Corporate Social Review Magazine 1st Quarter 2012 | Page 11

10 SOUTH AFRICANS
10 South Africans
to change the world - Vodacom
Margaret Mead said “Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed,
it is the only thing that ever has.” On Thursday 29 March
2012, 10 South Africans took up this challenge and embarked
on their journey of changing the world.
The 10 volunteers form part of
the second phase of the Vodacom Change the World initiative,
where 10 Non-Profit Organisations
(NPOs) from around the country were asked to state the skills
they would need to assist them
in becoming sustainable. A nationwide call was then issued for
suitably-qualified South Africans,
who met these requirements and
who wished to give back to society, to apply to volunteer their time
and skills for a period of up to one
year.
By the closing date, over 580 entries had been received and so
began the tough task of selecting
the top 10 volunteers. “It wasn’t
an easy undertaking,” says Mthobi
Tyamzashe, Vodacom CSI Executive Director. “The calibre of entries was high and many skilled
volunteers applied. We are satisfied that our dedicated panel of
judges did a great job of matching the right volunteers to the right
NPOs based on interests, skills,
experience and personality.”
The 10 Vodacom Change the
World volunteers and their host organisations, are:
Nicolien Joubert,
Algoa Bay Care for the Aged
With 14 years of experience in nutrition and 23 years in the health



care sector behind her name, Nicolien aims to improve the lives of the
elderly by protecting their dignity,
raising their standard of living and
providing knowledge on health and
nutrition.
Sindile Rubushe,
Association for People with
Disabilities, Polokwane
Sindile will bring his business
development skills to the role of
project co-ordinator at APD and
aims to secure long-term funding
and marketing opportunities for the
organisation.
Nelia Van Deventer,
FAMSA Upington
The combination of passion for
family and a business background
will allow Nelia to manage and im-

CORPORATE SOCIAL REVIEW

plement projects with the aim of
empowering the community and
showing the importance of a strong
family unit.