Nelson Mandela decided that his challenge after leaving office in 1999 would be to improve the lives of the poor. Since retiring, he has worked endlessly to involve major organisations and corporations in the upliftment of poor communities.
The majority of his projects are funded through the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF).
‘If you look at our children — we see futures cut short and potentials unrealised because of the lack of education. We have to take action on their behalf,” the former president has said. Heeding his call, Nedbank has contributed more than R2-million to the fund since 1998.
General manager Anton de Souza says the bank’s contribution recognises the importance of this cause and the need for the lives of children to be improved. He says the partnership with Mandela has been to the advantage of the whole of South Africa.
Bonesa, a programme funded by Eskom and the Global Environment Facility, has contributed more than R1-million to the children’s fund. The programme is responsible for the Efficient Lighting Initiative (ELI), which encourages South Africans to save power, and it has been extended to benefit the children of South Africa.
‘Bonesa and the NMCF have joined forces to promote the use of energy-efficient lighting technologies. Approximately R1 from each sale of compact fluorescent lighting over the duration of the programme will be donated to the NMCF and the Nelson Mandela Foundation,” says Barry Bredenkamp, manager of the ELI programme in South Africa.
It has also installed energy-saving equipment in the paediatric ward of Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital.
Food and Trees for Africa, an NGO involved in the upliftment of Alexandra, planted a forest dedicated to the Nelson Mandela Foundation. CEO Jeunisse Park is enthusiastic about continuing the relationship to help ‘green South Africa”.
Many schools have benefited from Mandela’s partnership with organisations. Most projects are concentrated in the underdeveloped Eastern Cape, specifically Transkei, Mandela’s place of birth.
Allied Electronics Corporation (Altron) collaborated with Mandela through The Bill Venter Foundation to build three schools for rural Transkei children at a cost of R2-million each.
One of the schools was built in 2001 in Elliotdale, officially the poorest town in South Africa. Altron also built the Bafazi School for 450 pupils who attended classes in three mud huts. In another joint enterprise with Madiba, Absa Bank built the Mngazi School in the Libode district in the Eastern Cape.
Absa has sold Aids badges and raised more than R1-million for the children’s fund. Two years ago the bank built a community health centre, Mgwenyana Clinic, at a cost of R3-million in the same villages they contributed to earlier.
Mandela also requested that Vodacom, through the Vodacom Foundation, become involved in providing much-needed health care near Bizana in the Eastern Cape.
The foundation funded the construction of a modern clinic and school in AmaMpisi. Prior to this the 24 000-strong population had to trek to Bizana on foot for health care. The appeal, says Vodacom CEO Alan Knott-Craig, came ‘straight from the heart”. He says the foundation was motivated to give all the necessary resources, energy and enthusiasm at its disposal.
Responding to another request from Madiba, the Standard Bank Foundation was involved in the construction of the Sangoni Secondary School in Umtata.
The former president is particularly concerned about developing the necessary technical skills to bring South Africa in line with the technology of the rest of the world.
The Shuttleworth Foundation was more than willing to help after Mandela made a personal request to South Africa’s first astronaut, Mark Shuttleworth, to develop potential future African astronauts.
The foundation launched the Phambili Maths and Science Project at the Mkhwezo School, near Umtata, to train future engineers, physiologists and mathematicians.
‘Education is the key to unlocking the creative and intellectual potential of the South African youth, allowing them to live the dream that anything is possible,” says Shuttleworth of the project.
It is not only Eastern Cape schools that are benefiting from Mandela’s involvement.
Sasol built two schools in Secunda and Sasolburg (where its main plants are stationed) at his request, and invested R11-million in the schools’ projects as part of its 50th anniversary. It worked closely with the former president in handling the project.