I have had a wonderful journey and have been very blessed in my life. Sport taught me a lot of life’s critical lessons: work hard, earn respect, take risks, how to win and what to do when you lose, about culture and dreaming. The importance of giving back.
Sport provided me with a quality education; due to a scholarship I received for rugby and cricket, I could pay for my degrees. I have met incredible people who have inspired and mentored me. My first involvement in philanthropy was in 1993 as a direct result of our coach Mr Kitch Christie who fought cancer for 18 years. I became involved with Choc and helped to build the first Choc house. Mr Mandela had such a powerful influence in my life, he said: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” so I started the Make A Difference Leadership Foundation. Make A Difference Leadership Foundation has grown exponentially over the last 14 years, and I have been intimately exposed to the depth of academic and leadership potential we have in our country.
At Make A Difference Leadership Foundation, we focus on identifying, supporting and developing the future leaders of South Africa. We provide a comprehensive, personal and long-term scholarship programme, offering scholars support in the areas of mentorship, personal, academic and leadership development. By focusing on the individual needs of each scholar, we ensure we maintain a personal connection to their requirements, that way providing comprehensive support for the duration of their academic career.
Our scholarship is more than just a contribution towards the scholar’s academic costs. Make A Difference Leadership Foundation supports each scholar from Grade 8 throughout their tertiary degree, not only by providing financial assistance but also by supporting the individual in his/her personal and professional development as they prepare for their future. We achieve this through a multi-disciplinary team, skilled in various professions to ensure that we remove any barrier the scholar is facing in the most effective and efficient manner, so they can continue focusing on achieving their dreams, while we take care of the rest.
Our 168 scholars and 39 fellows are our success stories; their success is our success. With a 100% matric pass rate and 55 tertiary qualifications in total achieved by 41 scholars over the past 13 years, we are seeing our first generation of young leaders entering the world of work ready to make a difference in society.
However, I think a real turning point for the Foundation - when we knew that we had developed a blueprint for success - was when we started forming partnerships with corporates. These corporates believe not only in what we do, but very specifically in how we do it, and they partner with us to provide the financial support for scholars to participate in our scholarship programme.
One of the biggest success stories happened in 2016, when The Federated Employers’ Mutual Assurance Company (FEM) established the FEM Education Foundation with the aim to have a positive impact on education and leadership opportunities available to talented scholars in South Africa. The first initiative was to partner with Make A Difference Leadership Foundation through the FEM Scholarship Programme, where 28 new scholars were awarded scholarships through Make A Difference Leadership Foundation. In 2017, FEM announced a further commitment to fund 40 additional scholarships in 2018 through Make A Difference Leadership Foundation.
Sustainable corporate investment, the more corporates or private investors that step forward and pledge their commitment to our scholarship programme, the bigger the numbers of future leaders we can develop and invest back into South Africa. As a corporate, if you are seeking a way to make a difference, with a sustainable organisation, with financial integrity and strong corporate governance and probity, we invite you to join the movement and to commit to the longevity of our scholarship programme. Invest through us and watch your dividends grow, as we continuously support these talented and incredible scholars through their academic and leadership journeys.
Bigger and bolder – with more future leaders joining the scholarship programme and throughout South Africa seeing our Make A Difference Leadership Foundation Fellows graduating with their degrees and leadership skill-set and instilled values, ready to invest back into their communities. I am dreaming big for Make A Difference Leadership Foundation, and therefore South Africa. Together, we can harness the potential of this great country.
By following the footsteps of corporates such as FEM, partnering with credible foundations, to work together to create sustainable and comprehensive opportunities for this generation. By sharing our vision that real change will come from strong leaders and that their potential needs to be developed through education and mentorship. That by creating an alumnus of Make A Difference Leadership Foundation Fellows – who are leaders across many different professions in all walks of life and who are educated, mentored and developed with a strong guiding value system – will make all the difference in South Africa.
The potential of our young leaders in South Africa. Imagine if we can develop an army of young leaders with strong values and a passion to make South Africa a shining example to the world, what a powerful force for change that would be?
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was: “Children are the best mimics in the world, are you worth mimicking?” So, ask yourself, is what you are doing today worth mimicking? Are you making a difference in such a way that you are transforming society for the better whenever you get the opportunity – be that mentorship, standing up for something that is right or give back in a small way that sets someone on a path that was previously unobtainable.
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