Greater Good South Africa

Thanks to founding sponsors Cadiz and the generosity of ordinary South Africans, our Gifts4Good giving season campaign raised R272,213 for four social development projects – a 25% increase on the previous year. An education project in the Eastern Cape, hearing tests in Gauteng, a penguin conservation project and animal assisted therapy for disabled children in the Western Cape will benefit from your giving season goodwill.

This was the sixth year that GreaterGood SA has run its Gifts4Good giving season campaign with the support of the Cadiz Foundation. Since its inception in 2005, Gifts4Good has raised R2,472,213 for 30 development projects ranging from establishing a toy library in rural KwaZulu-Natal to building a penguin hatchery in the Western Cape.

The funds raised over the 2010 giving season will go to:

Bulungula education incubator, a ground-breaking project that brings holistic education to a remote community in the Transkei.It includes support for local primary schools, an early childhood development centre, a community library, weekly after-school tutoring and two school-based food gardens which provide healthy meals to 200 children every day. The programme has a direct impact on the education of 900 children as well as providing a vital source of employment and skills development for the community as a whole.

Amado, who provide Equine Assisted Therapy to physically and/or mentally disabled children in the Western Cape. With the guidance of an experienced trainer, individual therapeutic horse riding sessions will help 20 disadvantaged disabled children to become more self-confident and independent, improving their quality of life and helping to ease the burden on their families.

Carel du Toit Hearing Centre who offer a free screening programme for over 3,000 underprivileged children in Gauteng. Families of children diagnosed with hearing loss receive information about their child’s condition and support services, including hearing aids and other assistive devices. With the help of the correct equipment, these children can begin their journey towards improved hearing and communication.

South African National Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) to build a hatchery for African penguins. This project will upgrade SANCCOB’s existing chick-rearing facility, creating a hatchery where they can develop local expertise to hatch African penguin eggs and hand-rear chicks. It will boost the organisation’s conservation efforts on behalf of the critically endangered African penguin.

Creative problem-solving
Chairman of the Cadiz Foundation, Dan Ahern, says: “It is a wonderful example of creative problem-solving. Many compassionate South Africans are overwhelmed by the adversity they witness around them and struggle to find ways of positively impacting on the lives of those less fortunate than themselves. Gifts4Good has been designed for just this reason. No matter how much you can give, the donation will be used constructively.”

Peace of mind
Gifts4Good uses the SASIX intensive assessment process to select beneficiary projects. This process includes peer review panels, site visits, organisation and risk assessments, research, evaluation and detailed reporting, to assure donors that their money goes towards effective, sustainable solutions to South Africa’s problems.

All donations are accounted for as organisations funded through Gifts4Good have to submit detailed reports on the progress and completion of their projects. Highlights from these reports are posted on the group’s news pages, so donors can track how their gifts have helped to change lives.

Leverage
In 2010, we were lucky to have the pro-bono services of Cadiz’s advertising agency, 140 BBDO, who came up with a catchy and engaging multi-media advertising campaign. They created the concept of ‘Earning extra karma’ by buying a gift for good. People were invited to give as good as they get by making a meaningful contribution to social development in South Africa. The agency created a selection of magazine adverts, radio spots and a television commercial using the ZA News political puppets. This material was flighted on all Primedia radio stations, DSTV, a selection of magazines and newspapers and on YouTube.

> Stuck for gift ideas? Buy a gift that matters on gifts4good.co.za