CSI agency, MAMAS Alliance speaks about the role that corporate South Africa can play in supporting NGOs as they strive to better the lives of our children.
It is the many unsung heroes in the NGO space – the individuals and organisations that have taken it upon themselves to make a positive impact in the lives of the country’s most vulnerable – who are making an indelible mark on the lives of fellow South Africans.
It goes without saying that fundraising is a major part of running an NGO, with much time and effort spent on allocating fundraising through the correct channels. MAMAS Alliance’s core mission is to implement this in the most effective way possible, to positively impact lives.
Calisto Kondiwe, CSI consultant at MAMAS Alliance says, “As a CSI agency with a network of 36 independent organisations doing amazing work across nine provinces, MAMAS Alliance works with these independent organisations to forge partnerships, be it through the challenges of health, HIV, or Early Childhood Development (ECD). We look at issues of agriculture, sustainable livelihoods, climate change, and waste management – all of which face mounting challenges. As an extension of the National Development Plan, our network development supports NGOs in forging partnerships with corporate South Africa, with the government, as well as with international donors.”
Resources are crucial in order to raise money, and this is not only in terms of financial resources, but also in terms of people and experts. The work that NGOs do is quite complex, and this is where MAMAS Alliance comes in – to connect the NGO to the capital and the people required, so that they are able to focus on the good work that they do.
Yumna Toefy, Managing Director of MAMAS Alliance, says, “NGOs are absolutely the heroes in our communities, and it’s important that we take time out to celebrate the positive work that’s actually happening on the ground – through the network of angels that implement various programmes across the social development sector, giving daily to the thousands of vulnerable children in our communities. The resilience of these NGOs is relentless, despite the country’s current challenges.
“NGOs are remarkably creative in tackling the challenges facing our children every day, but this doesn’t come without the necessary support. It’s about creating opportunities for them. As MAMAS Alliance, we are looking at creating those opportunities for funders to help solve these challenges and to look at solutions because the work NGOs do in our communities does not stop when faced with challenges – in fact, it is compounded,” she says.
Partnerships are an extremely important part of the effective and efficient functioning of NGOs. They cannot do it alone. One of MAMAS Alliance’s core responsibilities is the access of corporate funding through the correct channels – through consultants who can assist corporates in terms of the best way their social responsibility is effectively channelled; to ensure that it goes to compliant organisations who themselves are most effective in creating impact in our communities. “It’s not just about doing the work. It’s about how we do the work to ensure that it is done in an appropriate, effective and important manner, and in a way that is both respectful and ethical,” says Yumna.
“As South Africans, we all play a very important role in the NGO sector. Regardless of the type of assistance – whether it be in time, funding or donations – to support a specific cause. It’s important to remember that we’re all in this together. Through ubuntu, we all have an important role to play to support the NGOs in our communities, because our NGOs cannot do this alone. Corporate South Africa has a responsibility to help create change in our communities. If we stand together to ensure that our children get the best opportunities possible, only then can we contribute towards creating a better South Africa,” concludes Yumna.
Be part of the change! Contact the MAMAS Alliance CSI team at info@mamasalliance.com, or call +27 11 453 0531.
