Quote of the week
Some of the non-governmental organisations are very small and cannot afford to get audited financial statements, which means they can't qualify for funds. It becomes a hindrance... It probably closes the window for a whole lot of organisations that do not have that and these are the very organisations we need to support.
- Zodwa Ntuli, Deputy Director-General of Consumer and Corporate Regulation, Department of Trade and Industry.
Comment of the week
As the director of a non-profit, I want to express my frustration at the fact that the people at Lotto - who are public servants, managing public funds - are allowed to be so chaotic and unprofessional. We are essentially talking about public servants who cannot even provide a basic administrative function.
- Robin Opperman, Executive Director, Umcebo Trust.
SN-Announce
SN-Announce is an e-mail advertising service with a readership of more than 10 000 people. Subscription to the SN-Announce service is free. For more information contact Nicolle Beeby on +27 11 403-4935 or nicolle@sangonet.org.za. For more information about SN-Announce, click here.
Prodder Directory
Prodder is the most comprehensive directory of NGOs and development organisations in South Africa. To view the directory, click here. Order your copy of Prodder - NGOs and Development in South Africa 2008, here.
SANGOTeCH
SANGOTeCH provides software and hardware to NGOs at discounted fees in conjunction with ICT donor partners. It supports NGOs to make the most of their ICT purchases and infrastructure. For more information about SANGOTeCH, click here.
BackaBuddy
SANGONeT supports BackaBuddy, an online fundraising website which combines the power of sport and the reach of the Internet in support of NGOs in South Africa. For more information contact David Barnard or Matthew de Gale on +27 11 403-4935 or e-mail: info@sangonet.org.za
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Lotto, Urban Agriculture, Blogs...
The editorial in an edition of The Times titled ‘Lotto is failing the NGOs and making the poor poorer’ (25 June 2009) unleashed a flood of comments and expressions of frustration by many working in the NGO sector in South Africa. However, these concerns are not new. In an article published by Independent Online in March 2008, SANGONeT Executive Director, David Barnard spoke about the number of complaints and inquiries SANGONeT received from NGOs about the Lotto Distribution Fund, with most of them requesting assistance or advice on how to access the money they felt was due.
"These are difficult requests to respond to as there are not many options available to NGOs in resolving their problems with the fund. Many NGOs are dependant on lottery funding and don't want to criticise the fund in public, in fear that they may not receive funding in future", he said.
Sadly, not much has changed since then. This is evident in the open letter we publish this week by Robin Opperman, Executive Director of Umcebo Trust who shares his frustration and concern about how the fund is operating. Opperman shares the experience of Umcebo Trust in the most recent round of Lotto applications.
He writes: “I want to express my frustration at the fact that the people at Lotto - who are public servants, managing public funds - are allowed to be so chaotic and unprofessional. We are essentially talking about public servants who cannot even provide a basic administrative function. We are willing to undergo rigorous selection, and to deal with being rejected with good reason. What I am not willing to do, is to sit by and tolerate the incompetent antics of a group of people who are short changing the NPO sector… . Shame on you Lotto for short changing us, the people we serve, and the people whose time we waste in this application process you seem incapable of managing properly.” Click here to read the full letter.
Opperman’s article supports the blog written by Barnard on the issue. He asks: “As every sector of the South African economy is feeling the impact of the global financial crisis, and various measures are being considered to support the economy in this challenging time, why is the government or specialised agencies geared towards the work of the NGO sector, such as the Lottery, not considering special funding arrangements for NGOs?” Click here to read the full blog and we invite you to share your experiences and thoughts about the Lotto.
We also publish an article by Ronald Eglin, Senior Projects Coordinator at Afesis-corplan who writes about how urban agriculture can help achieve a revised land redistribution target in South Africa. He writes: “If land markets are left as ‘business as usual’, market forces will continue to push agricultural activity into the periphery and the opportunities for and benefits of urban agriculture will be lost. The Department of Land Affairs, in consultation with other departments (e.g. the Department of Human Settlements), the community, property owners and other roleplayers need to urgently review government's land redistribution target and start exploring how urban land can be secured and held for agricultural purposes now and into the future.” Click here to read the full article.
SANGONeT is assisting Vodacom in organising a workshop with NGOs to discuss a new concept - the Betavine Social Exchange - a new mobile application for social impact. NGOs interested in using mobile technology in their work are welcome to attend. Click here for more information.
As always, your thoughts and suggestions are welcomed
NGO Pulse Team, editor@sangonet.org.za
New Jobs, Proposals & Events
Employment Opportunities
- FoodBank South Africa invites applications from suitably qualified candidates for the position of Managing Director to be based in Cape Town. The application deadline is 6 July 2009. For more information, click here.
- The Youth Development Network, a national network of six youth development organisations operating in South Africa, seeks to employ a Programme Coordinator to be based in Johannesburg. The application deadline is 10 July 2009. For more information, click here.
- The Population Council, an international NGO that seeks to improve the well-being and reproductive health of current and future generations around the world, seeks to employ a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer to be based in South Africa. The application deadline is 13 July 2009. For more information, click here.
- To view other vacancies in the NGO sector, click here.
Proposals, Grants & Awards
- The Department of Science and Technology invites entries for the Women in Science Awards, which recognises the achievement of women scientists in South Africa or Africa by rewarding outstanding work done by women in research. The submission deadline is 17 July 2009. For more information, click here.
- The AfricaAdapt network is calling for proposals for the Knowledge Sharing Innovation Fund. Grants of up to US$10 000 will be offered to projects that seek to overcome barriers to knowledge sharing with marginalised communities. The submission deadline is 1 August 2009. For more information, click here.
- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation invites entries for the 2010 Access to Learning Award. The recipient of this award will receive a cash prize of US$1 million. The application deadline is 31 October 2009. For more information, click here.
- To view other opportunities, click here.
New Events
- The International AIDS Society, in partnership with Dira Sengwe, a South African-based NGO, is hosting the 5th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention from 19-22 July 2009 in Cape Town. For more information, click here.
- The National Arts Council of South Africa and the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies are hosting the 4th World Summit on Arts and Culture from 22-24 September 2009 in Johannesburg. For more information, click here.
- The South African Applied Linguistics Association (SAALA), in conjunction with the Linguistics Society of Southern Africa (LSSA), is hosting the SAALA/LSSA Conference under the theme ‘Language and Identity: Innovation and Reflection’, from 28-30 September 2009 in Cape Town. For more information, click here.
Training
- The African Commons Project, in partnership with SANGONeT, is conducting an Introduction to Social Media for NGOs training workshop on 7 July 2009 in Cape Town. For more information, click here.
- The Unit for Social Behaviour Studies and Health at the University of South Africa is conducting a course on Advocacy Project Planning on HIV and AIDS in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State. The application deadline is 16 July 2009. For more information, click here.
- Siyakhula Trust is conducting a five-day practical Community Facilitation Programme from 20-24 July in Cape Town, 3-6 August in Johannesburg, and 17-21 August 2009 in Bloemfontein. For more information, click here.
- The Community Development Resource Association is conducting a five-day course on Developmental Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting from 19-23 October 2009 in Cape Town. For more information, click here.
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