Former Springbok captain re-brands MAD Charity

The charity, affectionately known by its supporters as MAD, will now be known as the Make A Difference Leadership Foundation, emphasising the organisation's focus on leadership development through education.

The re-brand follows the foundation's strategy to not only provide scholarship opportunities, but to also further develop and prepare South African scholars (those with leadership potential) with the tools required for their future roles as the leaders of tomorrow.

"Despite the challenges that face South Africa, and the education and leadership gaps that desperately need to be addressed, we have always believed in the vast potential that exists in South Africa," Pienaar said. "Positive effective change will come from strong leaders and it is critical that their potential be developed through education and mentorship. Our revised name and brand was driven by the need to focus more on leadership, as this is key to creating lasting change in our country.''

Support for government

During a press conference held before the gala event, Pienaar discussed the topic of how non-profit organisations can support government in raising the bar for education in South Africa, with a specific focus on what the Make A Difference Leadership Foundation does in this regard.

"The leaders of tomorrow need our leadership today, and at the Make A Difference Leadership Foundation our focus is on leadership development through education. The approach is to identify academically talented scholars, who do not have the necessary financial resources, and offer them support in the areas of education, leadership and life-skills development. This would not be possible without our sponsors who have assisted us in achieving our goals, and to make a real difference to the youth of South Africa," he said.

A key message was that there is an opportunity for everyone in South Africa to make a difference through mentoring, identifying and supporting talented scholars with leadership potential in all communities. "Imagine if we can grow an army of young people that care about this country, that care about society, that care about education. What a powerful force for change that could be," added Pienaar.