for which we are very thankful. The donations are always very thoughtful and contribute in improving the quality of lives and education of both our students and teachers equally. We greatly value this support.’
Sheila Ciseau – Mother of Siera:
“My little Siera is a bubbly and happy child. She loves dressing up and likes beautiful things and she is very happy with the new facelift of the school and the bright colours around. The contribution towards the school will surely bring another level of joy to my child. Thank you to the team at Seypec.
“Today we are very happy and grateful to Seypec for having sponsored us this training. Before that we were not so skilled in dealing with children with different disabilities. With the training we are now more confident to better educate and take care of them. We look forward to further this kind of training so that we continue to improve in our care. Thank you very much on behalf of all the 20 teachers who benefitted from the training.”
