The Motsepe Foundation presented the Global Citizen Festival which brought together its largest contingency of heads of state, dignitaries, a group of the worldâs most talented artists and influencers, and thousands of global citizens to celebrate Nelson Mandela. Following the Festival in South Africa, the giving pledge foundation continues to initiate and support projects which aim to uplift the disadvantaged, through projects and initiatives that assist its beneficiaries to become independent. In partnership with 33 of the largest Religious and Faith-Based Organizations in South Africa recently launched the Motsepe Foundation and Religious and Faith-Based Organizations R100m Job Creation, Skills and Training Fund.
The South African unemployment rate is one of the highest in the world. The recent report by Statistics South Africa stated that 29% of South Africans are unemployed and 55.2% of the unemployed are youth aged between 15 and 24 years. Against this backdrop, the Motsepe Foundation strives to reduce poverty through educational initiatives, job creation and by redressing inequality, with a specific focus on marginalised and rural communities.
The foundation was founded in 1999 by South African billionaire, Patrice Motsepe and his wife. They wanted to make a difference to poor, marginalised communities within development forums in all the nine provinces in South Africa. âMany South Africans are poor, unemployed and feel marginalized and excluded from the economy. There is a lot of outstanding talent and creativity within the Religious and Faith-Based Organizations and we are confident that our partnership will create thousands of sustainable jobs, instil hope and contribute to improving the living conditions and standards of living of many poor, unemployed and marginalized South Africansâ, added Patrice Motsepe.
The two institutions have been working together for many years and established the fund to assist and contribute to creating sustainable jobs and to provide skills and training. âWe work with religious organisations because on the ground they work with the communities we try to reach. The poor, marginalised, children headed families and we realized that religious organisations lead when it comes to those social projectsâ says Founder of Motsepe Foundation, Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe.
Founder and Chairman of the Motsepe Foundation Dr. Patrice Motsepe says âMany South Africans are poor, unemployed and feel marginalized and excluded from the economy. There is a lot of outstanding talent and creativity within the Religious and Faith-Based Organizations and we are confident that our partnership will create thousands of sustainable jobs, instil hope and contribute to improving the living conditions and standards of living of many poor, unemployed and marginalized South Africansâ.
The fund will focus on funding employment creating initiatives through an application process administered by an appointed council which will also be open to people who are not members of religious groups. The affiliated groups would be involved in selecting deserving individuals from their organizations to apply to the fund and each of the 33 religious and faith-based organizations will appoint two members to serve on the Advisory Council and one member of the Sustainable Job Creation Committee. Applications for funding will be screened and assessed by the committee who would then recommend deserving applications to the advisory council for consideration and approval. Thereafter, they will be submitted to the Motsepe Foundation.
The Motsepe Foundation and the 33 Religious and Faith-Based Organisations will also host a National Day of Prayer for all South Africans at FNB Stadium on the 24th of November in Johannesburg. The prayer session will focus on the unity of all South Africans of all races and languages, training to an end to violence and crimes committed against women and children and abuse of women and children
