Category: 2018

The NGO sexual exploitation and abuse scandal has exposed a culture of impunity, with one organisation after another starting with Oxfam coming under fire for tolerating and enabling exploitation and abuse of the very people they had pledged to serve – these are some of the most well-respected and trusted organisations globally, working with some of the most vulnerable peoples, including South African children.

In South Africa, numerous NGOs face serious financial and capacity challenges with many already closing down or scaling back their activities. This is despite the country facing increasing developmental challenges in areas including health, education and poverty alleviation. Now facing a cascade of scandals, the entire sector finds itself tarred with the same brush of mistrust, and calls for withdrawal of support. While the sector may feel under the microscope, this is a process that should be welcome and embraced, for greater scrutiny of the sector and more transparency is long overdue.

In 2005, Johns Hopkins University estimated that, if the NGO sector were a country, it would be the fifth largest economy in the world with a global worth of more than $1 trillion a year. But, to quote Alexander Cooley, a professor of political science at Barnard College in New York, “in many ways, they are the least accountable actors on the global scene”

Since the associational revolution hailed by John Hopkins university in the mid-90s when it started to research the explosion of the non-profit sector (which they predicted would be equal to the rise of the nation-state in the latter nineteenth century), there have been calls for better regulation of the sector. There is in fact no required, actionable accountability or regulation apart from that which the charity organisation chooses for itself, and has to its donor and the laws of the country. Accountability to the donor is therefore of critical importance. But it is not enough.

Helping NGOs to stamp out abuse is essential. Transparency and accountability however needs to be treated as a multi-dimensional set of obligations. The problem in the debate thus far is that accountability is regarded primarily as a vertical, upward accountability measured by the systems and regulations in place for monitoring and evaluation. However this can no longer be seen as the single viable approach to transparency. Organisations need to be horizontally accountable – to the communities where they operate and from whom they obtain legitimacy as well as fully accountable to the intended beneficiaries. Right now the danger is that this form of accountability is nothing more than lip-service.
It is however of critical important that the voices of the most vulnerable are empowered to address abuses, as well as any matter pertaining to governance that impacts them. What does that mean for organisations with children and young people? It means the civic agency of the voice is upheld, celebrated and given a platform as a cultural and organisational practice. It means young people’s leadership is sought, valued, and empowered by those in power — beginning with the staff of Afrika Tikkun, the executive management and the board. It means in one breath that young people understand that by the same token, they can hold local, national and international duty-bearers accountable for safeguarding their rights.

The non-profit sector gives articulation to the value of active citizenship and the more vibrant, active, diverse and engaged this sector is, the healthier the democracy. Non-profit-corporate partnerships help corporate business understand their social impact. They improve their understanding of social and environmental issues, and according to a study across 8 developed countries, 59% of corporates stated their business practices have changed for the better as a result of interaction with non-profits.
Non-profits often also play a crucial role in policy innovation, policy advocacy, and the representation of minority views. They deliver major portions of services, filling in critical gaps in government service delivery, and often delivering services on behalf of government. Non-profits are also a significant source of national employment and job growth – and in many countries, do this than most other segments of the economy. Afrika Tikkun alone, for example, employs and professionalises over 400 staff members, 85% of whom are black women from single-parent families in townships.
The good that is achieved and the successes of any non-profit however should not obscure the simple reality that more and more charity is a business like any other, operated by humans whose faults are as numerous and indisputable as those in government and business. Accepting scrutiny, acknowledging failure and pulling back the curtain on how accountability is shared not only internally but multi-dimensionally is good for everyone.
Britain’s International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt told a conference in Stockholm, “Unless you report every serious incident or allegation, no matter how damaging to your reputation – we cannot be partners,” She went on to call for “leaders to lead with moral authority and we want staff to be held accountable.”
Afrika Tikkun is therefore inviting donors, media, beneficiaries and friends of the organisation to be informed and hold it accountable to its policy for child protection – ultimate accountability for which begins and ends with its CEO.
The Afrika Tikkun Child Protection Policy is based on international and national principles, articles and laws . These laws provide a comprehensive framework for the protection, care,  support and participation of all children and young people, without discrimination, to ensure their well-being to the maximum extent possible. The policy informs personnel, education and training, management structure, behaviour protocols, communication guidelines, reporting and reaction protocols, and it deals with the ramifications of misconduct. The policy requires awareness raising and training, including personnel self-care support, prevention measures, monitoring, evaluation and learning.

The policy also requires Afrika Tikkun check if all existing and potential employees are listed in the National Child Protection Register and the National Register for Sexual Offences. Afrika Tikkun will also require all existing and potential staff have a Police Clearance Certificate.

Accountability and transparency is a shared undertaking informed by a social contract that has its fundamental principle of do no harm. The more this principle is shared and upheld, the brighter the hope for the children and young people we serve.

The Grand Sports Raffle will run from present until the draw on May 20th 2018.The early bird prize (draw in April) is a 4 nights stay at the Premier Hotel in Knysna (flights for 2 included) The main prize is 2 tickets to the World Cup Semi-Finals in Russia. Flights and accommodation included. Tickets Cost R200. For every ticket sold, Afrika Tikkun will receive R100 provided we are selected when purchasing ticket.

Purchase your ticket here and don’t forget to select Afrika Tikkun.

“One day I would love to live in a non-ableist world where I’m not treated as dis-human and where my disabled body does not cause people to squirm and feel uncomfortable. Where I do not become the object of people’s piercing glares any time I move or go anywhere. Where people don’t feel afraid to talk to me or just ignore me through fear of causing offence (I’m seriously not made of glass!). Trust me, although I have a body, which does not match so called societal norms, it does not mean that I’m unhappy. It also doesn’t mean that because I don’t see my body being ‘healed’ in this life time that I have given up on life. I am also human and have feelings and goals too!!
The words of Dr Paul Chappell, Wits-based activist for the rights of persons with disability. It reflects but one aspect of the experience of differently abled people in South African society. Disability should not be understood as referring to a person’s difference or impairment. Disability rather refers to the life experience of that person, living in a society that is organised in a way that restricts their life choices and opportunities.
The most effective way to ensure society becomes better at supporting the life of individuals of all varieties of ability is for those who are themselves differently abled to become civically empowered. And such power is meaningful only when it has collective agency.
In early 2017, Afrika Tikkun Empowerment Programme and Beit Issie Shapiro started to collaborate with a view to organising advocacy on the rights of persons with disability at a national level. The second annual Disability Rights Symposium South Africa taking place on the 15th of March 2018 is the flagship event in the yearly calendar for organising representation of the rights of persons with disability.
In the first year the Symposium was convened, activists and parents of children with disability from around the country congregated to initiate the kind of partnership that can make effective representation to state-level duty bearers. In 2018, the Symposium will continue the work it began in sharing the advocacy work engaged in over the past year; it will generate dialogue about empowerment methodologies and showcase the usefulness of transformative collaboration and partnerships between children with disabilities and their families and those with influence – including actors in multiple state departments, as well as the disability sector and the social justice sector.
The Symposium will bring together disability rights advocates, with a panel of human rights experts, led by Prof Michael Stein. Prof Michael Stein works with disabled peoples organisations around the world, actively consults with governments on their disability laws and policies, advises a number of UN bodies and national human rights institutions, and has participated in landmark litigation.
The theme for the 2018 Symposium is influenced by Global partnerships, as described in Sustainable Development Goal 17. Accordingly the symposium will be focussing on the topic – Empowerment through Partnerships: Working together towards the effective implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in South Africa.
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A LITTLE BACKGROUND
During Apartheid, the South African disability sector, although diverse, mobilised effectively, participated politically and had a powerful voice. Over the past two decades however, much of the vibrancy and dynamism of the sector has faded. As a result, effective implementation of policy and legislation that should result in the enjoyment of Constitutional rights by persons with disability have yet to be realised. In this landscape, a new generation of agents are emerging: powerful community-based self-help groups. In Gauteng, four Community-based Rehabilitation self-help groups based in township or inner city communities have demonstrated that coming together, partnering with State and non-State actors and persistently motivating for change is an effective strategy in the pursuit of human rights for all.
ABOUT PROFESSOR MICHAEL STEIN
Michael holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. from Cambridge University. Co-founder and Executive Director of the Harvard Law School Project on Disability and a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School for over a decade, Stein holds an Extraordinary Professorship at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Human Rights, and a visiting professorship at the Free University of Amsterdam. Stein previously was Professor (and Cabell Professor) at William & Mary Law School, and also taught at New York University and Stanford law schools. His path-breaking scholarship has been published globally by leading journals and presses, and he is the recipient of fellowships and awards from the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation and Research, among others. An internationally recognised expert on disability law and policy, Stein participated in the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, works with disabled peoples organisations around the world, actively consults with governments on their disability laws and policies, advises a number of UN bodies and national human rights institutions, and has brought landmark litigation. Stein has received numerous awards for his work, including the inaugural Morton E. Ruderman Prize for Inclusion, the inaugural Henry Viscardi Achievement Award, and the ABA Paul G. Hearne Award, and was appointed by President Obama to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.
The Harvard Law School Project on Disability (HPOD) works to promote the human rights of people with disabilities worldwide. HPOD empowers all people to use the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to develop fully equitable societies. HPOD supports the development of disability civil society, informs innovative legislative and policy development, provides legal advice and human rights training to persons with disabilities, their representative organisations, non-governmental organisations, National Human Rights Institutions, and governments. We enable inclusive development practices. As a global disability law and policy center, HPOD undertakes and encourages teaching and ground-breaking scholarship on disability rights.

ABOUT AFRIKA TIKKUN
The vision of the Afrika Tikkun’s Empowerment Programme is for young people and their families to actively pursue their human rights. We do this using an empowerment approach which facilitates children, youth and their families to work together as agents for change within their homes, community and country.
One of the objectives of the Empowerment Programme is to develop and share good practice in using empowerment approaches for the provision of safe, non-discriminatory and inclusive development programmes for young people and their families. This is done by conducting robust evaluation of Programme outcomes, undertaking transformative research and disseminating information by publishing journal articles, participating in conferences and hosting dialogues and symposia.

ABOUT BEIT ISSUE SHAPIRO
In order to learn from an organisation that has been engaged in inclusive development at an international level for over 20 years, Afrika Tikkun has teamed up with Beit Issie Shapiro- Israel’s most effective non-profit organisation with ‘Special Consultative Status’ to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Beit Issie Shapiro’s vision is of an inclusive society, which assures the rights and opportunities for maximum growth and development of children and adults with diverse abilities. Beit Issie Shapiro plays a leading role in promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in society.

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From birth to age 6, early childhood is a time of extreme and rapid growth and development; when they acquire concepts, skills and attitudes that lay the foundation for lifelong learning. 80% of a young child’s brain development takes place before the age of 5 years. But this phase, should not be seen as mainly the responsibility of teachers or nurses – the role of the parent is absolutely critical. That is why Afrika Tikkun want parents to know how important it is to nurture and demonstrate love to their children.
How can parents do this?
It doesn’t have to cost money or take too much time – there are fun things you can do together that mean a lot. This is something Vanessa Mentor has passionately advocated for 31 years – first as Director of the Gauteng Department of Basic Education’s Early Childhood Development Institute, and now here at Afrika Tikkun as subject matter expert in Early Childhood Development. In February she is challenging all parents at Afrika Tikkun to a different activity each day with their children. If it’s fun and it works perhaps parents can continue to do it.

South Africa’s children continue to be marginalised, excluded and exposed to excessive levels of violence with significant adverse effects. In 2016, a national prevalence study estimated that one in three children are victims of sexual violence and physical abuse before they reach the age of 18 years, whilst 12% of children report neglect and 16% report emotional abuse. Verbal and physical abuse, witnessing domestic violence, severe depression or prolonged absence of the primary caregiver – are likely to have a sustained and adverse impact on brain development.
Parents are the key to turning these statistics around. Healthy relationships and parental love is what experts have described as the “ordinary magic” that helps children reach their potential. Many different studies confirm that parental love and care build resilience in children – meaning that whatever adversity they face, they are able to overcome and bounce back from the challenge.
Studies show that children that are shown nurturing care more frequently by their parents displayed more advanced brain development and were better able to cope with stressful events than those who did not receive equal attention from their mothers. In the absence of safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments, changes in the brain architecture and function may result in aggressive and antisocial behaviour.

Healthy parenting has been found to improve children’s self-esteem, behaviour and food security; reduce educational risks; and enhance cognitive and language development. Fostering secure parent–child attachments early in life, and a nurturing family environment create a foundation for children to survive and thrive even in unsafe environments.
We are encouraging parents and caregivers that as they engage with their children, they will start to see the child’s level of understanding, interaction, and learning increase. The advice we are giving to parents is just be silly, become a child. Think of a memory of you have of playing with your caregiver. Remember the impact that small activity had on you? Children long for their parents to play with them…They feel important, they feel that they matter. They understand what love means from that experience. When a parent and adult shows them that time with them is important, it makes an indelible mark on a child for the rest of their life.
Investing time, joy and imagination in a child will not only protect and develop the child but it is also the best guarantee of future peace, security and prosperity for the community at large.
Members of the public are invited to take part in the challenge February 1-14 by posting photos on social media (Facebook and Instagram). Hashtag #afrikatikkun #valentinesphotochallenge when you post photos of these activities to your social media and stand a chance to win a R1000 shopping voucher for the best photo.

The South African drumming prodigy and Afrika Tikkun celebrity ambassador, Daniel Petersen III, known to his fans as Danno is a special source of inspiration for young people around the world. And now, Afrika Tikkun is especially proud to announce that Danno has been invited to perform at the 2018 Grammy Awards After Party in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Performing at this event is a premier opportunity for any musician and a singular honour for 15-year-old Danno.
With all these phenomenal achievements, he is a humble and well-adjusted young teenager today. When he goes to LA later this month he represents the hopes and dreams of many South African young people – whose potential deserves to be unlocked so that they too can go on to achieve incredible things. South African young people are brimming with greatness, and as an Afrika Tikkun ambassador, Danno has worked tirelessly since joining the organisation to encourage beneficiaries – young people from townships – about the importance of staying true to your commitments and goals. The Petersen family is honoured to share the organisation’s calling to develop the greatness and talents of South African young people.
Afrika Tikkun wishes him all the best.

About Danno
A child prodigy who is also the son of a Grammy-award winning father, Danno’s talents on the drums were discovered at the age of 14 months. At the age of 6, he performed at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, and has since then performed for numerous dignitaries including President Nelson Mandela, President Thabo Mbeki, President Jacob Zuma, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka etc. He is the youngest African to be enrolled at a university, and recently completed his undergraduate degree examinations. He and his Dad are also the only non-USA Citizens to receive a lifetime achievement award from 44th US President Barack Obama for the work he and his family do through his foundation, teaching young learners music and securing access to new musical instruments for hundreds of schoolchildren from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.

About Afrika Tikkun
Afrika Tikkun is an international NGO, operating from four offices in four continents: Africa, Europe, North America and Australia. The ‘Cradle to Career’ model has earned them recognition as a leader in community development in South Africa. This holistic development model reaches thousands of vulnerable children and young people every day, addressing their needs at every stage of their development, in the context of family.
Afrika Tikkun’s Cradle to Career 360º model works from the context of family to provide holistic and integrated services to children from birth through to school going age, and into the working world with additional support programmes for struggling families with children of all ages.
For more information on Afrika Tikkun and their initiatives call 011 325 5914, email info@afrikatikkun.org or visit www.afrikatikkun.org.
Danno is available for interviews up until 23 January and after 10 February. For more information and media interviews, contact:
Catherine van Schoor
catherinev@afrikatikkun.org

My name is Sandy Phala and I am 13 years old. I live in Alexandra, with my mother and father. My mother works at Crowdford College as a substitute teacher and my father is an admin clerk at St Stithians.

I get up at 6 o’clock and help around the house, I sweep the floor and make breakfast for my mother and father, then prepare for school. I walk for about 30 minutes to school. I enjoy school because we do interesting activities such as physical exercises and we have a singing choir and play netball. I’m passionate about singing and I received a certificate for school choir.

After school, I go to Afrika Tikkun centre to do my homework and school project with the help of facilitators. I practice netball at the sport hall and I like that we get nice gifts.

My teacher says that I am the best reader and I don’t easily lose hope. I love Maths, English and Life Skills.

I want to be a bone doctor. My dream is to finish school with good grades so that I can study Osteology and help people who suffer from bones diseases like arthritis. One day I hope to find a cure for serious diseases like cancer and make sure that the sick are cared for. I want to own many community clinics and help the existing ones with more medications.

My idea to change the world: I want to build a flying house that goes around and fixes other houses.