Today, 10 South Africans were mobilised to go out and change the world, by working at 10 different NPO’s across the country, through the revolutionary Vodacom Change the World initiative.
These volunteers will spend the next year dedicating their time, knowledge and skills to help making a difference, while having their living expenses taken care of.
The 10 Vodacom Change the World volunteers and their host organisations, are:
Nicolien Joubert, Algoa Bay Care for the Aged
With 14 years of experience in nutrition and 23 in the health care sector behind her name, Nicolien aims to improve the lives of the elderly by protecting their dignity, raising their standard of living and providing knowledge on health and nutrition.
Sindile Rubushe, APD Polokwane
Sindile will bring her business development skills to the role of project co-ordinator at APD and aims to secure long-term funding for the organisation.
Nelia Van Deventer, FAMSA Upington
The combination of passion for family and a business background will allow Nelia to manage and implement projects with the aim of empowering the community and showing the importance of a strong family unit.
Gerhardus Greyling, Free State Residential Care Centre
To the role of workshop manager, Gerhard brings both his love for teaching and his enjoyment of working with his hands to impart his skills and knowledge to the mentally challenged, so they can make a meaningful contribution to society through producing goods to be sold.
Rachael Tembo, Jo’burg Child Welfare
With a Masters Degree in monitoring and evaluation, coupled with a belief that children are the most important and often the most vulnerable members of society, Rachael aims to make a significant difference to the Welfare through conducting research which will improve the effectiveness of its projects and programmes.
Jackina Mello, Ndlovu Care Group, Mpumalanga
As a professional social worker, Jackina has experience in the field of child protection and aims to give them back their childhood through ensuring that their needs are met.
Mpolokeng Kambule, New Beginningz, Tshwane
With qualifications in business administration and project management, as well as experience in social work, Mpolokeng will ensure that projects are managed at their optimum level to best meet the needs of the many abused, abandoned and neglected children which the organisation cares for.
Tamarin Dutton, NOAH, Umhlanga
As an Early Childhood Development lecturer, Tamarin aims to impart her knowledge and skills by laying a foundation for a holistic, sustainable approach to early education for vulnerable children.
Sarah Barnes, The Smile Foundation, Johannesburg
As a clinical psychologist, Sarah will provide therapy to the children, and their families, undergoing surgery as well as provide support to the staff and impart knowledge of the help available for those with cleft lip palettes.
Linda Brash, TSiBA, Cape Town
With a conviction that education is the key to improving people’s circumstances, Linda aims to use her marketing skills to raise both awareness and funds for TSiBA which will allow many underprivileged youths to receive a tertiary education.
Vodacom Change the World (CtW) is a ground-breaking programme that takes corporate philanthropy in a new direction. With this programme, Vodacom contributes towards skills development and helps create a culture of volunteering, through the “transfer of human capital”. By relieving NPOs of the burden of paying for the services of skilled volunteers with a passion to work for a good cause, the programme provides much needed expertise to the NPO by matching 10 volunteers to 10 NPOs.
To find out more about the volunteers and track their progress, visit www.vodacom.co.za/changetheworld.
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