We work to break cycles of poverty in South Africa, addressing four of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. We work with local non-profit organisations, focusing on sustainable solutions to address needs of accommodation, education and access to healthcare (both physical and mental). We provide skills, resources and know-how so that they can better address the needs of their communities and be self-sustainable in the long term.
The founding team of Swiss4Afrika has a deep connection to South Africa. We recognize the difficulties faced by many people and firmly believe in the country's potential. Swiss4Afrika is dedicated to forging partnerships with Swiss companies that prioritize corporate responsibility, in order to support projects in South Africa. Additionally, we encourage personal memberships to fund smaller issues as they arise, and to help us make a positive impact in the region. Swiss4Afrika recognises the valuable work of non-profit organisations operating within local communities, and understands that they may face challenges due to limited resources. We understand that these organisations may face difficulties in securing government or international funding and acquiring the necessary resources to serve their communities. However, they remain the sole hope for members of their communities! Swiss4Afrika is enthusiastic about its focus on education programmes, including early childhood, primary and secondary education, as well as skills development for young people and adults. By assisting these local non-profit organisations to become more resilient and self-sufficient, we are confident that they can effect meaningful change where it is most needed.
Our goal is to leave the communities we work with, with selfsustained projects in order for them to be self-funding and not be reliant on aid. With community leaders we identify sustainable project that will generate income for the specific community and help them to become self-sufficient and self-funding.
No one should be left behind. This means that we typically work with smaller registered Non-Profit Organisations in South Africa who struggle to attract attention or assistance from other sources.
Infrastructure development, e.g. Building of homes, Ablution blocks, Proper working kitchens Community engagement, e.g. We ask the community what they need, not what we think they need. Education, e.g. Sending preschool kids to Kita for Early Childhood Development. Making sure youths of school going age are in school, that they have what they need to do school work (a desk, a dry and warm space to sit and work, access to computer and the internet, Aftercare if needed) Skills training, we value skills training very much and work on programs to train unemployed people into new skills. Health, e.g. We care for a number of senior citizens who are homeless with no income. We assist with healthcare. Sustainability projects, e.g. Kitchen - We will build a training/working kitchen that will not just feed the homeless but will also be used as a training kitchen to reskill unemployed adults, the next generation in hospitality but also generate an income for the community. Beany project: We are working on manufacturing beanies for winter sport associations in Switzerland.
Swiss4Afrika raise funds in two streams. Corporate responsibility partnerships: We partner with corporate institutions to fund larger projects. We encourage active on the grounds participation and have already had two partners visiting our projects in South Africa. Membership funding: We have a membership structure where private individuals can sponsor towards our different projects or just a small monthly membership fee that are used for smaller projects in our communities.