Over 20 Sodexo employees participated in an online tutoring programme as part of Sodexo’s charitable foundation Stop Hunger. Sodexo’s volunteering policy enables its employees three paid volunteering days each year.
In October 2021 a new opportunity was opened for employees to sign up to provide valuable reading support to schoolchildren aged between five and seven-years-old in the Middlesbrough area. For young people to escape poverty and food insecurity, reading is a basic and essential skill.
Research shows that the attainment gap is largest for children and young people eligible for free school meals (Education Endowment Foundation). By improving literacy skills for children, the project gives children the foundation for a broader education, which can help improve the life chances and financial independence of individuals.
Claire Atkins Morris, corporate responsibility director for Sodexo UK & Ireland said: “At Sodexo we believe everyone should have the same opportunity to get on in life, no matter who you are, where you are from or where you are living. Our volunteers looked forward to the 30 minutes every week and were able to see the improvement in not only their reading ability, but in their confidence and discovering that reading can be fun.”