Wednesday 1 January 2020
A common question at the start of any meeting these days is “where has the year gone?” It is quite normal to lament the fast-paced passing of time around mid-Winter, but 2020 has been extraordinarily different, for many obvious and not so obvious reasons.
We have achieved so much since the first few weeks of the year. Casting our memory back to January, we were planning to host the African Advisory Board in Cape Town, a philanthropic leg of Save the Children’s UK office. That was a huge event in our 2020 calendar, and our forecast for the remainder of the year was just as big.
During that event in March, the first few cases of COVID-19 had already been reported in South Africa, and numbers started to climb steadily, but at that moment, the virus had not affected our programming and our focus was more to discuss the interruption it would cause to education and how it would affect already burdened health systems.
Then the unimaginable happened; South Africa was ordered into nation-wide lockdown for three weeks starting on 26 March, a lockdown that was extended and lifted only in basic increments since then. As soon as we received our essential services certificate, Save the Children South Africa (SCSA) has been working with partners to address systematic exclusion of vulnerable families by the state, we have been delivering food, health and hygiene packs, and psychosocial support for parents, caregivers and children.
That is where the year has gone. In our efforts to respond quickly, and without hesitation, we put our heads down and got moving. Partners like GSK, Henkel, the Do More Foundation, Nal’ibali, Discovery and iSchool Africa, have made it possible for us to keep working.
Now, within only a few short months left of the year, we invite you to take stock with us. The remaining4 months of 2020 will surely be testament to the work we can achieve for all children in South Africa. So, it is no surprise that we launch Sisonke – Philanthropy Matters now, to celebrate our achievements and set the path for 2021.
In this first edition, meet the partnerships team at Save the Children South Africa and learn about the various ways you can support our programs across South Africa. You will hear from the co-founder of Africa Legal, Wendy Bampton, on her journey with Save the Children, what we’ve been up to since the start of the South African nation-wide lock down and we invite you to journey through our 2024 strategy.
We look forward to working together to advance the rights of children across South Africa. Our team is always available and we look forward to our growing partnership. We have achieved so much since the first few weeks of the year. Casting our memory back to January, we were planning to host the African Advisory Board in Cape Town, a philanthropic leg of Save the Children’s UK office. That was a huge event in our 2020 calendar, and our forecast for the remainder of the year was just as big.
During that event in March, the first few cases of COVID-19 had already been reported in South Africa, and numbers started to climb steadily, but at that moment, the virus had not affected our programming and our focus was more to discuss the interruption it would cause to education and how it would affect already burdened health systems.
Then the unimaginable happened; South Africa was ordered into nation-wide lockdown for three weeks starting on 26 March, a lockdown that was extended and lifted only in basic increments since then. As soon as we received our essential services certificate, Save the Children South Africa (SCSA) has been working with partners to address systematic exclusion of vulnerable families by the state, we have been delivering food, health and hygiene packs, and psychosocial support for parents, caregivers and children.
That is where the year has gone. In our efforts to respond quickly, and without hesitation, we put our heads down and got moving. Partners like GSK, Henkel, the Do More Foundation, Nal’ibali, Discovery and iSchool Africa, have made it possible for us to keep working.
Now, within only a few short months left of the year, we invite you to take stock with us. The remaining
In this first edition, meet the partnerships team at Save the Children South Africa and learn about the various ways you can support our programs across South Africa. You will hear from the co-founder of Africa Legal, Wendy Bampton, on her journey with Save the Children, what we’ve been up to since the start of the South African nation-wide lock down and we invite you to journey through our 2024 strategy.