This year’s launch took place in Braamfontein on 26 April and saw business leaders, media partners and various beneficiaries come together to, once again, kickstart the movement.
Present at the launch was Graeme Stephens, chief executive officer of headline partner, Sun International, who shared insight into the inaugural event and the impact it had. “It was a privilege to be a part of the inaugural Sun International CEO SleepOut, which went on to be the single largest fundraising event South Africa has hosted,” he said.
“Following the massive successful night, we came together and had a discussion on some of the successes from the night and places for improvement and decided to focus more on education because it’s such a hot button in the country at the moment.” This was a progression from last year’s theme of homelessness, with Stephens and other speakers highlighting that education was a long-term solution to eradicating poverty.
Stephens added that because of this, it was decided to find beneficiaries with a strong focus on education and, in the end, three were identified, the ASHA Trust, Columba Leadership and the Steve Biko Foundation. Elaborating on the theme was Bongani Bingwa, a presenter on Carte Blanche and one of the emcees at the event, who stressed the importance of focusing on education.
“The need for education has never been higher, and the focus is not only on generating funds but on a national call to action for the rest of the country to get involved,” -Bongani Bingwa said.
This call to action will see sympathy sleepouts take place at companies, tertiary institutions and schools across the country in support of the main event. The School SleepOut hopes to see schools from across the country registering and supporting the vulnerable in South Africa.
Other speakers at the launch included Adam McCarthy, the Australian High Commissioner to South Africa; Darren Olivier, a trustee of the CEO SleepOut; Bonang Mohale, vice-president of Upstream and the chairman of Shell SA; and Adam Cracker, chief executive officer of IQ Business, amongst others.
This second annual CEO SleepOut will take place on 28 July at the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Braamfontein and will, once again, see various business leaders spend the night out in the streets to raise funds for the beneficiaries with a big focus on education.
Details: www.theceosleepoutza.co.za
