Experian Data Quality, a leading provider of data quality software and services, recently sent employees to South Africa on an immersion trip with Ubuntu Education Fund and announced its sponsorship of a financial literacy program for 2,000 children. Ubuntu is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to fundamentally transforming the lives of children and their families in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.  

“Ubuntu does invaluable work in their community working to eliminate childhood poverty,” said Thomas Schutz, SVP general manager of Experian Data Quality. “They provide holistic support from healthcare to postgraduate programming that impacts every element of a child’s life. Our employees have been excited to support this organization and physically see the impact on the community.”

Experian Data Quality employees spent time gaining an understanding of the Port Elizabeth community and working closely with local children. They split their time between the Ubuntu Centre and the SOS Children’s Village, a place where children who have lost parental care can grow in supportive communities and receive family-based care.

“I was thrilled to go to South Africa and see the work Ubuntu is doing first hand,” said Emily Karam, marketing specialist at Experian Data Quality. “The most impressive part about Ubuntu is how agile it is in responding to the needs of the community, always looking to re-evaluate programs and listen to the needs of the people of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It is very apparent that Ubuntu’s employees and volunteers have immense passion for what they are doing, and after watching them in action, I now share that passion.”

In addition to the trip to South Africa, Experian^® has shown its support for Ubuntu through financial contributions. Employees contributed $18,000 directly to the organization last year, and Experian recently awarded Ubuntu a $50,000 grant to fund a financial literacy program. This is part of a global effort by Experian to make a difference in the communities it serves.

“This new grant is bolstering our transformative financial literacy programs, as well as allowing us to launch the cross-program Financial Literacy Initiative,” said Jordan Levy, chief external relations officer, Ubuntu Education Fund. “This program will enhance our sustainable model, empowering children and their families with the tools they need to achieve healthy, stable futures. We will offer courses at three different levels, allowing for personalized, effective education catered to the capacity of the individuals in the class. Together, we will ensure that 2,000 disadvantaged children and their families are placed on a pathway out of poverty.”

Ubuntu Education Fund

Ubuntu Education Fund is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to providing vulnerable children in the townships of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, what all children deserve — everything. By integrating into the community and taking a comprehensive holistic approach, Ubuntu ensures that children in Port Elizabeth receive support from cradle to career. Currently providing more than 2,000 children and each of their family members with world-class health care, long-term education support and household counselling, Ubuntu ensures that each child can grow into a healthy and successful adult. For 15 years, Ubuntu has worked to create an environment where people in Port Elizabeth have all the resources needed to achieve their personal and professional goals, breaking the cycle of poverty for generations to come. Ubuntu Education Fund is a registered nonprofit organization in SA, U.S., and UK. For more information, please visit http://www.ubuntufund.org/.

About Experian Data Quality

Experian Data Quality is a global leader in providing data quality software and services to organizations of all sizes. We help our clients to proactively manage the quality of their data through world-class validation, matching, enrichment and profiling capabilities. With flexible software-as-a-service and on-premise deployment models, Experian Data Quality software allows organizations around the world to truly connect with their customers by delivering intelligent interactions, every time.

Established in 1990, with offices throughout the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific, Experian Data Quality has more than 13,500 clients worldwide in retail, finance, education, insurance, government, healthcare and other sectors. For more information, visit https://www.edq.com.

About Experian

We are the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to our clients around the world. We help businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making.

We also help people to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft. In 2015, we were named by Forbes magazine as one of the “World’s Most Innovative Companies.”

We employ approximately 17,000 people in 37 countries and our corporate headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and São Paulo, Brazil.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended March 31, 2015, was US$4.8 billion.

To find out more about our company, please visit http://www.experianplc.com or watch our documentary, “Inside Experian.”