MANDELA DAY ’18- OFF-SITE AT OFFICE

2. OFF-SITE CHALLENGE AT OFFICE:
We understand that not everyone can take time out of their work day to be with us for Mandela Day and so we have created an exciting challenge for corporates or schools to celebrate Mandela Day at their offices. Our LEGACY challenge invites staff to run collection drives throughout each department gathering items from our wish lists to be sorted and packed into our LEGACY buckets on Mandela Day.

HOW IT WORKS:
– Purchase your LEGACY STARTER PACK for R1000.00 (Includes Instruction card, 10 buckets and other required items to complete the challenge!).
– Send off the internal communication email to your team to encourage the collection drive throughout the month.
– Set a time on Mandela Day (18 July) for your teams to pack their LEGACY kits at your office!.
– Complete the activity to select your top 5 candidates, as per your instruction card, and arrange delivery to Domino before 2pm.

Check out this video for more details;

HOW TO SIGN UP:

– Order your starter pack by contacting Lisa via email admin@domino.org.za or calling 031 563 9605. You will be sent a confirmation letter with further instructions and necessary details.

– Get your team together

– Gather items from the list in your pack and set up an area at your office as a drop off point

– Join us on Wednesday 18 July for this year’s International Mandela Day and deliver your teams collected items.!

– If you would like to sponsor and brand an action station/stall at our MADIBA MARKET on-site at this year’s event, please contact Tarin by emailing tarin@domino.org.za or calling 031 563 9605

MANDELA DAY ’18- ON-SITE AT DOMINO

1. ON-SITE CHALLENGE AT DOMINO: CENTENARY CHALLENGE

This year, we are wanting to celebrate Madiba’s 100th in a special way and we are challenging everyone to bring along as many items as possible from our wish list below, and drop it off on Wednesday 18 July to fill our CENTENARY MARKER.

Book the time slot that best suits you and your team and secure your spot by purchasing your tickets for R100.00 per person. Tickets will give you entry to our Madiba Market where your team of 10 will also tackle a 670m activity course, while moving through various Interact Points to engage each of the programmes at Domino and to fill the centenary marker with the items you have collected.Teams can purchase drinks and snacks from our refreshment stalls and Wors roll stands.

Time slots are hourly from 09h00 – 13h00 and can be booked through Lisa Doyle (email admin@domino.org.za)

Check out this video for more details:

HOW IT WORKS:
– R100 per person to purchase your Mandela Day tickets and book your time slot. (R1000 per team of 10)
– You will receive your wish lists for items to collect
– Send off the internal communication email to your team to encourage the collection drive throughout the month leading up to Mandela Day.
– Bring cash/Zapper, your tickets, the mountain of collected items and the GEES! on Wednesday 18 July.

HOW TO SIGN UP:
– Book your time slot by contacting Lisa via email admin@domino.org.za or calling 031 563 9605. You will be sent a confirmation letter with further instructions and necessary details.

– Get your team together

– Gather items from the list in your pack and join us on Wednesday 18 July for this year’s International Mandela Day!

– If you would like to sponsor and brand an action station at this year’s event, please contact Tarin by emailing tarin@domino.org.za or calling 031 563 9605

ON THE ROAD

March 2018 saw Domino Business Salesman, Sifiso Zulu, buying his very first car. His story is one of unequivocal success with his having come through the Domino Foundation programmes into the employ of Domino Business. With Sifiso in his new car, Domino Business will be able to offer an even more efficient service to clients needing to improve their Preferential Procurement B-BBEE points. If you would like to find out more about Domino Business’ range of products or have other B-BBEE Scorecard-related needs, contact us on 031 563 9030, or email admin@dominobusiness.co.za. For more information on Domino Business’ activities, please go to www.dominobusiness.co.za/

EGG-STATIC!

The response to The Domino Foundation’s appeal for Easter eggs was overwhelming. Every child on the Foundation’s Feeding programme received a chocolate-covered symbol of new life, the triumphant message of the Easter story. Schools, church groups, companies, families and individuals showed great generosity in the almost 9000 eggs they donated. Working together with Cathy Whittle, leader of the Feeding programme, Pippa Coote of Sprout Consulting, galvanised various businesses enterprises to bring in 4500 of the eggs. The young leaners at Qalakahle Crèche, Mansell Road, Stamford Hill, were delighted with the taste treat brought by the Easter Rabbit. Their crèche was one among the many which were blessed through the generosity of so many. Other channels through and to which eggs were distributed were The Domino Foundation’s Feeding, Babies’ Home, Life Skills and Red Light programmes, creches in Amaoti, Waterloo, the Durban CBD and the Point area, Glenridge, Anthem and Every Nation Churches, Youth for Christ, Mildene Retirement Village and Villa Sunfield old age home and frail care facility. On behalf of all those who were blessed by the wide and generous response to our appeal, we say “Thank you!” It was an Easter to remember!

NURTURING POTENTIAL

Mickey Wilkins of Domino Business was Guest of Honour at the 2017 Annual Speech Day at George Campbell School of Technology in Durban. The school offers a specialised academic education in which learners follow a technologically-based course which can lead to admission to a university, a university of technology, FET colleges or any other form of post-school training, with particular emphasis on Civil Technology, Electrical Technology and Mechanical Technology.

After Mickey’s address, The Domino Foundation was approached by an Old Boy of the school, Jose Martin, who had been impressed by what had been shared about the Foundation’s activities and was wanting to sponsor a Grade 11/12 pupil through their high school studies. His long term aim would be to see the student through his or her tertiary studies or post school learnership with the potential of absorbing the student into his manufacturing company on successful completion of the degree or course. His dream is to see this grow into a long-term solution to the challenge of training up skilled men and women in technological spheres and integrating them into the nation’s workforce. Dreaming big, he stated, “I would like to give every George Campbell student a bursary!”

Jose has put out the challenge to other George Campbell Old Boys to follow suit and rally to the cause of supporting up-and-coming students with potential by partnering with The Domino Foundation’s Skills Development Programme. The programme’s vision is to create a platform through education to empower and equip disadvantaged individuals to reach their full potential and Brad King, the programme’s leader sees this move by Jose as an excellent opportunity to empower young people at George Campbell to achieve an education in their chosen field: “In addition to providing access to funding for tertiary qualifications like this from VRM Manufacturing, Skills Development supports and students through a mentorship programme to ensure they have the confidence, knowledge and tools required to seek employment.” A senior student at George Campbell has been identified and since the start of 2018 has been supported in his studies by VRM Manufacturing. As a skills development facilitator, The Domino Foundation is delighted to be part of a new initiative like this and is well-placed to assist with BBB-EE documents and points for businesses engaging in positive action to bring about nation Transformation.

Mickey Wilkins was enthusiastic when he said, “If this initiative gains momentum, it has the potential to significantly increase the capacity and skills available to Ethekwini’s manufacturing sector and the economic development of the metropole will be dramatically impacted.”

Anyone interested in taking up Jose’s bursary challenge or needing assistance with Skills Development points can contact Tarin Stevenson (tarin@domino.org.za).

FAREWELL, GOGO!

When she lived at Mashava Mine in Zimbabwe, Linda Davis had a passion to share her faith in Jesus with the children of the miners. Each weekend she would set up her Sunday School classroom in the local beer hall and read Bible stories to and sing with the little ones in the hours before the tipplers arrived. When she moved to Durban, Linda was a natural choice to become “House Mother” when Jenni Wallace, pastor’s wife at the then Church of the Good Shepherd, established the ‘Fair Havens’ babies’ home in Durban North in 2004. Since then, Linda, affectionately called “Gogo” by children and staff alike at The Domino Foundation’s Babies Homes, has seen almost 140 children placed with adoptive families locally and abroad. Together with Precious Thabete, she has nurtured and loved the abandoned and orphaned babies and toddlers who have found a safe haven under her care. Linda says, “Jesus’ words that we shouldn’t despise any of these little ones because their angels always see the face of His Father in heaven have always rung true with me. I have to respond to a child in crisis.” Linda is retiring from the position where she has so faithfully served the most vulnerable in our community for the past 14 years but knows that it won’t be long before she once again is holding babies in her arms and standing in the gap as “Gogo”. Leader of the Babies Homes programme, Sandy Hamblin said of Linda, “She has shown unfailing love to every one of the children who has passed through the homes and has been a tireless warrior in fighting to see the best outcomes for these little ones.” Linda’s leaving coincides with the closing of ‘Ububele’, one of the two homes in the Domino Foundation’s programme. Precious Thabete, who has been a stalwart co-worker with Linda since the inception of the homes and who has been “House Mother” at “Ububele”, steps into the role of House Mother at ‘Fair Havens’. Far from this move, which sees the programme’s capacity being reduced from 12 to 6 children, being a retrogressive strep, Sandy Hamblin says that more resources will now be available to tackle the bigger advocacy issue where the challenge of bureaucracy, institutions and inadequate legal frameworks can be tackled in conjunction with groups like the National Adoption Coalition of South Africa.

READING THEIR WAY INTO A WIDER WORLD

After working for a year in Amaoti at Susan Ncgobo School, the international outreach group, Project TEN, undertook the refurbishing of a small room at the school as a library. They had been introduced to the school through The Domino Foundation’s Life Skills programme which then took up the challenge to see the shelves filled with books. A total of almost 500 books has now been donated to the fledgling library through the amazing response to the appeal put out. The students at Akiva College were particularly generous in their response to the appeal. Said Cameron Wulfsohn, head of Akiva’s Executive Committee for Outreach, “We are privileged to be able to know the books we have given will help the pupils at the school in the great adventure of being able to read.” Accepting the books, Mrs Swazi Shebangu, Principal of Susan Ncgobo, said they were part of the answer to a long-held dream to see a library facility established at the school.

Where only a month earlier the shelves had been almost empty of reading material, Mrs Amanda Mthetwa, school librarian, is now anxiously wondering where she will put any more books which might be donated. But it is a wonderful challenge to have. The community’s great generosity has resulted in reading books suitable for Grade R through to Grade 7 now virtually filling the shelves to capacity. The library is in need of English dictionaries to help the older pupils who are puzzled by unfamiliar words, and isiZulu story books for the children in the lower grades who are taught in their mother tongue. The library space also could do with bean bags and cushions for the young learners while they enjoy their story times and anyone who may have a spare bookcase (preferably metal, but not essential) will know that it will find an excellent home there. If you are able to help us with any of these items, please contact Leigh-Ann Stevens (leigh-ann@domino.org.za).

The vision is growing for the library to become a fuller resource centre for the school where teachers can access teaching materials like posters and charts for their lessons. Staff are being canvassed for their input on what materials would be useful. This would be an excellent opportunity for volunteers with The Domino Foundation to research and produce these materials. Two volunteers with excellent credentials in the area of libraries and literacy are already on board. David Hellinger, with thirty years in tertiary education behind him and involvement with various reading-oriented programmes, and retired librarian, Frances Callan, have already had input into the effective running of the new library and have vision for ways in which to develop the facility into one which effectively resources the community at Susan Ngcobo. Frances has cast her expert eye over volumes which have been donated and has seen that there is a need for non-fiction books suitable for Grades 6 and 7 dealing with the following subjects: South African history post 1994; inventions; science; ecology; computers; the history and geography of Africa. Books in isiZulu for all levels from Grade R to Grade 7 are also desperately needed. For any of these or for information on any aspect of Life Skills activities, please get in touch with Leigh-Ann on leigh-ann@domino.org.za.

COMBATTING SLAVERY TOGETHER

In addition to its primary work of reaching out, restoring and releasing survivors of exploitation and human-trafficking, The Domino Foundation’s Red Light’s programme has the vision to collaborate with other groups to influence South African decision-makers to act to reduce human-trafficking in our country. Red Light also aims to raise awareness of human-trafficking in a society which is largely unaware of the enormity and extent of this plague in our nation.

The Red Light programme is the KZN point-of-contact for The National Freedom Network (NFN), a group of people and organisations around South Africa working to combat human-trafficking. The aim is to connect and interact with like-minded persons and groups to exchange information, share resources and best practices, and develop professional contacts in the counter-human-trafficking field.

In 2009, a symposium was held to engage relevant high-level stakeholders on the topic of human- trafficking. Cherie Blair, patron of the international anti-trafficking organisation “Stop the Traffik” and wife of the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, was the keynote speaker. Because the nature of the crime of human-trafficking calls for a collaborative response, an outcome of the event was the highlighting of the need for all the parties dealing the scourge of human-trafficking to co-ordinate their efforts.

The following year, a base was established for the Network and critical areas to be addressed were identified. The National Freedom Network (NFN) was formally launched in May 2011, growing into a solid national network of anti-human-trafficking role-players across South Africa.

Curbing the scourge of human-trafficking is a critical priority of the National Prosecuting Authority. Red Light is also a part of the HHPPB (Human Trafficking, Harmful Traditional Practices, Pornography, Prostitution and Brothels) taskforce. This body was established to combat human-trafficking with local government and organisations. In KZN, the task team has been operating since 2008 and is driven by the National Prosecuting Authority’s Sexual Offences and Community Affairs Unit. The team comprises some 35 organisations including the South African Police Service, government departments, non-government organisations and international organisations.

Twenty first century slavery in its many forms has tens of millions of people caught in its ugly tentacles. As many as 40 million men, women and children are enslaved worldwide and each year the illicit trade in human beings generates US$150 billion. Human-trafficking in South Africa ranges from sex trafficking through child labour, domestic servitude, organ smuggling, child-brides, illegal child adoptions and debt-bondage to the use of body parts for muti. Often hidden from sight, slavery is a problem which numbers among its victims millions of children.

Just as young people are brutalised by this appalling crime against humanity, young people also are making their voices heard in the fight against human trafficking. In response to the CNN Freedom Project, students around the globe joined in #MyFreedomDay on Wednesday 14 March, both to highlight modern slavery and celebrate freedom.

The Grade 12 students at Northlands Girls High School in Durban North came together in solidarity with the many South Africans their age and younger who are entrapped in some aspect of slavery. The school partners with a number of The Domino Foundation’s seven programmes, one of which is Red Light. It is envisaged that Red Light will partner with other schools in Durban to promote awareness of the enormity of this social ill afflicting South Africa and challenge the learners on how they can make a difference to heal this blight in our society.

If you are stirred to join the fight against modern-day slavery and human-trafficking, contact Esther at redlight@domino.org.za or want to find out more about the programme, click here.

BABIES HOME UPDATE 1st QUARTER

The end of the first quarter marked a very significant point in The Domino Foundation’s Babies’ Home programme. At the end of March, Linda Davis, who had been with the home since its inception, retired after many years of faithful service. “It has been an amazing journey of being able to give love to so many precious little people who have been abandoned,” said Linda. Precious Thabete, who has worked with Linda all those years and who also has a great heart of compassion and rich experience in being able to meet the children’s needs, has taken over her responsibilities. Read the entire feature “Farewell, Gogo” here.

This momentous change came at the same time as the decision was made to close the one home (‘Ububele’) at 125 Adelaide Tambo Drive, leaving ‘Fair Havens’ to cater for six children at any one time. There was no doubt that this is the perfect timing as a number of adoptions were in process and so several children would be leaving for their new adoptive homes shortly. With the new set-up with a single home and staff, the vision has been refined to ensure that training of the staff is even better so that the children are as whole and ready for their new family as possible when they leave the “Fair Havens”.

Although the decision to close “Ububele”, this new dispensation will put the Babies’ Home programme into a position where it can take on more fully the critical task, with other adoption and babies’ homes facilities and groups, the pressing issue of advocacy on behalf of abandoned and orphaned children in South Africa. Sandy Hamblin, leader of the babies’ Home programme now sits on the Adoption Coalition board and two very good meetings had already been held. The Babies’ Home programme has also joined forces with the National Adoption Coalition of South Africa whose aim is to promote and build awareness and understanding of adoption, build partnerships and collaboration across the adoption community and lobby government and regulators on behalf of the adoption community, leading the change needed in our society to embrace adoption as the best permanent solution for children, outside of their family.

It is always so gratifying when reports and stories come to the Babies Home of how children who have been adopted are faring with their new families. Jade and James, the brother and sister who left in December 2017, bound for Calgary in Canada, have settled into their very different new environment exceptionally well. They haven’t been daunted by the below freezing temperatures or short days, and making “snow angels” the deep drifts of the white stuff quickly became a favourite pastime. Their dad and mum have set very strict media restrictions in place and have seen great improvement in both Jade and James’ learning capacity. In the 5 months since they left South Africa, both are excelling with their alphabet, learning to read, colouring within the lines, and following instructions in a structured environment. We look forward to more reports of the progress of these siblings.

Stories like these keep the #DominoEffect alive. If you would like to be a part of ‘changing lives’, please contact Sandy Hamblin (sandy@anthem.org.za).

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT UPDATE 1st QUARTER

The Domino Foundation’s Skills Development programme’s vision is to create a platform through education to empower and equip disadvantaged individuals to reach their full potential in their chosen field. It does this by providing access to funding for tertiary qualifications, living and travel allowances and educational resources. Building on the success of the programme over the past two years, bursaries for 2018 were awarded to twelve successful candidates and the students registered and began their studies at the start of the academic year. It was encouraging to see the increase in range of study areas the students are involved in. Five of the students are studying Education and one each Law, Financial Management, Dentistry, Medicine and Media and Public Relations and two are in disabled learnerships.

All the students attended a meeting at Domino where Operations Manager, Shaun Tait, gave an overview of the Foundation. Leaders of the Skills Development programme, Brad and Taryn King, discussed the heart behind the initiative, what is expected of the students and of Domino, and inspired the students for their challenging year ahead. Domino has paid the students’ registration fees, fees due, book costs and stipends. The mentorship aspect of the programme, which primarily focuses on equipping the student to maximise their time of study, also supports and walks alongside them to ensure they have the confidence, knowledge and tools required to seek employment once their studies are completed. To ensure relevance and effectiveness, all activities are monitored and evaluated and so a document was set up for mentors to track the students’ well-being and progress.

In the process of building confidence, part of the students’ programme with Skills Development will include a Toastmasters course that students can be further equipped for their futures as effective public speakers and as strong leaders. Toastmasters’ supportive learn-by-doing environment is an excellent vehicle to help the students achieve their goals.

A challenge has been recognised in that the circumstances of Individual students vary greatly. This means that determining needs and how to meet those needs to be on a personalized basis and the formalised mentorship programme will be an effective tool in achieving this. Leanne Barker, Volunteer Manager at The Domino Foundation (volunteer@domino.org.za), would be delighted to hear from anyone interested in knowing more about what is expected of mentors.

This quarter also saw the programme expand its offering to include a three-year funding cycle with the potential to align with the donor’s SETA and Business sphere. You can read about how The Domino Foundation partnered with a donor to provide a new method of impacting the manufacturing sector. Read more here.

The Skills Development programme is fully compliant and aligned with the new B-BBEE codes and The Domino Foundation qualifies as a skills development facilitator. The independent Beneficiary Analysis was received from our rating agency, ‘AQRate’. If you or your company need to obtain skills development points, please contact Tarin Stevenson (031 563 9605/tarin@domino.org.za).

Opportunities for an increased range of specific skills training are being explored as it has been very gratifying to see the programme expand from purely university and college education into the realm of learnerships as well. The Skills development programme is looking to develop partnerships with service providers in the skills development sphere and is identifying potential new donors. Brad King expects that an increased pool of candidates for 2019 now that the new online application process is operational. He is certain that opportunities for post-school education and training will be opened up for greater numbers of young people who would otherwise be faced with bleak futures.

Individuals or companies who would like to partner with Skills Development in this exciting programme can contact The Domino Foundation on 031 563 9605 or admin@domino.org.za.

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