Tag Archive for: Community

 

Ubuntu is a uniquely African concept that exists in communities all over the continent in various forms. The word ‘’Ubuntu’’ itself, however, has South African roots in Nguni languages such as Xhosa and Zulu, and means ‘’humanity’’. To South Africans, the philosophy of Ubuntu is particularly special as it was endorsed and promoted by the late leader of our country, Nelson Mandela, during his presidency. In the book, Mandela’s Way: Fifteen Lessons on Life, Love, and Courage, Mandela defined Ubuntu as, “the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievements of others”.

 

This definition, however, cannot nearly encapsulate all the significance and power that this word holds. There is a tendency to trivialise the philosophy of Ubuntu to simply refer to being generous to our neighbours, when in actuality, it is the very foundation of any successful society. It is our values that shape us into authentic human beings and our inherent desire to be a part of a larger and more significant relational, communal, societal, environmental, and spiritual world. Another renowned South African politician, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, described Ubuntu as meaning “My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in what is yours.”

 

We practice Ubuntu nearly every day of our lives in ways that we may not know. When we show respect to elders, when we help our community, a neighbour, or a friend, or when we place the needs of others above our own in an act of selflessness, we are undeniably carrying out the spirit of Ubuntu.

 

South Africa sees a change of seasons during the month of September, as we transition from winter to spring. On the 24th of September, in the sunny weather, South Africans all over the country beam brightly as they celebrate National Heritage Day with friends, family, and delicious food. This year, instead of the usual braai, Relocation Africa decided to celebrate National Heritage Day by commemorating the concept that is deeply embedded in our heritage and culture; the philosophy of Ubuntu.

 

We took the opportunity to coordinate a clothing drive for an organisation that we would like to give recognition to. Sisters Incorporated is based in the same community as our head office, and for this reason, we reached out to other members of the community for help, thereby making the clothing drive a communal effort instead of a mere company project. We handed out flyers, spoke to neighbouring businesses, and encouraged residents to get involved in the effort. Words cannot describe the joyous feeling of hearing the doorbell ring and seeing the kind person on the other side of the gate standing with their donations in hand, or the warm feeling of recognising the good that exists in the world.

 

Love is not lost, generosity is not lost, humility and kindness are not lost. It lives here in Africa.

 

Eventually, the clothing drive evolved as we saw people bring in all kinds of gently used items of value. The staff in our head office began bringing their donations in slowly but surely, and members outside of our company overwhelmed us with the number of boxes of clothes, crockery, cutlery, crafts, toys, trinkets, ornaments, and so much more, that were being brought in. It was heartwarming to see the energy that everyone was investing into doing something for a greater cause.

 

The day of the drop-off finally arrived and the women in the office found themselves sharing the duties of packing the goods into boxes. Good actions do good things for the soul, and this is evident in the way that the ladies in the office were passing around ceramic cups and glass trinkets to be wrapped securely in newspaper and packed neatly into boxes, folding clothes into piles, and pointing out the fun crafts that would all be added to the donations for Sisters Incorporated.

 

The scene encapsulated unity, helpfulness, and companionship. These are all the principles that Sisters Incorporated represent and instill in the women that they provide care for.

 

About Sisters Incorporated

Sisters Incorporated offers aid to abused women and children irrespective of their race, ethnicity, age, or class. They work hard at providing trauma counselling for these women and upskilling them in aim to transform them into active members of the public. Part of their mission statement is ‘’We provide care – free of judgement, criticism, and bias – and aspire to empower those who pass through our doors, to become better equipped for their role in society’’.

 

Upon arriving at their gates, the ladies at Sisters Incorporated greeted us with warm embraces and welcomed us inside their office. We sat and chatted for so long that we lost track of time, with topics of conversation ranging from details of the amazing work that they do at bettering the wellbeing of the women in the community, to how our values align with one another’s, and the different ways in which any individual can help out.

 

We encourage our readers to visit Sisters Incorporated’s website, and support them in any way possible. Their staff is eager to arrange a meeting with any potential donors, educate and inform you on what they do, or even embrace you and offer assistance if you ever find yourself needing help.

 

They offer holistic care, meaning that their objective is to help the individual heal in every way that they may need healing. This means that they have an in-house social worker to help the women and children overcome the trauma and abuse of their past. With a staff of over fourteen members, and an equally sized group of volunteers, their personnel include two house mothers who rotate shifts in order to have someone on duty 24/7, in the event that any woman may need immediate assistance. They also employ a cook who prepares warm meals for the ladies and their children every day, three times a day. More importantly, they have an amazing workforce that is dedicated to teaching the ladies practical skills that they can make use of in future as a means to generate an income for themselves, such as sowing, beading, and crafts.

 

Sisters Incorporated would not be able to do the extraordinary work that they do alone. Each person plays a vital role in the success of Sisters Incorporated and their ability to provide aid to those in need. Every member of their staff, every volunteer, every woman that walks through the gates seeking assistance, and every donor, contributes to the mechanism that is Sisters Incorporated. They are a true embodiment of the philosophy of Ubuntu. In their story, and even in efforts shown by the community and beyond, lies every factor that Nelson Mandela associated with the meaning of Ubuntu: Helpfulness, sharing, respect, care, trust, and unselfishness.

 

According to the South African philosophy, a person who behaves in these ways has Ubuntu, and therefore they are a full person.

 

Ubuntu is the natural propensity of the human to establish connections and build upon them. In South Africa, it is symbolic of our ability to unite with one another in striving towards a common good, and it encourages us toward selfless acts. Ubuntu is the word for humanity in the native Nguni languages of South Africa, and humanity is a quality we owe to each other.

 

 

 

Learn more about the inspirational work being done at Sisters Incorporated or contact their unsung heroes to make a donation by visiting their website.

 

 

 

Read more on the importance of charity and selflessness in a similar blog, or visit our Knowledge Centre to access our exclusive blogs, newsposts, and educational webinars.

 

 

 

Why Radical Collaboration is needed in the Global Mobility industry.  

In a world confronted by multiple global challenges, organisations are being pressured to demonstrate how they will generate value beyond profit and reduce their externalities. For meaningful change we need to step outside our bubble and get radical.
But how?
   

Rene’ Stegmann from Relocation Africa travelled to Rwanda in December 2021 and she felt it was best to share the story of the Gorillas in Rwanda as one of high tensions and conflict between the community and the animals to demonstrate the concept of Radical Collaboration. The human – animal relationships were adversarial in nature, and no-one really understood the problem, so finding solutions was limited and unproductive. There was no mutual understanding between the stakeholders, conflicts flared when crops were destroyed and managing differences was difficult. It was a problem that required radical collaboration to make a positive change. 

The concept of Radical Collaboration for us as an industry to be able to think very broadly to build high-trust relationships to improve efficiency, productivity, innovation, and agility for resolution. We are part of an “eco-system” and are each dependent on the health of the wider global mobility system: The healthier we are, the more we can rise together, in the same way if we are not healthy this will have a direct negative impact on the whole the eco-system.  It’s obvious but hard to orchestrate.  

Through radical collaboration, we can accept the risks that come with dependence on other entities with different agendas, while also recognising that diverse resources lead to innovation. You can make the most impact acting as the matchmaker at both the strategic and operational levels. It’s crucial to work with the partners to identify all the numerous parts of the possible solutions — assigning the management and ownership activities, the technical activities and the activities led jointly. 

In Global Mobility, we need to explore the effect of purely focusing on narrow discussions such as “low pricing” and how this could negatively impact important topics such as sustainable development. Can we start moving towards a value creation mindset instead of a cost reduction one? It is more expensive to visit the Gorillas in Rwanda than other nations such as Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, in Rwanda, the community is lifted through the collaboration of shared resources. In Uganda and the D.R.C, the Gorillas are still being poached and the communities still suffer the impact.  

Ultimately, we all want to be resilient, profitable businesses into the future and if we hold “Value for All” as a guiding star, our businesses can serve the well-being of both people and planet. Value is the key to the conversation. Value means not entering a price war and a race to the bottom, but rather asserting what our businesses offer to corporates and assignees that lift and
link up.
 

If we make the time and offer to engage with each other with a willingness to listen to all parties, however different our positions, we create opportunities for diverse conversations which could inspire creative solutions.

When referring to all parties and diverse conversations we need to think broader as when we talk about diversity it is often from perspectives such as a race, abled vs. Less-abled persons, age, or gender. Other areas of diversity could be Life experiences, the continent we live and work on, the size of the business we operate or work for, the ownership vs employment status can all be diverse opinions and considerations when listening to solve problems – the key is the willingness to engage and listen. 

 To embrace radical collaboration is going to take input from diverse people, business, and other sectors who are willing to create a structure which is open and transparent, to understand what value we can collectively offer the world and more specifically the Global Mobility industry. 

 Take the Gorilla story as a case study: It was multi stakeholders that effected change through radical collaboration.  Where there are tough societal problems, citizens, social enterprises and even business, are relying less and less on government-only solutions.  It is more likely, that crowdfunding, ride-sharing, app-developing, or impact-investing are going to be lightweight solutions for seemingly intractable problems. No problem or challenge is too daunting, from Malaria in Africa to traffic congestion in California.   

If we consider the different roles of stakeholders such as large corporates with big resources, skilled and motivated teams with global reach, government with convening power, funding, and ability to shift policy and regulations. Then the collective force of these new problem solvers is creating dynamic and rapidly evolving markets for social good.  They trade solutions instead of dollars to fill the gap between what government can provide and what citizens need.   By erasing public-private sector boundaries, they are unlocking trillions of dollars in social benefit and commercial value.  

The best collaborative partnerships work to tackle entrenched social and environmental challenges by assessing each of the parties’ key strengths and contributions and actively taking the best approach to address the challenge as a collective. 

Let us move beyond the exploitative mindset that late capitalism encouraged, towards an economy based on healthy relationships that link up and lift up. 

You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.” Jane Goodall. 

 

It’s time for radical collaboration. 

See our YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0Tnwk4Xyvg

As part of our constant drive to give back to our community, our team has endeavored to join together to participate in a monthly community-focused CSR initiative. The team comes together each month to participate in an activity aimed at uplifting the community around our head office in Cape Town, after which ideas are put forward for the following month’s initiative.

In this way, as South Africans, we are giving back not only on Mandela Day, but throughout the year, as the need doesn’t end after the holiday.

Naturally, we take all necessary COVID-19-related precautions when participating in the activities, so as to ensure the health and safety of our team members and those we are interacting with outside our office.

For our third month, in November 2020, we came together to collect books, with the theme of ‘Literature & Education are Vital’. We invited our neighbors to join us in collecting books they no longer needed, and dropping them off at our office’s reception. We then handed them over to charity Help the Rural Child.

Help the Rural Child is a chain of charity shops that support the Goedgedacht Path Onto Prosperity Rural Youth Centres. Help the Rural Child, through its charity shops, is doing its bit to help these children break out of the endless cycles of poverty that have trapped their parents for so many generations. Help the Rural Child has nine shops at present: two bookshops, one in Mowbray and one in Kirstenhof; four clothing and bric a brac shops in Mowbray, Retreat, Sea Point and Cape Town CBD; a furniture shops in Retreat and a Mobile Bookshop that goes out to schools. Their newest edition, connected to the Mobile Bookshop, is The Children’s Bookshop in Mowbray.

Their shops are all run with two staff members and a wonderful group of volunteers. All the stock of books, bric-a-brac, clothing, furniture and household goods are donated by the very supportive Cape Town public. We are pleased that we could be part of one of these donations.

 

Gallery

We hope this inspires our readers and other companies to start similar initiatives, as if we all work together, we can greatly improve the quality of life of those in need around us.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].

The historic cast iron fountain which was handed over to the community of Rondebosch in Cape Town on September 25, 1891, has been restored and unveiled on Thursday, as South Africa celebrates Heritage Day.

In a statement released on Thursday, Mayco member for Community Services and Health, Zahid Badroodien said the fountain – a horse and dog watering trough with a lamp post – was donated by surveyor and railway pioneer George Pigot-Moodie to the community.

He said Pigot-Moodie sat on the Cape Legislature from 1889 to 1890 and was a resident at Wesbrooke, now known as Genandendal (which is also an official residence of the country’s president) until his passing in 1891, the same year he donated the foundation.

Badroodien said the original fountain is a provincial heritage site in terms of the National Heritage Resources Act (Act25 of 1999) and the fountain was badly damaged during a bad motor vehicle accident in 2015.

“The City of Cape Town recovered the remnants and held it in safe keeping. It was the City’s intention to repair and to restore the fountain to its former glory” Badroodien said.

“However, the fountain was so badly damaged, that it could not be repaired. It had previously been repaired and cobbled together over the many years that it stood in the heart of Rondebosch. As a result, the fountain which was destroyed, was not identical to the fountain which was unveiled 127 years ago.”

He said the new fountain was donated by the Simon van der Stel Foundation and Heritage Castings to the City and is as close to the specifications of the original fountain with minor details which differ.

The fountain is in its original colours and details are exact as when it reached the Cape from Scotland.

“I am so excited to see this iconic landmark back to its former state. The fountain has great historical value and was cherished by the Rondebosch residents. The replication and accession process took longer than we would have hoped as there were legal requirements that the City had to adhere to,” Badroodien said at the unveiling.

He said the City was indebted to the donors and an electricity connection will be done at a later stage so the fountain lights can be switched on.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].