Issue 543: Safety, Director’s Message…

Welcome to the last edition of NGO Pulse for 2016. The holiday season is filled with happiness and celebration, but it can also be a time of danger for road users.

This week we look at safety tips for the holiday season.

Click here to read the full article.

Christmas Message from SANGONeT Executive Director, Kenneth Thlaka

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have an important role and responsibility in the development of the information society and, as appropriate, in decision-making processes. NGOs should be critical players and help assure that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is used in a way that targets and address specific development goals and priorities.

As is usually the case at this time of the year, we all reflect on how quickly the year has passed and it’s incredible to think that we will be celebrating Christmas in the next few days, after 2017 will have arrived.
 
I think it is fair to say 2016 has been a challenging year globally for the NGO sector.  It has also been a year that has seen plenty of hard work undertaken which of course makes us all look forward to enjoying the holiday season.
 
At SANGONeT, it is with gratitude and pride that we reflect on the labour of the past year, twelve months of dedication has brought us closer to realising our vision of being a strategic leadership organisation influencing social transformation through the use of ICT.
 
Throughout the year we have worked tirelessly in ensuring that we facilitate access, information-sharing, building capacity, raising awareness, enhancing reach and impact, and linking the NGO sector through the use ICT.

Together with our valued partners, we started the year with roadshows and awareness sessions in provinces that previously never benefitted from SANGONeT services and products. In line with our Rural Development Strategy we wanted to bring grassroots organisations closer to ICT platforms, more importantly to make them aware of the benefit that ICT can have in their development agenda of servicing our communities.

In recent months, we experienced an increase in technology workshops held in various provinces due to a high demand by NGOs and the support provided by our major ICT partners, Microsoft and Google. These workshops were about technology donations that are provided by these partners to the NGO Sector. We are always grateful to have them as our partners in technology.

We have noted a significant increase in the number of NGOs that have visited the Pulse Portal on daily a basis for various services and products. As such, the portal as an information and communication tool has increasing relevance for the local NGO sector. We salute CS Mott Foundation for continuously supporting the NGO Pulse, and we believe it is because of the value it has added on the sector.

In 2017, SANGONeT will be celebrating 30 years of its existence in ICT for development. This will be one of our most robust year as we will be investing our energy in taking ICT platforms to the NGOs within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region. We recognise the importance of the NGO sector as a critical stakeholder in contributing meaningfully in their country’s development and economic advancement. The regional programme is vital at this current state of development to increase participation and contribution of the NGOs to secure available opportunities and operate as astute professionals in Southern Africa, to empower NGOs to be able to utilise ICT for the people in their communities.
 
I would like to thank our Board of Directors for the direction and guidance they have provided to the organisation during the year 2016. We also look forward to a productive 2017 under their leadership.
 
I extend a heartfelt word of appreciation to SANGONeT’s staff members, thank you for the dedication, positive spirit and remarkable teamwork you have displayed this year. In addition, I would like to thank our clients, partners and stakeholders for choosing SANGONeT as your business partner. Client satisfaction remain the centre of our operations, and where we fall short and need to improve, we would like to hear from you.
 
With only a few days left until Christmas, I warmly wish our board, staff, partners, clients and stakeholders happy holidays spent in the company of family, close friends and loved ones.
 
The time has come to slow down the pace and take it easy, especially when you are travelling -  life is precious.
 
It is my wish that 2017 brings with it abundant opportunities, great success and boundless personal growth.
 
SANGONeT would like to wish all its clients, partners, funders, supporters and NGO Pulse users a happy and peaceful festive season. Thank you for all your support in the past year and we look forward to interacting with you in 2017.

The office will be closed from 15 December 2016 and will re-open on 9 January 2017. The first edition of NGO Pulse e-newsletter will be published on 19 January 2017.

Lastly, we urge you to continue engaging with SANGONeT through the following activities:

• NGO Pulse Portal
• NGO Pulse Premium Advertising Service
• SANGOTeCH Online Technology Donation and Discount Portal
• Tipfuxeni Online Fundraising Resource

Remember to follow NGO Pulse on Twitter and Facebook.