Band Aid SA Ensures Cape Flats NPO’s Benefit from Nedbank’s Blanket Drive

Albeit we are in the middle of September, the exceptionally cold winter weather we are experiencing shows no signs of abating anytime soon.

Band Aid SA, through their long standing relationship with Nedbank, have ensured that two local NPO’s affiliated to Band Aid SA will be able to bring some warmth into the lives of their beneficiaries through blankets donated by Nedbank.

 

This relationship  between Band Aid SA and Nedbank has once again borne fruit with Nedbank’s Consumer Banking Division for the Western Cape and Northern Cape  ploughing back into the communities from where a large percentage of their customer base are from.

 

In a handover ceremony on Monday 18 September 2023 at the Nedbank Offices in Plattekloof attended by representatives of NPO’s Siyazana Youth Development Fund (SYDF) and The Callas Foundation as well representatives of Band Aid SA, Nedbank’s Western Cape & Northern Cape General Manager for Consumer Banking, Pedro Rhode, explained why it was important for them to donate blankets at what seems to be a strange time of the year.

 

“We’ve come to realise that with most blanket drives being held in the early winter months we are still experiencing extreme cold spells as we are heading into spring and through our partnership with Band Aid SA and the NPO’s in their downstream we’ve become aware that many people are still in need of blankets to keep warm in this prolonged winter cold that our communities are enduring.”

 

“We particularly value our partnership with Band Aid, as aside from the valuable work they do in the arts and entertainment sector, with their outreach programs they are very effective in distributing our donations to bona fide organisations that are not usually on our radar.”

 

The brand new blankets received by Siyazana Youth Development and Callas Foundation have been donated by Nedbank staff and their total donations were partially matched by Nedbank’s head office to increase the haul.

“We are in agreement that the organisations we assist have an aim to maintain a level of dignity for their beneficiaries and we are thankful to those staff members who were willing and able to pitch in and buy new blankets on short notice .”

 

Band Aid SA with Uncle Cal Productions as a custodian is an NPO through which Aid and Support  for Community Organisations are processed as the Corporate Social Investment spin-offs from Uncle Cal events and other interactions with corporate partners and sponsors.

 

Calvin Peters of Uncle Cal Productions explained why it is important for Band Aid SA to partner with affiliated organisations such Siyazana Youth Development Fund & Callas Foundation.

Both these organisations have a vision that aligns with the ethos of Band Aid SA and they understand that organisations cannot operate in isolation but that the key to tackling the problems our communities face lies in building bridges and forming partnerships with other organisations that actively work in the communities we want to serve.”

“We believe in building bridges and creating synergies. Through engaging our sponsors such as Nedbank and our affiliate partner organisations we create opportunities for investment in the wellbeing of our communities.”

 

Band Aid SA Chairperson William Rezant expressed his gratitude towards Nedbank for their continued support in both Band Aid SA’s core aims of growing a sustainable arts economy as well as assisting with donations that are distributed to NPO’s and community organisations affiliated to Band Aid SA.

Ian Miller of Siyazana Youth Development Fund (SYDF) which has previously worked with Band Aid SA on their very successful 2022 Blanket Drive expressed his gratitude to the sponsors Nedbank for their generous donation and said that their organisation was proud of their partnership with Band Aid SA which continues to grow stronger.

 

Established in 2017 SYDF promotes a holistic approach in combating the challenges of a lack in Youth Skills Development, poor or no Early Childhood Development (ECD) interventions, and widespread gender or sexual based violence played an intrinsic role in the cycle of impoverishment in these young lives.

Siyazana Youth Development understands that a single-handed approach does not work in the context of South Africa, an example of this being that children cannot learn without food. Their holistic approach aligns well with the vision and ethos of Band Aid SA.

 

Representing Callas Foundation, Mariam Aarendse & Lynette Dixon were excited about the prospect of being able to bring a little warmth into the lives of some of their beneficiaries. 

They expressed their gratitude towards Nedbank and Band Aid SA for partnering with them and securing the sponsorship since for many of the people that are helped by Callas Foundation the chiling reality for them is that September is still very much a cold winter month.

The Callas Foundation was formally established in September 2018, however, it has been serving communities for over three decades in collaboration with various structures on a range of programmes.

While the main target constituency of the Callas Foundation is women, the organisation acknowledges the importance of working in an integrated approach.

 

Calvin Peters reiterates that Band Aid SA is proud of the partnership they are developing with organisations such as SYDF and Callas Foundation as well as with their sponsors.

“There is a synergy in the way that Band Aid SA and our partner organisations approach the issues facing our marginalised communities, and we appreciate that as a key sponsor Nedbank sees the value in contributing towards our collective efforts.”