In the month of March, our team and the Executive Management of Wits Business School welcomed the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation leadership team, who were in the country as part of a regional oversight visit. This visit provided us with the platform to showcase the positive impact that has been achieved through the Foundation’s funding and technical support.
The Foundation is an early supporter and partner of our Centre’s overall mission and has provided support and resources towards our work on developing community philanthropy resources and enabling its implementation.
The visiting Mott delegation was welcomed by the Head of School and the Academic Director of Wits Business School, Profs Maurice Radebe and Logan Rangasamy respectively. The Mott Foundation team was represented by the Vice President of Programmes (Neil Hegarthy), Director for Civil Society Programmes (Shannon Lawder), Director for Education Programmes (Benita Melton), Director for Environment Programmes (Samuel Passmore), Director for Flint Area Programmes (Kimberly Roberson) and Programme Officers for Civil Society (Mamo Mohapi and Lorenzo Wakefield, based in South Africa).
Following Prof Rangasamy’s introduction where he profiled the School’s commitment to integrating modules on philanthropy and social investment in its MBA offering, Prof Radebe added that “CAPSI plays a pivotal part in the School’s community and as such we are able to infuse knowledge of philanthropy and social investment like no other institution. Thanks to this unique positioning, WBS students are equipped to be a driving force for sustainable change across the continent.”
CAPSI’s Deputy Director, Prof Jacob Mati reflected on the journey of the Centre and the milestones that have been achieved, highlighting that many students have remained with the Centre by transitioning to academic roles such as Lecturers and Postdoctoral Researchers. This has allowed CAPSI to upscale the academic and executive education offerings which are now offered through an online format for practitioners across the continent. This forms part of the Centre’s mission to train cohorts of new scholars in philanthropy.
Prof Mati emphasised that the Centre has extended its support to Masters and Doctoral students through technical skills workshops and thematic events that enhance their research journeys. All of this, amongst others, has been made possible through the support and funding received from Mott Foundation, and other donors of the Centre.
Diroshnee Govender, a student at the Centre, shared her experience with the Centre. Her journey began as one of the first students on the Postgraduate Diploma in African Philanthropy and Resource Mobilisation which she completed and is now completing her Master of Management in African Philanthropy. “My time with CAPSI has left a massive impression on me professionally and personally, giving me the confidence to speak with authority on what matters to me. This time has informed how I can make a fulfilling contribution within my community, of which I now coach young people to prepare for the world of work. I have written guides on work-readiness that have been accessed by over 5 000 youth and serve as a trustee on an educational programme. I am excited to grow on this journey and intend to register for CAPSI’s PhD programme after I complete my Masters.”
In his reflection, Neil Hegarthy remarked that the mandate of the Centre was well aligned with that of the Foundation, as there was a gap to fill in philanthropy. He extended his congratulations to the Centre and remarked on the Foundation’s pride of these milestones. In his closing remarks, CAPSI’s Director, Bhekinkosi Moyo said “Our experiences over the last couple of years have sharpened our resolve to map the changes in the landscapes of African philanthropy and social investment, while assisting the sector make informed decisions as well as tilt the narrative on African philanthropy towards a positive one.”
We are grateful to the Foundation for their continued support and their generous time spent with us.
