In Guguletu, South Africa, a woman named Linda provides care for eight children who have no home of their own. Linda knows each of the children’s stories, ages, and names.
Except for one.
Linda can’t tell you the name of one of the girls, because she hasn’t spoken since arriving at Linda’s home with no documentation or other information. Though physically healthy, the child remains silent. Linda worries that she was previously literally locked up alone somewhere.
Here, in Linda’s home, the child is worried about with the care of any mother. Linda says, “What she needs is love and friends.”
To provide this kind of quality care to vulnerable children, Linda depends on Ikamva Labantu, an organization that provides social support to South Africa’s most vulnerable, with a special focus on children. Ikamva Labantu fosters success for school kids through innovative basketball and chess programs, as well as vocational skills training. They also focus on early learning and education programs in the formal and informal sectors.In addition, Ikamva Labantu supports families raising children orphaned by AIDS, fuels small businesses by providing start-up tools and training, and runs senior centers.
Symantec Corporation, a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world, was so impressed by Ikamva Labantu that they awarded a grant to provide much-needed computers and IT support to bolster their work.
Symantec’s grant is part of their tailored, corporate philanthropic partnership with GlobalGiving, to support work in four focus areas: K-12 science, technology, engineering, and math education; women and minorities in engineering; environmental sustainability; and online safety.
Through the customized service provided through GlobalGiving, Symantec was able to provide a grant tailored to Ikamva Labantu’s needs, resulting in eight new computers, 11 upgraded computers, a new external hard drive, and a new color printer and 10 desktop printers.
With this gift, Symantec is investing in the sustainability of a proven, vetted organization, freeing up Ikamva Labantu to focus their resources on what they do best.
Jovana Risovic, Ikamva Labantu’s fundraising manager, explains, “Symantec’s support will help us tremendously in achieving our goals and focusing our financial resources on the programs that assist hundreds of disadvantaged South Africans.”
Symantec and GlobalGiving invite you to build upon Symantec’s generous gift and fuel the tremendous work Ikamva Labantu is doing to change lives in South Africa.
