Partner Content: How your lotto ticket changes lives

You buy a lotto ticket late on a Friday afternoon hoping that it will be the winning ticket and make all your dreams come true. But the simple act of buying that ticket is already helping to make other people’s dreams come true.

The National Lotteries Commission regulates lotteries in South Africa. Each year, they accept applications for grants from sporting, arts, cultural and charity organisations and allocated available funds to qualifying organisations.

In the past year the money you have spent on buying a lotto ticket has helped these organisations look after people in need, assisting aspiring sports stars and young artists.

It has also created more than 4 500 jobs in the process.

The National Lotteries Commission has helped 739 organisations, creating 4 845 jobs. Of these, 2 615 are permanent jobs and 2 230 were temporary jobs.

Women – adults and youths – were the overwhelming beneficiaries of the jobs created, with 3 354 employment opportunities going to them.

More than 3 000 jobs were created for adults, 1 753 for theyouth and fourjobs for people with disabilities.

Charities had the highest numberof jobs created at 3 704.

NLC BENEFICIARIES:

1. The Philani Nutrition Centres Trust in the Eastern Cape promotes family health, focusing on supporting pregnant mothers, prevention of child malnutrition and the rehabilitation of underweight children.

The organisation is committed to limiting the suffering of families infected and affected by HIV and preventing its spread.

A National Lotteries Commission (NLC) grant of R5 million has helped it to upgrade existing – and expand – new infrastructure across the province.

2. The Bokone Community Home-Based Care and Early Childhood Development (ECD) in Gauteng received a grant of R1 779 000 million for operational costs and infrastructure development.

It provides a feeding scheme for 613 schoolkids and home-based care and a drop-in centre for 226 people.

It has employed 177 people as home-based caregivers, gardeners, street sweepers and ECD helpers.

3. After more than 20 schools were destroyed in the 2016 uprisings in Vuwani, the NLC received a request for assistance from Vhafamadi Secondary School.

The Charities Distributing Agency of the NLC considered the request and recommended a contribution towards rebuilding the school under the proactive funding programme, which allows the NLC to address pressing needs with immediacy. The funding was directed towards building 20 classrooms; a library; a computer lab; a science laboratory; a kitchen; and a school hall. A palisade fence was installed to minimise vandalism.

4. Mpumalanga Province Swimming is a provincial swimming federation and custodian of all water-related sports in Mpumalanga. It is responsible for regulations, membership registration and hosting aquatic competitions. It helps develop swimmers, coaches, clubs and officials.

An NLC grant of R853 000 helped the federation to upgrade existing infrastructure and cater for expansions.

5. The first five years of a child’s life form the foundation for the rest of their lives. The NLC’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) Legacy Project aims to strengthen the foundations of early learning via a holistic approach to facilities, infrastructure and support services. ECD was recognised as a key area to reduce the inherent inequalities that South African children face in their communities.

The Oasis Skills Development Centre in Upington was funded under the ECD Legacy Project. It is a special-needs ECD, which also runs skills development programmes for disabled persons.

Oasis was one of more 200 ECD centres that received funding and one of 15 in the Northern Cape. Due to its unique needs, Oasis received funding of R5 million for a new building.

6. In North West the Kgaratlho Project for the Blind offers a socioeconomic empowerment project to help develop the skills of people with disabilities and, at the same time, generate income to alleviate poverty. It provides care, support and protection for people with visual disability. It also conducts awareness and advocacy campaigns. An NLC grant of R357 000 has help the project to fulfil their key objectives and reach the needs of disadvantaged community members living with the disability.

7. The West Coast Fossil Park is a museum and visitor’s centre based at the fossil park site at Langebaanweg, Western Cape.

NLC funding of R67 million was granted in 2009 and paid in three tranches, with the final tranche paid out in 2015. Activities catered for include educational digs, research digs, improvement to facilities, construction of a museum, park transport and capital costs, among others.

Fossil deposits of extinct animals dating back about 5.2 million years ago were uncovered during phosphate mining in the area. The fossil site has since become world renowned for its exceptionally well-preserved fossil remains. Fossils discovered at the site include extinct animals such as saber-toothed cats, short-necked giraffes and hunting hyenas, which once roamed the West Coast.

The museum building is complete and is a state of the art building befitting the funds granted by the NLC.

This project is reported by City Press and paid for by the National Lotteries Commission

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL LOTTERIES COMMISSION