If you could change one thing forever, what would it be?

SMS "change" and your answer to 36545 and help drive poverty down forever. Or answer online at www.change4ever.org.

We are blessed with a beautiful region, acclaimed for its wealth of resources and its resourceful, innovative people. We are good at solving problems. We get energized by challenges and we spend much time debating them.

Why then do more than 100 million people in southern Africa – over 40% of our population - still live in poverty? 

The good news is that there is still time to break out of the poverty trap, to make history…to help overcome poverty forever. And you can be part of it.

If you could change one thing forever, what would it be?

Simply SMS "change" and your answer to 36545 (within South Africa only) or answer online at www.change4ever.org. By responding to the question, you will define what needs to change in your life, community, workplace, country, region, and world.

Your feedback, together with others, will contribute to an agenda detailing what people are hoping to change for a brighter future in southern Africa.

But it doesn’t end there. By answering, you can start building that future. Each SMS you send to 36545 will give R5 to the change4ever campaign to support orgniastions doing great work for lasting solutions to poverty in southern Africa. Or you can decide exactly how much you want to give by answering online.

If you want to give more, you can answer and donate online through a quick click at www.change4ever.org.

Change4ever aims to raise R1 million during September and October through online pledges and the dedicated SMS line. The funds generated will be used by the Southern Africa Trust to help find lasting solutions to the region’s cycle of poverty - and to support innovative projects that are working to address the root causes of poverty.

There is an emerging new generation of people who want to give to a solution rather than a problem. You can be part of the solution!

SMS "change" and your answer to 36545 or answer online at www.change4ever.org.

Ambassadors for change - Lucia, Stoan Seate and Thuli Zulu

• What would you change?
• Create lasting change!
• Who is giving?
• Ambassadors for change
• Who we are
• Meet the team
• Comments

Some of the SMS and online answers we’ve been getting: “I would remove corruption and greed from all levels of society. Thanks for your effort!” Malcolm Lyle “I would allow children to be children, kept safe, guided, nurtured and loved. And not head up families in the absence of elders.” Anonymous “I would ensure that every child get access to education no matter the economic circumstances of the family. That might alleviate poverty in the long term.” Anonymous “I would ensure there is a firm plan to eliminate poverty via education and meaningful employment.” Anonymous “I would ensure that the status of and respect for teachers, nurses and the police is restored in the eyes of every citizen and they are lauded, applauded and rewarded for the service they give to society.” Sheelagh Antrobus

Did you know that we have given more than $9 million to over 130 projects working for lasting solutions to poverty in 15 countries in southern Africa? Did you know that we supported more than 80 organisations working to overcome poverty? To see the kinds of organisations that we support and highlights of the work that they are doing to make a real difference in the lives of people living in poverty, see the "project features" section and the "partners" section on www.southernafricatrust.org

7 reasons to donate through the Southern Africa Trust: 1. The Trust belongs to Southern Africa – it’s an independent, non-profit agency governed by trustees from southern Africa. 2. We cannot continue to depend on overseas aid and the goodwill of people in other parts of the world to support efforts to overcome poverty in our part of the world – it’s our collective responsibility as people of southern Africa to do this. 3. The best way to overcome poverty is to address its underlying causes, not just its immediate symptoms – we work for lasting change, so you will be giving to a solution and not a problem. 4. Overcoming poverty must be a collective effort – none of us have all the answers or all the resources to overcome poverty alone but by working together and pooling our support, we can make a bigger difference. 5. We already have our core operational costs covered, so everything that you give will go to others who are working for lasting solutions to poverty. 6. We manage finances in accordance with the strictest principles of good corporate governance, transparency, and accountability. 7. Poverty is everyone’s business. Get involved!

Create lasting change!

Changing peoples’ lives forever refers to lasting change. It links with our vision of ending poverty forever - not just dealing with its seemingly never-ending symptoms.

There are many excellent groups trying to reduce poverty, but they hardly ever talk to each other or work together. So much more can be achieved to really make a lasting difference in the lives of people living in poverty, if community groups, government agencies, and businesses work together.  That is why the Southern Africa Trust exists.

The Trust believes that it is possible to overcome poverty in our region if the experiences and voices of the poor help to shape what is done to overcome poverty. The focus needs to shift from just managing the day-to-day visible signs of poverty, to addressing the root causes of why poverty continues to exist.

The Southern Africa Trust has a good record of successful projects aimed at eradicating poverty. It is an independent, regional, non-profit agency that strengthens the voice of the poor in deciding the best ways to overcome poverty across southern Africa – and then work with others to make it happen.

We have supported more than 130 projects since our inception in 2005, working to overcome poverty in 15 countries in southern Africa, mainly through the contributions of people from overseas. See what kinds of organisations we support and the difference that our work is making at www.southernafricatrust.org.

But we cannot do this by depending on overseas aid alone. Now is the time for the people of our region to take responsibility for supporting efforts to overcome poverty in our region.

Your donations through change4ever will give much-needed support to organisations that work tirelessly to overcome poverty in our region, and will enable them to become less dependent on overseas aid to do their work.

If you could change one thing forever, what would it be? SMS "change" and your answer to 36545 or answer online at www.change4ever.org. We are not only asking you to give a donation, but to share your ideas and to get involved.

What some of our individual supporters say about change4ever . . .

The Trust is very grateful for the support we get from remarkable people just like you, who donate every month to enable us to help those who are doing great things for a lasting solution to poverty in our region. Their support is making a big difference.

Kate Rooseboom: "I support the Southern Africa Trust as a donor because I believe money should be channeled into initiatives that are led by people with a vision. Giving money to people on the street isn't necessarily responsible as you can't be sure that your money is helping to make someone's life better. You may unintentionally be encouraging negative behaviour patterns, which seems to me to be reckless (especially if you are encouraging young children to stay out of school and on the street)."

Trevor Payne: "I grew up with a habit of giving and believe in contributing towards making the world a better place. Southern Africa Trust supports a broad range of organisations that work at the level of not giving handouts, but are involved with helping people help themselves, as well as working on bringing about policy change."

You can be part of the solution too. Give online at www.change4ever.org.

Our ambassadors for change have answered the question

 Graça Machel
“If I could change one thing forever, it would be the way in which women are viewed and treated. Equity and equality between men and women should not be an optional extra but should be seen as a benefit to all society. It is only when both men and women develop and display their full talents that we can truly attain political, economic and social development in our region, and in Africa as a whole.”

David Tlale, fashion designer extraordinaire
“If I could change one thing forever, I would I impress a positive mindset in every 1's life of understanding that LIFE is a miracle – whatever comes our way there's hope for tomorrow. So, there's no need to give up. Keep going, keep on surviving, and most of all keep on believing that God is the giver of LIFE.”

Ferial Haffajee, editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper
“If I could change one thing forever, I would ensure that poverty is no longer the hidden story of the media, that we are not surprised by the annual statistics that show half of all South Africans are desperately poor and that the only thing growing at a cracking pace is the Gini coefficient.  I would like the Millennium Development Goals (and where we are on that scale of human decency) to be as commonplace a set of indicators as the FTSE, the JSE-Alsi and the rand-dollar exchange rate.”

Sizwe Dhlomo, MTV presenter
“If I could change one thing forever, I would change people’s attitudes to certain things. If we started to look at problems more like challenges that we need to overcome, that could give birth to a relentless spirit which would eventually change the world.”

Bob Mabena, DJ and SABC radio executive
“If I could change one thing forever, I would change the depressingly negative impact that the perception of failure has on people.”

Lucia Mthiyane, actress
“If I could change one thing forever, it's definitely poverty. I see no reason why there is poverty when there is enough wealth in the world for every human being to share.”

Stoan Seate, Bongo Maffin rapper
“If I could change one thing forever, it would be to give every child in the world free education, right up to university. This is because I think that the line of poverty is parallel to the line of illiteracy.”

Lerato Mbele, CNBC Africa news anchor
“If I could change one thing forever, it would be people’s tendency to be selfish and self-aware. By being too preoccupied with your personal problems, it’s easy to forget that there is someone worse-off than you. It creates a fear that often degenerates into a sort of ‘victim mentality’, where the individual thinks that nobody could suffer more. As a result people, forget that they are personally responsible for the changes they want to see in their lives. Beauty comes in a change of perspective, and so does peace.”

Thuli Zulu, SABC3 continuity presenter
“If I could change one thing forever, I would have humanity going back to the basics and the premise of loving one another in spite of all that surrounds us.”

Moegsien Williams, editor of The Star newspaper
“If I could change one thing forever, I would get South Africans to share more of what they have, to help reduce the levels of poverty that are crippling the lives of so many people around us. And indeed, fewer people in need would mean less people having to resort to crime as an everyday means to an end. But a sharing society would also be a caring society, a compassionate South Africa that would live up to the examples set by people like Nelson Mandela and so many others not so long ago.”

Lawrence Dube, Kaya FM director
“If I could change one thing forever, I would make sure that access to food is a birth right and not a privilege. Remember, if we don’t eat we die.”

Lira, singer
“If I could change one thing forever, I would change the way that we as South Africans see ourselves and our country. We never celebrate the great things about ourselves. We are so easily willing to put emphasis on the negative. Have you looked around and realised what great people we are? We thrive under difficult situations, we are forgiving and innovative. I say we start celebrating who we are!”

Kojo Baffoe, editor of Blaque magazine
“If I could change one thing forever, no child will be deprived of their childhood. Every child will be in a safe environment filled with love and possibility.”

KG Moeketsi, businesswoman and Radio 2000 presenter
“If I could change one thing forever, I'd see to it that gender equity is a reality in the world that both my girl and boy children grow up in, so that they are measured not by their sex but by their skills and knowledge. Whether we want to accept it or not the world is still enormously patriarchal.”

Thuli Zulu, SABC continuity presenter, at the change4ever launch

Change4ever plans some exciting fundraising events in the coming months - such as a journey on the famous Blue Train with our celebrity ambassadors ... all to raise funds to help drive down poverty for good. Subscribe to this newsletter or keep an eye on www.change4ever.org for more news.

Who we are and what we do

Visit our award-winning and newly updated website www.southernafricatrust.orgfor the latest information on what we’ve been up to.
Do you have an insightful comment or provocative statement to share? Start your own discussion on our Blog!

Contact: communications@southernafricatrust.org

Meet the team

Shupikai has very strong regional experience in grants administration, having worked with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) as a fund assistant for the Environmental Responsive Fund. She also gained administrative experience while working for the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and Union Network International (UNI-Africa) in Zimbabwe.

“I am the kind of person who wants to know more about the world and its people. One of my hobbies is reading books (and eating!) that inspire me to become a better person spiritually and give me insight on people - their cultures, religion and their ways of living.“

“If I could change one thing forever I would want people to broaden their minds and be accepting of all people and respect their space, individuality, culture, religion and opinions."

Who's been visiting? Prof Sam Moyo Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane Caiphus Semenya and Letta Mbuli Ferial Haffajee

Southern Africa Trust contact details

4 Midridge North, International Business Gateway, 6th Road (off New Road), Midrand, South Africa

T: +27 11 318 1012 
F: +27 11 318 0814 
E: info@southernafricatrust.org  
W: www.southernafricatrust.org

 

Trustees: Dr Vusi Gumede (South Africa), Mr Denis Kadima (DRC),  Rev Joseph Komakoma (Zambia), Dr Perks Ligoya (Malawi), Dr Reginald Matchaba-Hove (Zimbabwe), Ms Alice Mogwe (Botswana), Ms Paula Monjane (Mozambique), Ms Shirley Moulder (South Africa), Ms Lucy Muyoyeta (Zambia), Ms Riah Phiyega (South Africa), Dr Prakash Ratilal (Mozambique)

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