Children’s Green, Sport and Arts Affinities

NELSON MANDELA CHILDREN’S FUND

Since its inception in 1994 the NMCF has disbursed nearly R315 million to approximately 1 850 projects supporting children and youth. In the past year the Nelson Mandela Children’s fund distributed nearly R38,5 million to nearly 100 projects in all nine provinces.

Since the launch of the Nedbank Children’s Affinity, Nedbank has donated over R15 million to
the NMCF. For the 2008 year the amount donated to the NMCF grew by 46% to nearly R4,5 million (2007: R3,1 million).

CHILDREN’S WELLBEING Strengthening families and communities to mitigate the impact of both HIV/Aids and child abuse. This programme focuses on children living on the street, court support, refugee children, early-childhood care development and also alternative models of care. For the period under review the programme successfully facilitated a local plan of action for the children in Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape, the implementation of a youth development programme in the Western Cape that facilitates discussion and uses experiential development activities to help young people understand their self- destructive behaviour, learn from each other and walk the journey to healing and recovery. It also included supporting young people in distress.

 

Umtata Child Abuse Resource Centre

Formed in 1996 as a collaboration between social workers, doctors, human rights lawyers, nurses, religious ministers and the community, the centre focuses on the prevention of child abuse and neglect and provides a broad range of services in response to the challenges faced by children when they are the victims of abuse and neglect. Funds provided through the NMCF are utilised for prevention and awareness of abuse, ongoing research, networking and training.

 

CARE FOR ORPHANED AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN (GOELAMA)

Its key focus areas are to look after orphaned and vulnerable children, and provide them with regional advocacy.

 

Far North Healthcare Centre

The aim of this community-based organisation is to address the social ills of HIV/Aids and other pathologies that hamper the total development of human potential and enhancement of life. Funds provided through the NMCF are applied to strengthen households, community systems, and integrated local government response and behaviour change.

 

Kingdom Trust

This faith-based organisation in Burgersfort works to address the social and spiritual needs of the communities it serves through varied approaches and services including home visits, access to legal documents, spiritual care, counselling and parental guidance, with a particular focus on child-headed households. The organisation’s goal is to build and mobilise communities to establish and sustain a community-based care and support system. The project aims to generate income and to assist communities with accessing governmental services.

 

LEADERSHIP AND EXCELLENCE

To provide youth and children with the opportunities that will enhance their leadership skills in economic, sport, arts and culture, and community participation as volunteers and positive rolemodels.

For 2008 funds provided through the NMCF helped facilitate access to information centres for youth living in poor urban communities, to improve economic and academic situations as well as entrepreneurship models.

Mangaung University of the Free State Community Partnership

The Mangaung University of the Free State Community Partnership (MUCPP) sports programme is to ‘find and develop more people like Nelson Mandela’. MUCPP offers an integrated programme of community healthcare, education and training, youth activities, and economic development to the community of Manguang and its outlying informal settlements.

Sport is an ideal tool to use to communicate with young people – messages about safe behaviour, good health and positive attitudes to the opposite sex can all take root when linked to sporting activities. Participation in sport can also help young people build confidence and self-esteem – they grow to believe in themselves and in doing so become rolemodels for other young people.

Some of the challenges faced by the community include the rising incidence of HIV-infection, increased teenage pregnancy and the use of alcohol.

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

This includes providing youth with skills that create opportunities for them to engage in economic activities with confidence and appropriate skills. It is about entrepreneurship, skills development and helping the youth with access to information.

 

DISABILITY

One of its key tasks is to ensure that children and youth living with disabilities are part of mainstream society. For the period under review the programme was able to promote caregiver training to centres in Gauteng and the Western Cape, thus improving the lives of children with disabilities and their families. One of the key challenges for children with disabilities is transportation – this inhibits access to societal activities. Other challenges included access to education and employment opportunities and access to government subsidies and assistance for children and youth with disabilities.

 

Ikhwezi Lokusa Home

This community-based project, initiated in 1994 by parents of children living with disabilities, facilitates capacity-building for various service providers, enabling them to provide holistic, integrated and value-adding services to children and youth living with disabilities.

Contact details:
The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Mpaki Pule, 21 Eastwold Way, Saxonwold, 2196, Johannesburg
Tel: +27 (0)11 274 5600	Email: mpakip@nmcf.co.za
Website: www.nelsonmandelachildrensfund.com	www.nedbankchildren.co.za