Statistics South Africa states that as of 2023, around 18.2 million people in South Africa are living in extreme poverty.
Poverty mostly affects children and, in South Africa, they are located in rural areas, live in the traditionally poor provinces and, have a household head whom is female and black African and live in households where few adults are gainfully employed. It is for this reason that MAMAS Alliance exists — to help families, children and youth break the cycle of poverty. MAMAS Alliance is a network of 36 NGOs in more than 75 sites across South Africa that actively reach out to the most vulnerable and provide structural, practical and daily care to more than 60,000 of our most vulnerable children and youth through partnerships with South African companies.
Unlocking potential through Early Childhood Development (ECD)
One of the many priority areas the MAMAS Alliance network focuses on is Early Childhood Development (ECD). The early years of a child’s life have a major impact on their development and future prospects. Investing in ECD and providing nurturing, safe environments for early education is vital for a child’s cognitive and social development. Together with corporate partners, MAMAS Alliance creates conducive learning environments for children in rural communities and gives them a better start in their educational journey by ensuring that their nutritional needs are met, teachers are trained and there is proper infrastructure for learning.
Building resilience and confidence in our younger female generation
The reality of South Africa’s socioeconomic landscape means that many young girls are denied the opportunity of ever reaching their full potential. PowerGirls is a MAMAS Alliance initiative that aims to change this by providing young and adolescent girls with the tools to become resilient, positive and inspirational role models for those coming after them.
The innovative PowerGirls programme, which has been running since 2016 in 46 sites across the country, uses various fun activities that offer solutions to multiple issues including safety, education, life skills and self-care, self-awareness, leadership, giving back, health and awareness of environmental issues and group identity. This programme empowers 2,131 young girls to become outspoken and confident young women, capable of becoming change agents within their communities.
A strong grassroots movement of MAMAS
MAMAS Alliance empowers the MAMAS within the network to be able to nurture and provide love and safety for as many children as they possibly can, backed by solid organisations and sustainable funding. The development of this strong grassroots movement of MAMAS gives hope and a future to more than 60,000 vulnerable children in impoverished communities, while providing more than 2,000 MAMAS with sustainable employment.
Cultivating food security through food gardens
The organisation promotes and enables home and community food gardens in response to the increasing unemployment rates and rising cost of living. This is another priority area for MAMAS Alliance. One-quarter of children in South Africa suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition, with approximately 13-15 million people having either inadequate or severely inadequate access to food.
Nutritional programmes and agriculture and food gardens are just some of these practical community driven and initiatives driven by NGOs within the MAMAS Alliance network.
Instead of developing a situation where community members are dependent on an NGO for their sustenance, these organisations are empowering families to grow their own food because the organisation understands the importance of promoting home and community food gardens, particularly in rural communities. So far, teaching communities to start and sustain food gardens is proving to be a viable way to improve food security and access to better nutrition. Most importantly, this provides a sense of empowerment for communities.
Collaborate with MAMAS Alliance to manage your CSI process
The NGOs MAMAS Alliance partners with are spread throughout South Africa’s nine provinces, often in the most remote areas. Each of these organisations is an initiative of local MAMAS and each is different in size, structure and approach to suit its own context. What they do have in common, however, is their long-term commitment to each child and family in need!
While corporate social investment is integral to any business, many companies might not have the capacity to manage their CSI spend in-house and might also be unaware of the option to collaborate with reputable CSI agencies such as MAMAS Alliance, which can facilitate the whole CSI process from start to finish.
Furthermore, MAMAS Alliance works at no cost, with a guarantee to all companies that 100% of the funds invested in a CSI project go directly to the intended NGO and subsequently the intended beneficiaries, making every single cent count!
The ability of MAMAS Alliance to work AT NO COST is possible because the costs are borne by Children’s Fund MAMAS, a Dutch charity that has been co-funding dozens of childcare organisations across South Africa since 2000.
MAMAS Alliance simplifies CSI by assisting and encouraging a strong and fruitful partnership between the funder and the NGO and remains focused on continuing their mission to work systematically with no remuneration.
Go to https://www.MAMASalliance.com for more information.
