Nelson Mandela Children's Fund
Encyclopedia
The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund (NMCF) is a charitable organization founded by Nelson Mandela
, based in South Africa
. Its mission is to help individuals from birth to age 22, particularly orphans of the AIDS
crisis.
, and was inspired to found organization. He remarked:
Upon founding the organization, he pledged to donate one third of his salary to the fund, and began fundraising
.
Although the organization continues to assist young homeless people and those living in poverty, the fund now focuses on the underpriviledged, orphans of the AIDS crisis, those affected by HIV
and AIDS, and "child-headed households" in South Africa.
As part of a suspected bribe to secure an arms deal, on January 29, 1999 the fund received 500,000 rand from German arms manufacturer Thyssen-Krupp.
In 1997, model Naomi Campbell
donated blood diamonds to the charity. In 2010, trustee and former head of the fund Jeremy Ractliffe resigned from the board after confessing that he had kept the diamonds.
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, based in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Its mission is to help individuals from birth to age 22, particularly orphans of the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
crisis.
History
In 1995, Mandela stopped to talk to street children in Cape TownCape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, and was inspired to found organization. He remarked:
"We were driving back to the Presidency in Cape Town one cold winter's evening, when I saw a group of street children and stopped to talk to them."
"The children asked me why I love them. This astounded me, and I asked them why they asked this, and they said that because every time I get money from overseas, I share it with them."
Upon founding the organization, he pledged to donate one third of his salary to the fund, and began fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
.
Although the organization continues to assist young homeless people and those living in poverty, the fund now focuses on the underpriviledged, orphans of the AIDS crisis, those affected by HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and AIDS, and "child-headed households" in South Africa.
Project Goelama
This is a community mobilization project designed to mitigate the effects of HIV and AIDS on youth. As of March 2010, the project has established 75 self-help groups comprising 1,335. These groups support 2,152 children in 2,328 households. The project assisted with the establishment of small, individual or group businesses.Project partners and associates
- Championing Children
- Ebenezer
- Far North Community Care and Development
- Home Intervention – Hearing and Language Opportunities Parent Education Services (HI HOPES)
- Kidz Radio Project
- Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI)
- Rivoni Society For The Blind
- Siyakhathala Caring Network
- Sparrow Schools
- Special Olympics South AfricaSpecial OlympicsSpecial Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
- Youth Connection Project
Fundraisers
| Date | Name | Location | Funds raised |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund UK Annual Gala Dinner | Thomas Lord Suite at Lords Cricket Ground, London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
|
| 2010 | Stanley Sagov Benefit | Boston Boston Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had... |
Patrons
Contributors who have donated to the fund include:- In 2008, Prime Minister Jens StoltenbergJens Stoltenbergis a Norwegian politician, leader of the Norwegian Labour Party and the current Prime Minister of Norway. Having assumed office on 17 October 2005, Stoltenberg previously served as Prime Minister from 2000 to 2001....
of NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
pledged US$1million. - 2010, John TravoltaJohn TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
, $10,000 - Cathy O'DowdCathy O'DowdCathy O'Dowd is a South African rock climber, mountaineer, author and motivational speaker, famous for being the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest from both south and north sides ....
, mountaineer, helped raise RSouth African randThe rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
250,000. - Michael FlatleyMichael FlatleyMichael Ryan Flatley is an American Irish dancer, choreographer, actor, musician and occasional television presenter. He became internationally known for Irish dance shows Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, and Celtic Tiger...
- Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
via "Michael Jackson & Friends" benefit concerts]
Offices
The fund has offices in countries around the world, including:- United Kingdom
- United States
- France
- Australia
- Netherlands
- Canada
- Spain
South African Arms Deal
- Further information: South African Arms Deal#Bribery allegations
As part of a suspected bribe to secure an arms deal, on January 29, 1999 the fund received 500,000 rand from German arms manufacturer Thyssen-Krupp.
Blood diamonds
- Further information: Naomi Campbell#Diamonds from Charles Taylor
In 1997, model Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world...
donated blood diamonds to the charity. In 2010, trustee and former head of the fund Jeremy Ractliffe resigned from the board after confessing that he had kept the diamonds.