MANDELA Month, organised by the UKZN Foundation to raise funding for student bursaries through R67 donations, has generated much interest after reaching out for public support for the first time. The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry and East Coast Radio partnered with the foundation to amplify the initiative.
The campaign began with electronic media including e-mails, social media and websites, aimed at soliciting support from the business community and the general public, building up to the live broadcast on ECR on 18 July marking the 100th birthday of President Nelson Mandela.
The broadcast raised R89 000 immediately but donations continued until 6 August resulting in a final figure of R102 000.
The Durban Chambers message reached more than 2 million people around the globe over three weeks.
The campaign raised a total of R366 840.
ALSO READ: Donate R67 to campaign to help deserving students
This fund will benefit 10 students from the “missing middle” who will receive partial bursaries.
Ms Palesa Phili, CEO of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Ms Boni Mchunu, General Manager of East Coast Radio, were guest speakers at the bursary awards function on 4 September at the UKZN Smart Grid Centre on the Westville campus.
“The Durban Chamber would like to thank businesses for supporting this worthy cause and the media for the exposure they created,” said Phili.
“Our fondest hope is that the recipients of these bursaries become icons in their own right and contribute to our economy and our society as a whole with the same drive and determination that Mandela showed throughout his life,” said Phili.
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