Fairheads Benefit Services wins IRFA Best Practice Award for guardian roadshows

Fairheads Benefit Services has been awarded the IRFA Best Practice award for its groundbreaking grassroots communication initiative, the Guardian Roadshow.

The Guardian Roadshow is an annual member outreach which Fairheads, as Southern Africa’s leading independent service provider of beneficiary funds, has successfully executed over the past nine years.

The Guardian Roadshow takes the form of a series of workshops conducted in central venues in locations across South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique. The workshops provide a platform for clients to be educated about how beneficiary funds work, the various role players involved, the policies and procedures of the fund and the service channels available to them.

The face-to-face interaction allows for two-way communication, with the client having the opportunity to raise queries and concerns and the administrator and funds gaining insight into the clients’ realities and the challenges they face.

Giselle Gould, Director: Business Development at Fairheads Benefit Services, said: “We are delighted to be recognised by the industry for this grassroots communication project. The workshop presentations are conducted in the vernacular of the region, making the information more accessible to clients. Communication is in plain language as far as possible, with the presenter being able to use anecdotes and examples that speak to people in terms of their culture and community.

“Low literacy levels amongst clients mean that this verbal communication holds far greater value than written communication and clients don’t feel intimidated due to lack of understanding.”