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In the run-up to this year’s Mandela Day, taking place tomorrow, four community organisations were challenged to an ‘Amazing Race’ to raise funds. Christina Kennedy chats to them
Inspired by former president Nelson Mandela’s example, local nonprofit organisations took a three-week challenge to become catalysts for change in their communities – while learning how to do things for themselves instead of relying on handouts.
They were responding to an unusual proposal from Southern Africa Trust, an independent agency that supports poverty relief initiatives in the region, while lobbying for public policy that heeds the voices of the poor.
The trust suggested raising funds for a project of the organisation’s choice, promising “to match the amount raised in each case to a maximum of R25 000”.
The challenge was taken up by organisations based in townships – three in Tshwane and one in Mpumalanga.
“The idea behind our proposal was for the organisations to show self-sustainability, instead of continually going cap in hand to the various state and donor aid agencies,” says the trust’s grants officer Tumiso Chepape.
The four groups that each set off on their own “Amazing Race” were iCare, a nonprofit body dealing with education, poverty and family-related problems, based in Hammanskraal; Udumo Entertainers, a dance and theatre group based in Mamelodi West; Vukani Community Development Organisation, an after-school care and feeding scheme for vulnerable children in New Eersterus; and Enrich Africa, an organisation based in Emalahleni that educates pupils about issues such as drugs and climate change through an after-school programme and a high school newspaper.
Stanley Khoza, the “vision leader” at iCare, says they decided to raise money to buy school uniforms for disadvantaged children countrywide, starting in Kagiso.
“Something seemingly simple, such as a proper uniform, can make the world of difference to a pupil’s sense of dignity and self-confidence,” he says.
“How can we expect a child to participate in school if they do not have proper underwear?” asked Khoza, adding that poverty could block the mind from thinking out loud.
iCare mapped out a clear vision and “sold” it to businesses – securing donations from clothing stores and pledges from companies and individuals, collectively worth about R52 000.
“We want to help at least 2 000 kids stay in school, taking forward Mandela’s legacy of having vision and leadership. If one man was able to do so much, how can we, as the youth, sit back and do nothing?” Khoza asks.
“We learnt a lot from the initiative. We do not want to rely on donors, but rather, to host our own events and raise money so we can take on the world.
We are already working on the next event, so we do not lose the experience we have gained. We are now ready for bigger things – we have found our mojo.”
Meanwhile, iCare has entered into talks with broadcasters to film a 13-episode inspirational series, titled Changing Lives, to capture the innovative spirit and ideas of the contesting organisations.
Two young, driven and passionate youngsters who want to make a difference in Mamelodi through the arts are Mondli Goqo and Dumisani Ntanzi of Udumo Entertainers.
Goqo, the organisation’s founder and managing director, says after completing matric in 2010, he realised young people in the townships “had too much free time”.
“If we keep them busy, they will forget about drugs.”
This is how Udumo was established to get children off the streets to do something fun and constructive.
“We teach kids how to dance at our local recreational centre,” says Goqo.
“After school, we do homework with them for 30 minutes, then they spend two hours dancing – from Zulu and African contemporary to township dance and hip-hop. Mamelodi is very poor, so we do it for free.”
For Mandela Day, they will stage a musical titled Udumo – Be Aware! at their local rehabilitation centre using music, drama and dance to highlight the dangers of drug abuse.
Members of Udumo – mostly drawn from schools in the area – will also pitch in to clean the centre.
“The [drug abuse] problem is huge in our community. It is mainly nyaope, and it is affecting mostly young people our age,” says Ntanzi.
“The parents are aware of the positive impact our dance programme is having on their kids, especially since they come to us straight from school, which is preventing them from doing other [possibly self-destructive] things.”
They put on a show in Mamelodi to raise funds for the Southern Africa Trust’s challenge, and were thrilled to bring in more than R9 000 from tickets that cost just R25 each. They expect to double that with the money from the trust.
Now they can buy costumes for the budding dancers to take their fledgling dance studio to the next level.
Goqo says they gained a new sense of purpose and professionalism during the project.
“Working with the trust taught us that we do not have to rely on sponsors or on doing proposals – we can make money ourselves.”
Another award-winning programme involved Agnes Seanego and Moses Kubaye’s organisation at Vukani centre in New Eersterus, which is plagued by poverty and unemployment.
The two are professional caregivers and volunteers, who provide support to about 350 orphaned and vulnerable children aged between six and 18.
The aftercare centre offers children sports, arts and culture activities, counselling and help with their homework. It also provides them with a decent meal – the only one for the day for many of them.
“Some of them ask us for mealie meal to take home,” Seanego says, adding that children often knock on her door at the weekend with empty tummies, begging for food.
She was among those who started Vukani in 2004, in response to the national HIV and Aids epidemic that saw thousands of children orphaned.
“Some children were living with their grannies, and we stepped in to provide childcare and support,” she says.
Today, many of those Aids-orphaned children are entering their teens – and need to learn how to live responsibly and healthily with HIV.
The two recalled with sorrow how they recently buried several children in their care, who had died unnecessarily of Aids-related complications because they had not been tested, diagnosed and put on antiretroviral treatment.
Currently, the centre gets a grant from the department of social development – but this covers only 100 children. For the other 250, they needed to raise funds on their own.
Kubaye says it was tough to drum up money in three weeks, and that they were “disappointed” with the response from local businesspeople – but learnt valuable lessons.
They raised R7 000 (which will be matched by the trust) to buy food parcels for the children after Mandela Day.
“We have organised a cake and will cook a special meal for them after school on Mandela Day,” says Seanego.
“The trust opened our eyes,” says Kubaye. “We need to advertise on Facebook and Twitter, and teach our community to do things themselves, so they do not need to depend on us.”
Latoya Maloma, a founding member of Enrich Africa, which mentors and inspires pupils in Emalahleni, says the organisation raised R33 700 during a recent “breakfast with a twist” event that was part of its community fundraising challenge.
“We invited local business leaders, pupils, teachers and community members to the breakfast to spread awareness about what we do. The venue was sponsored and breakfast was subsidised by local businesses. People were asked to pledge R100 per child for breakfast. Some sponsored up to 10 kids and others donated afterwards,” says Maloma.
She adds that the funds raised – plus the R25 000 from the trust – will be used to help develop the Enrich Africa education portal, which will feature online teaching and learning resources.
The trust hopes to continue helping empower nonprofit organisations to improve their fundraising abilities – teaching them how to fish, as the proverb goes.
This story is part of City Press’ third series on African philanthropy in partnership with the Southern Africa Trust
