Afrika Tikkun, the Nelson Mandela patroned multinational nonprofit organization widely known to be one of the most effective of many devoted to the upliftment of disadvantaged kids in South Africa, invites to you participate in a unique social media campaign on LinkedIn called ‘Future Leaders’.

In a collaboration between Afrika Tikkun USA and McCann Worldgroup, the campaign creatively disrupts the standard LinkedIn profiles in which professionals state their present job title. Instead, the ‘Future Leaders’ – several kids aged 13 to 19 who have surmounted abject poverty and enormous obstacles – each state their laser focus on taking over a current high-profile CEO/leader’s job in the foreseeable future. 

The Afrika Tikkun students invite you to connect with them on LinkedIn and follow their stories, as they make progress towards achieving their academic and professional goals. You can read a short bio in their profile which includes information about their family, their lives in South African townships and their hopes for the future. Each profile also has a video in which each student shares a bit more about themselves.

Afrika Tikkun believes that today’s young people are tomorrow’s productive citizens. For the last 23 years, Afrika Tikkun has worked to redress the consequences of institutionalized oppression in South Africa. Our unique Cradle-to-Career Development Model enables our 550+ employees to deliver services addressing holistic educational, health and economic needs of marginalized youth from early infancy through adulthood, inspiring and enabling them to become productive citizens and leaders. This inspired the-then President Nelson Mandela to volunteer as our Patron-in-Chief– an honor that he only bestowed on four organizations, during his lifetime. In 2002, he wrote:

“Afrika Tikkun demonstrates in a practical and sustainable manner what can be done with limited resources, great commitment and passion. It is my belief that Afrika Tikkun represents the best of what civil society can offer in partnership with Government’s considerable efforts.”

Afrika Tikkun believes that a comprehensive approach towards development is the most effective way to sustainably break the cycle of poverty for the current and future generations. Therefore, our core programs (Early Childhood Development, Child Youth Development, and Youth Skills development and Placement Programs) are augmented by support services that include: Primary Health Care, Nutritional and Food Security Services, Psychological/Psycho-Social Services, Sports Development Program, Program Against Gender-Based Violence and Family Support Services.

Afrika Tikkun’s comprehensive approach has enabled the disadvantaged communities of South Africa to break the cycle of poverty. With a global presence and international offices in UK, Australia and US, Afrika Tikkun develops strategic partnerships and finds sustainable solutions to the problems faced by South African youth.