Founded in the watershed year of 1994, Afrika Tikkun was born at a time of tentative hope and palpable transformation. As we commemorate 30 years of our freedom and democracy as a South African nation, at Afrika Tikkun we are equally proud to celebrate 30 years of our unwavering commitment to nurturing young lives and empowering communities. Over the past three decades, like the evolution of our fledgling democracy, the lives of young people and communities have been markedly transformed. Our mission, of investing in the potential of children and youth from underprivileged backgrounds, is synonymous with the democratic ethos of equality and Ubuntu. As we reflect on three decades of service, impact and partnerships, we are inspired to continue our work with renewed vigour and hope for the next 30 years and beyond.
Australia
We wish to recognise our partner Global Development Group (ABN 57 102 400 993), an Australian approved NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation). GDG undertakes all governance responsibilities of our fundraising efforts in Australia through the administration of project J586N. It is an honour to form part of the global village of Afrika Tikkun.
Netherlands
Afrika Tikkun Netherlands is the youngest of the international fundraising partners, established in late 2020. All board members have a unique and personal motivation for joining Afrika Tikkun and will focus attention to enabling projects in South Africa.
United Kingdom
Afrika Tikkun UK utilises norms and practices around charitable giving in the UK, to support C2C programs implemented in South Africa. For many years, the office has organised the Spirit of Belron Challenge, a global sporting event to raise funds for Afrika Tikkun.
South Africa
Among the many donors in partnership with Afrika Tikkun US, family foundations feature strongly. The Tatelman camps are hugely popular as an event that provides much needed life skills for our young people at Mfuleni Centre, Cape Town.
Social disparity is a real thing
Unfortunately, unemployment, poverty, and poor education statistics are on the rise, leading to a suffering society. When a society is suffering, it can lead to an ailing nation. We must take action to address these challenges and provide opportunities for our people to thrive. It is crucial to invest in education, create jobs, and alleviate poverty to build a strong and prosperous nation. Let us work together to create a better future for all.
Poverty
Malnutrition
Quality of Education
Your support can uplift our youth
At Afrika Tikkun, we believe that every child and young person deserves a better life. We work to combat poor living and education standards, and we rely on the support of partners like you to achieve our mission. Your contributions enable us to provide access to mentorship, advanced schooling facilities, clean and healthy living environments, and career opportunities for young people.
Our focus on youth development is at the heart of our services, and we offer Cradle to Career developmental programs as well as our fully integrated 360º Social Services program. By working together, we can make a significant impact on the lives of young people in our communities. Thank you for partnering with us to create a brighter future for the next generation.
Our Centres
Cradle-to-Career Support and Development
Working together to impact together
At Afrika Tikkun, making a positive impact on the lives of those around us is our greatest reward. We are dedicated to serving our community and we strive to make a lasting impact. Our responsible kindness philosophy guides us in everything we do, and we believe in the importance of serving others with compassion and understanding. We understand that a strong sense of community is essential for building a better future, and we also recognize the importance of family. That's why we prioritize the growth and development of our own team members with care and attention. We believe that by investing in our own people, we can better serve our community and make a greater impact on the lives of those we serve.
Overall Impact
Over 100,000 youth impacted and 15,000 youth accessing Afrika Tikkun centers each year
Early Child Development
8 419 Young people reached through our Early Child Development Program
Child Youth Development
73 326 young people reached through our Child Youth Development Program
Career development
3 132 Youth trained in demand driven skills and 1,790 equipped with work readiness skills
Work Placements
1 598 Placed in employment and 412 in learnerships
360° Social Support Initiatives
78 369 individuals reached through our 360° Social Support Initiatives
Healthcare
500 000 Primary Healthcare services provided
Food Parcels
71 000 Emergency & Covid-19 relief food parcels delivered
No help too insignificant…
Nelson
Mandela
Afrika Tikkun has proven that it has the ability to reach sections of our disadvantaged population at grassroots level. It therefore provides both physical help, as well as giving hope and dignity to the recipients.”
Total SA
Corporate Partner
As one of our CSI focus areas - Youth inclusion and Education - is aligned with Afrika Tikkun's programmes, it remains a privilege to be partnering with a credible and well-reputed non-profit organisation like Afrika Tikkun, dedicated to the reduction of youth unemployment in the country.
Chief Rabbi
Cyril Harris
Recognising the moral imperatives governing human affairs, men and women of goodwill can face up to the challenge of our time and make the caring society a reality. So it was from that idea that the word Tikkun was used to start an initiative that would harness the energies of those committed to building a new South Africa.
How you can get involved
Select one of the below
Donate
At Afrika Tikkun, we are proud to partner with businesses that want to make a meaningful impact. Whether you are a small or medium-sized enterprise or a large corporation, you can choose to donate funds to support any of our Afrika Tikkun Core and 360º programs, or any of our public campaign initiatives.
Fundraise
At Afrika Tikkun, we are proud to partner with businesses that want to make a meaningful impact. Whether you are a small or medium-sized enterprise or a large corporation, you can choose to donate funds to support any of our Afrika Tikkun Core and 360º programs, or any of our public campaign initiatives.
Lead a campaign
Sponsored Marketing
Are you interested in building your own kindness campaign? At Afrika Tikkun, we can partner with you from start to finish and support your unique public initiative with a customized campaign, engineered on our platform and branded by you.
We understand that organizing a campaign can be overwhelming, but with our help, you can leave the fuss to us. We’ll collaborate with your ideas, guide you effectively, and handle all the logistics. Our team will work with you every step of the way to ensure that your campaign is a success and makes a positive impact on the lives of young people in South Africa.
Donate
As an individual donor your kindness counts. In your personal capacity you can choose a once off online contribution or a monthly gift / donation to the value of your choice. Your donation supports any one of our Afrika Tikkun Core Programs or any of our public campaign initiatives.
Volunteer
We value the contributionour volunteers make to the lives of our beneficieries. Contribute your time and skillset to any one of our 5 community centres across South Africa . Come and assist our dedicated teams and witness first hand the success of our community members, while filling your heart with the love and appreciation that unfolds with genuine human generosity.
Lead a campaign
Have a calling to go public? We help our individual donors initiate small to large campaign movements that serve a greater purpose. Bring us your campaign idea and we’ll support you through our collaborative channels to promote your initiative in the best interest of our Afrika Tikkun donor programs.
Our Partners & Donors
Impact Stories
Don’t hyperventilate, educate!
Sindi age 5 – a beautiful little girl who lives with her mother and 3 other siblings near Afrika Tikkun’s Mfuleni centre. Little Sindi was diagnosed with a lung condition that requires her to use a breathing aid 24/7. When Sindi joined our Afrika Tikkun ECD program, our Empowerment Case Administrators encouraged her family to join the support group for parents of children with disabilities.
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Sindi age 5 – a beautiful little girl who lives with her mother and 3 other siblings near Afrika Tikkun’s Mfuleni centre. Little Sindi was diagnosed with a lung condition that requires her to use a breathing aid 24/7. When Sindi joined our Afrika Tikkun ECD program, our Empowerment Case Administrators encouraged her family to join the support group for parents of children with disabilities.
Some legacies are built on a Tuesday
A story forged on a Tuesday. That’s how it started. Two visionaries after the same rainbow – Nelson Mandela and Bertie Lubner, founder of Afrika Tikkun – met on the second Tuesday of every other month to discuss the love they both shared for their country, South Africa. What transpired was a deep seated friendship,
Debbie Banda was born in the US and spent 18 years of her later life in South Africa in 1995-2013. Her involvement with South Africa began at university in the mid 1980s where she became an anti-apartheid activist. After that, Debbie managed the South African Education Program (SAEP) in New York, a USAID funded program providing higher education in the US for black South Africans. She also worked with the the Cleveland International Program, the South African Washington International Program, and the African Leadership Academy in the US.
In 2013, Debbie and her family returned to the Washington DC area and in 2022 moved to central Ohio. Debbie has served as an operations manager and Human Resources and Organizational Development leader in recent years, specializing in helping organizations manage HR systems and policies, improve employee engagement, and navigate transformation and change. She most recently worked as an HR Consultant for the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), one of the key organizations that oversaw the development of the Covid-19 vaccines and treatments.
Along with a BA from Denison University and an MBA the Yale School of Management, Debbie earned an Executive Certificate in Organizational Consulting and Change Management from Georgetown University in 2020, and a certification in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace in 2021 from the University of South Florida. She is also certified as an integrative health coach.
J Eric Wright is co-founder of Vibranium Capital Group and has been living and doing business in Africa for 25 years. Vibranium Capital Group has offices in Washington DC and Johannesburg and is a high value-add investment firm. Eric has extensive experience as an investor and entrepreneur in over 30 African countries. He previously co-founded Africa Venture Partners and was one of the founding executives of Citigroup South Africa, where he was the head of private equity and sat on the bank’s executive and credit committees.
Eric was a founding member of the investment committee of the South African government’s National Empowerment Fund, and special advisor and acting CIO to the US government sponsored $100 million venture capital fund, the Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund. Eric co-founded Gold Coast Securities Ltd., an investment bank in Accra, Ghana. Prior to moving to Africa, Eric worked in corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions in the US at Security Pacific Merchant Bank, PwC and Union Bank.
Eric has a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Southern California, and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Jennie Dawes brings more than 32 years of experience in nonprofit management and fundraising in the US and the state of Ohio. She currently manages donor services at the Licking County Foundation, a public charitable organization made up of a diverse collection of funds given by caring individuals, businesses and organizations that have a common concern for the well-being of the people of Licking County in Ohio. Before that, she worked at Hattie Larlham, first as grant writer and then as the Director of Development, helping this nonprofit to provide opportunities for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to thrive.
Previously, Jennie spent 12 years as an Executive Search consultant serving local, statewide and national nonprofits of all sizes, on assignments ranging from top executives to top financial, operations, and advancement roles. Early in her career, she oversaw communications for 9 years at the Federation for Community Planning (now the Center for Community Solutions), a nonprofit human services research, planning and advocacy organization in Cleveland, Ohio.
Jennie is a highly competent, ethical and well-respected individual in the central Ohio community, and has deep experience with nonprofit management and fundraising within the US environment. She will bring diverse and solid knowledge of fundraising best practices and will offer important insight into US philanthropic trends.
Although Jennie’s career has been focused in Ohio, she remains keenly interested in international affairs, particularly in developing countries, and understands why it is important to help ensure that South African youth are supported. Her university studies included African studies and a senior thesis on African literature.
Jennie has a B.A., cum laude from Denison University (Granville, OH).
Andrew (who goes by his middle name) is originally from South Africa and has lived in many countries over the last three decades including Lesotho, Tanzania, Zambia, Bulgaria, Germany, the UK and the currently US.
Andrew has deep experience and strong ties with South African government entities and the South African diplomatic service in Washington DC and New York. For the last 18 years he has served as a Consular Officer for the South African Embassy in Washington, DC. He has worked within the Consular, Immigration and Civic Services agency, and as a researcher for the Socio Economic & Development Section within the Consulate. Before that, Andrew served as Deputy Director of the Department of Trade and Industry in Pretoria for 1 year.
In 2001-2004, Andrew held the role of Consul Economic at the South African Consulate General in New York, where he helped to promote trade and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) between South Africa and the US. In South Africa, he has also worked for Societe Generale, as well as the Land & Agricultural Policy Centre as a Senior Policy Researcher.
Andrew has an MBA from the Western Governors University in the US, a degree in Development Economics and International Development from Imperial College, London, and has studied Conflict Resolution at the University of Maryland in the US. He is currently close to completing a Doctor of Business Administration degree at California Southern University.
Andrew has an extensive network of high level and influential contacts within the US and internationally.
Johan van Niekerk is a Partner of the Stonehage Fleming Group and heads up their Family Office division in the Americas. After having spent 14 years in the group’s Swiss operations where Johan was the Head of Family Office in Neuchatel, he moved to the US office in 2021. He serves as Key Adviser to a number of high net worth international families assisting them in protecting and managing their inter-generational wealth where his involvement spans the whole spectrum of the families’ affairs.
Johan holds a Bachelor of Accounting (Honours) degree and is a qualified Chartered Accountant. Before joining Stonehage Fleming, he worked in Specialised Finance after having continued in private practice for a couple of years post completion of his professional training.
Johan was born and grew up in South Africa and although he has spent many years abroad, South Africa and any charitable endeavours in South Africa will always be close to his heart. He has also personally raised funds for Afrika Tikkun through participating in fundraising marathons and the virtual Spirit of Belron Challenge.
Stonehage Fleming is adviser to many of the world’s leading families and wealth creators. They manage and protect their wealth, often across several geographies and generations. As a Group they have been a proud supporter of Afrika Tikkun for over 15 years. The founders’ goal was to help and support impoverished children and young people to acquire economic empowerment. Stonehage Fleming had been looking for a charity partner to make a long-term commitment which aligned with our core values of family, moral courage and excellence, and found that in Afrika Tikkun.
Afrika Tikkun’s programmes mirrored some of Stonehage Fleming’s existing commitments to its charitable activities in South Africa and within our SA-offices. With the assistance of Afrika Tikkun, the firm was able to further extend its commitment to South Africa’s most disadvantaged areas, helping to engage and empower young people in disadvantaged communities.
Selected by Forbes.com as one of the African continent’s Top 10 most ‘Powerful and Influential Men’ of his generation, Euvin has engaged as a business executive within financial services in both the USA and Africa for the past 18 years.
Currently he is Professor of Global Accounting, Risk and Agility for the Thunderbird School of Management, and before that was a member of the Accounting and Management faculty for the Harvard Business School. Prior to operating and managing the Thomson Reuters Financial Institutions business across Africa, which included the coverage of 47 countries in a matrixed operating model, Euvin was part of the African leadership team at the Boston Consulting Group, joining as the first South African Partner and Managing Director based out of the Johannesburg office, where he led the Africa Financial Institutions (Banking and Insurance) and Public Sector (DFIs, Treasury and Central Banks) Practices.
Naidoo’s personal focus is on operations management, scaling business models, partnerships, marketing, digital innovation and transformation within financial services, incorporating the themes of customer-centricity, agility, automation, financial inclusion and the implications of the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ on organizations’ staff, stakeholders and customers.
Selected in 2009 as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (WEF), in 2012 he was recruited to the Forum’s Global Agenda Councils, where he served 2 terms on the United States Council. He is a current member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network. A certified ‘Agile at Scale’ instructor and coach, Euvin draws on deep market and client experience to support a customer-centric approach targeting the acceleration of teams and businesses focused on 10X plus growth and delivery.
John Gaunt is a specialist in Human Capital, including the areas of: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Succession Planning, Workforce Optimization & Scaling, Labor Relations, Employee Engagement, Compensation & Reward and Career Path Design. He is a Board Member at Synechron. He is a Business-focused human with 30+ years of experience optimizing and scaling businesses maximizing performance. John formerly worked at Accenture. He was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in South Africa, studying at University of South Africa. He has lived in several places around the world and has resided in the Washington DC-Baltimore area in recent years.