The Oliver Foundation has a mission ...
Oliver Foundation
The Oliver Foundation has a mission. To work with local communities to help build a sustainable future for people and the environment. The UK-based organisation made a commitment in 2007 to focus its support in the Eastern Cape. It works predominantly in rural areas, bringing about change by developing and supporting programmes that have a social, environmental, educational and economic impact on those it effects.
And with good reason. Over seven million South Africans live in dire circumstances, surviving on less than R5 a day. 26% of the country's poverty stricken households are based in the Eastern Cape. As a result of a lack of proper education, unemployment rates are believed to be as high as 70% ...
The Oliver Foundation supports projects that create opportunities for disadvantaged, vulnerable young people who need empowerment and the tools to help them reach their potential. These programmes don't just focus on education and empowerment, but also instil a sense of pride and respect in the individuals involved, so that they build self confidence and a sense of responsibility.
Oliver Foundation
The programmes supported by the Oliver Foundation are thus not only community based but developed in consultation with locals so that mutual goals in the area are taken into account. Very often the foundation is the link between small organisations who need support – funds, good business practices, accountability etc. – and the business community with the means to supply this.
An example of the kind of work the Oliver Foundation does is their Kids to School project, which raises funds to send those children who can't afford the school fees or uniforms to school. Many children's parents, or as is often the case their grandparents, cannot pay the fees, meaning that children often do not go to school at all. In 2007 alone, the foundation sent 61 children from the townships to school, with a uniform a ruck sack and stationery.
To find out more about The Oliver Foundation visit:
Website at http://www.theoliverfoundation.com/ or
Donate to this cause at http://www.justgiving.com/oliverfoundation/donate/ (via Just Giving).
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