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The Child Survival, Development, and Thriving (CSDT) programme was introduced to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF) in 2016.
The Child Safety and Protection (CSP) Programme, has been contributing to solving child protection challenges for South African children for more than 25 years.
The primary goal of the YLP is to promote youth leadership and entrepreneurship skills, as well as encourage civic participation of South African youth in decision-making processes.
The Sustainable Livelihoods Programme (SLP) was introduced to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF) in 2009
The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund’s Girl Power Against Violence Project:
Aims to address gender-based violence by empowering girls and young women, while also engaging boys and young men in prevention efforts. The project focuses on creating safer environments in homes, schools, and communities by reducing vulnerability to abuse, neglect, and violence.
We had the honour of being hosted by the Chairperson, Dr Naledi Pandor and CEO, Dr Mbongiseni Buthelezi, of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Together with the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund’s Chairperson, Mr Mpho Makwana; Deputy Chairperson, Mr Rorisang Tshabalala; and CEO, Dr Linda Ncube-Nkomo, the conversation focused on how we can work more closely together, align our efforts, and strengthen collaboration to carry Madiba’s legacy forward in a way that continues to make a real difference.
#NMCF30Years #ServeLikeMadiba
Wonderful indeed.
We were honoured to welcome Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela and Nkosikazi Nosekeni Rabia Clarke-Mandela for a special visit with the Fund’s Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson. 😊
As Madiba’s grandson, Nkosi Zwelivelile carries the responsibility of leading the Royal House of Mandela and focusing on the needs of children in Mvezo (his birth place) and Qunu (his family home). The conversation centred on shared priorities for children and how we can continue to strengthen impact where it matters most.
These engagements form part of an ongoing series of engaging critical stakeholders to our work and the legacy of our Founder’s love for children and his vision to change how society treats them.
#NMCF30Years #ServeLikeMadiba
Aluta continue
Very humble
We were honoured to welcome Zwelivelile Mandela and Nkosikazi Nosekeni Rabia Clarke-Mandela for a special visit with the Fund’s Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson. 😊
As Madiba’s grandson, Nkosi Zwelivelile carries forward a legacy of service and community, making this engagement especially meaningful. The conversation centred on shared priorities for children in Mvezo and Qunu, and how we can continue to strengthen impact where it matters most.
These engagements form part of an ongoing series to deepen collaboration and ensure our work remains closely connected to the communities we serve.
#NMCF30Years #ServeLikeMadiba
This resonates with me. 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
Nation Building
💬 “We started small, but today we are able to provide for our families.” These are the voices at the heart of "Ukonga Among Women in Rural Spaces", a book launched by the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.
The book tells the story of women in Eshowe who, through self-help groups, have moved from financial insecurity to sustainable livelihoods, supporting their families, paying school fees, and building stronger futures for their children.
What began as collective saving and shared effort has grown into income-generating initiatives, from farming to small trading enterprises, proving the power of collaboration and community-led development.
This book goes beyond research, telling the stories of women through lived experience, evidence, and a call to invest in women as the architects behind resilient communities.
Get your FREE copy here: books.aosis.co.za/index.php/ob/catalog/book/565
University Of Zululand, AOSIS
📖 Today, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund launched "Ukonga Among Women in Rural Spaces", a new book capturing how women’s self-help groups in Eshowe are transforming their communities.
Through collective action, training and determination, these women are building livelihoods through poultry farming, vegetable production and small businesses, strengthening families, improving access to education and healthcare, and creating more resilient rural economies.
Rooted in the Fund’s Sustainable Livelihoods Programme and developed with the University of Zululand, the book combines lived experience with rigorous research, offering evidence of what is possible when communities are supported to lead their own development.
This is a story of dignity, self-reliance, and women as drivers of change.
Get your copy here: books.aosis.co.za/index.php/ob/catalog/book/565
University Of Zululand, AOSIS
🌱 The Legacy Academy Applications Are Now Open. We are looking for young leaders passionate about children’s rights and driving social change in South Africa.
Who can apply:
Grade 9–11 learners in Gauteng
South African citizens (international applicants with valid documentation considered)
With leadership experience and strong time management
Able to commit to an 8-month programme with full participation
📅 Deadline: 13 June 2026
If you don’t hear back within 3 weeks after the closing date, please consider your application unsuccessful.
👉 Apply: nmcf.pythonanywhere.com/
At the 47th Ordinary Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC), which commenced on 17 April 2026, Chief Programmes Officer of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Karl Muller, delivered remarks during the Briefings by Organisations with Observer Status.
This year’s session centres Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, a theme that cuts directly to questions of dignity, survival, and structural inequality across the continent.
Drawing from the opening child-led presentations, Muller reflected on a line that grounded the room in lived reality:
“Dignity goes where water flows.”
It is a statement that resists abstraction. Access to water is not a technical issue alone. It is about whose lives are prioritised, whose bodies are protected, and whose futures are made possible.
As the session continues through to 25 April 2026, the call is clear: commitments on paper must translate into material change in the everyday lives of children across Africa.
#ACERWC47
#ChildRights
#WASH
#ChildParticipation
#Africa
Thank you UNICEF South Africa for spending time with us 🤝 It’s always valuable to connect around our shared commitment to children and explore how we can strengthen impact together.
We look forward to building on this collaboration in the months ahead.
#NMCF30Years #ServeLikeMadiba
Thank you for the warm and fruitful engagement. We were left inspired and energised. 💙
I absolutely love this photo. It shows the spirit of our partnership. Full of love and laughter. 💙🧡
