This Women’s Month, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (the Fund) will participate in the Imbumba Foundation’s “Trek4Mandela”. It is a 10-day expedition summiting Mount Kilimanjaro - in Tanzania, to raise awareness about menstrual challenges facing the girl child.
 
“The Superwoman Club” comprises various women from different organisations who will climb Kilimanjaro from 03 August in the lead up to reach the peak on 09 of August, also known as Women’s Day in South Africa, to fight ‘period poverty’ which results in girls missing school due to a lack of sanitary towels.
 
Chief Business Engagement Officer at the Fund, Ms Nomthi Mnisi, who will represent the Fund, says that the organisation is adopting the slogan of, “Climbing Mountains so vulnerable children do not have to.”
 
This follows the organisation’s theme for its Annual Children’s Celebration, held in July 2022, which culminated in a fun walk at the Johannesburg Zoo under the theme of, “Walking the extra mile so vulnerable children do not have to.”
 
Mnisi says, “This is an ambitious and self-less task that we are undertaking. In summiting Kilimanjaro, we hope to raise the profile of children and place their needs on the highest peak in Africa as a statement on their behalf, to say that their needs can no longer be ignored.”
 
Interim CEO of the Fund, Dr Stanley Maphosa, says that this initiative serves as a continuation of the Fund’s 27th anniversary celebrations as well as its ongoing campaign known as #ServeLikeMandela. “This is a call to our supporters and the public to walk in Mandela’s footsteps and be of service to our society, particularly our children, whom he loved so much. We are extremely proud that Ms Mnisi is leading the way in this regard.”
 
Dr Maphosa also wished former CEO of Fund, Ms Konehali Gugushe, a speedy recovery after she broke her ankle in training. Ms Gugushe was set to join the Superwomen’s trek, as a patron of the Fund, before the injury which took place on a hiking trail on 23 July 2022. “We know that Ms Gugushe is still an ardent supporter of this cause, and we hope that she will recover soon and continue to help us spread awareness around this initiative.”
 
According to Mnisi, not everyone has to climb a mountain to show their support. “Nothing is more motivating than knowing that while you may be climbing alone in extreme conditions, you have supporters who are nudging you on back home. We hope that the rest of the country and globe will show their support from their various corners in the world by simply donating towards our cause, spreading the word, and helping us to reach that extra mile in the work that we do as the Fund.”
 
The Fund hopes to raise R300 000 through this initiative and the public are encouraged donate funds, of any amount, that will go towards preventing period poverty and supporting the work of the Fund across various facets of children’s lives. This includes healthcare, poverty alleviation, youth leadership, and child safety.
 
The organisation will keep the public posted on its progress as well as other initiatives aimed at highlighting women and girls’ issues during the course of August.
 
For more details visit https://www.nelsonmandelachildrensfund.com/trek4mandela.html

The Board of Trustees at the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (the Fund) would like to announce the resignation of the Fund’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ms Konehali Gugushe.  Gugushe served as CEO from 01 March 2020 and handed in her resignation, which was accepted by the board, in May 2022. She will serve her last day on 31 June 2022.

Gugushe will hand over her duties to Interim CEO, Dr Stanley Maphosa, who will act in this capacity from 01 July 2022, until a replacement can be found.

While saddened by the resignation, the Board would like to extend its gratitude to Gugushe who in the past year, developed a new five-year (2022 – 2026) strategy for the Fund, which brought depth to the organisation’s strategic framework including the integration of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in the Fund’s key programme areas.

Gugushe was also integral in overseeing the organisation’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, mitigating its impact on vulnerable communities, as well as advancing the Fund’s advocacy efforts through thought-leadership and lobbying for positive change in legislation affecting the lives of children in our country.

Chairperson of the Fund’s Board, Judge Yvonne Mokgoro, confirmed that Gugushe will return to her corporate social investment roots.  “Ms Gugushe remains a champion of children and we are certain that as she embarks on a new chapter in her professional career, she will remain a staunch advocate of our cause.”

Mokgoro says that the Board has placed its confidence Maphosa, to lead the organisation through this brief period of transition. Maphosa previously served as the Chief Programmes Director at the Fund. “Dr Maphosa is well-placed to ensure continuity of the Fund’s work after playing a critical role overseeing all the strategic areas of the organisation since his appointment in xxx 2021. With his vast experience in the NGO sector as well as his passion for promotion of children’s rights, we have no doubt that he will take our cause forward until a replacement is found in due time.”

Maphosa says, “I have learnt a lot from my time working closely with our former CEO in the development of our new strategy and I look forward to the next month when we will once again work closely to ensure a smooth handover of her duties.”
Maphosa will lead the organisation’s 27-year birthday celebrations and the Fund’s Annual Children’s celebrations in July. The Fund will provide more details in the next month around these activities where donors, partners, beneficiaries of the Fund will be encouraged to celebrate this milestone.
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The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (the Fund) is a social development agency founded by former president, Mr Nelson Mandela in 1995. In line with its vision to Change the Way Society Treats its Children and youth, the Fund’s mission is to give voice and dignity to the African child by building a rights-based movement. The organisation’s strategic programmes include, Child Safety and Protection, Child Survival Development and Thriving, Sustainable Livelihoods, Youth Leadership and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in Parktown, Johannesburg.
For more information contact:
Nomthi Mnisi
Chief Business Engagement Officer
Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund
nomthi@nmcf.co.za
OR
Ayabulela Poro
Manager: Communications and Marketing
ayabulelap@nmcf.co.za
Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund
Telephone: 011 274 5600

On Saturday, 16 July 2022, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (the Fund) will launch the Children’s Fun Walk as part of the Fund’s 27th Annual Children’s Celebration.
 
The Annual Children’s Celebration is a tradition of the Fund, started by its founder, former president, Mr Nelson Mandela, who celebrated his birthday on 18 July with children, during and post his presidency. The day is now famously known as International Mandela Day.
 
Interim CEO of the Fund, Dr Stanley Maphosa, says “Madiba loved children and wanted to ensure that as a society, we could take a moment to bring joy to their lives and celebrate them so they can feel appreciated in spite of the many challenges that they face in our country.”
 
After two years of disruptions due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Fund could not host mass celebrations and is cautiously approaching this year’s event with a similar approach but some aplomb. Maphosa continues, “We thought launching a Children’s Fun Walk would be a great way to get our beneficiaries, in particular children and youth, as well as our stakeholders and donors, to come out again and have fun in public spaces following two years of confinement as a result of the pandemic.”
 
The theme of the event is, “Walking the extra mile so vulnerable children do not have to.” The route will include a 5-kilometre fun walk within the zoo to allow our stakeholders to experience the significance of walking for a good cause.
 
In addition to the great achievements of the Fund’s existence, its flagship project, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital (NMCH) celebrates five years of existence as the only dedicated children’s hospital in Gauteng. Maphosa says, “This is a key milestone for both organisations and we wanted to commemorate this anniversary as part of the work of the Fund and NMCH”.
 
To limit numbers, it has been decided to make this a closed event which will involve stakeholders and beneficiaries of the Fund. However, the organisation still encourages the public to get involved in other ways. “We use this event annually to respond to the needs of vulnerable children. The public can get involved by visiting our website and contributing in various ways by becoming ambassadors of the event and spreading the word or helping us raise in-kind and cash donations which form part of our wish-list (https://www.nelsonmandelachildrensfund.com/ ). These will then be distributed to our various implementing partners in need across South Africa,” concludes Maphosa.
 
Nedbank has been a key partner of the Fund since its inception and will once again support the organisation as the underwriting sponsor of the event. Mr Tobie Badenhorst, Head of Group Sponsorships and Cause Marketing at Nedbank says, “supporting such an initiative really makes a difference in the well-being of children in South Africa. For the public to join such a  worthy cause, all they need to do is, simply bank and invest with Nedbank by opening and funding a Nedbank Children’s Affinity linked savings or investment account,  and we will donate the earnings to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund on their behalf, at no cost.”
 
The Fund will continue celebrations throughout the month of July as part of its campaign for the public to #ServeLikeMandela. The organisation says that this is a call for everyone to “Walk a Mile” in Mandela’s shoes and follow in his example of being of service to others during International Mandela Month and beyond.
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The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (the Fund) is a social development agency founded by former president, Mr Nelson Mandela in 1995. In line with its vision to Change the Way Society Treats its Children and youth, the Fund’s mission is to give voice and dignity to the African child by building a rights-based movement. The organisation’s strategic programmes include, Child Safety and Protection, Child Survival Development and Thriving, Sustainable Livelihoods, Youth Leadership and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in Parktown, Johannesburg.
For more information contact:
 
Nomthi Mnisi
Chief Business Engagement Officer
Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund
nomthi@nmcf.co.za
 
OR
 
Ayabulela Poro
Manager: Communications and Marketing
ayabulelap@nmcf.co.za   
Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund
Telephone: 011 274 5600
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