Cape Town - Ikamva Youth, an organisation that supports learners from under-resourced communities, has been awarded R25 000 from the Eskom Development Foundation.
“In partnership with the Eskom Development Foundation, we held an interactive pitching session at our annual conference. It’s rather like the acclaimed Dragon’s Den TV series, with three non-profit organisations (NPOs) promoting their projects to a panel of corporate donors," said Trialogue MD, Nick Rockey.
The runner up, U-Turn Homeless Ministries, which regularly help homeless people to get a job or obtain life skills, was awarded R15 000 and Siyavuna Abalimi Development Centre, a NPO focusing on the development of micro-farmers, won R10 000.
The 11th annual Trialogue Business in Society Conference took place in Johannesburg on 8 and 9 May.
Due to Ikamva's victory at the Trialogue, about 140 learners in Joza township, Grahamstown, are set to benefit and be better prepared to access to tertiary education and job opportunities.
IkamvaYouth has 17 branches across the country and over half of the volunteers are former beneficiaries of its programmes.
IkamvaYouth fundraising coordinator Balisa Ntloko said the Donor’s Den prize money would cover the costs of workshops, leadership training, career guidance and tertiary education application fees.
The judging panel comprised of Steph Prinsloo, Programme Manager at the Eskom Development Foundation, Millicent Maroga, Head of the Old Mutual Foundation, and Angela Abrahams, Executive Head of Gender Empowerment at Vodacom Foundation.
Eskom Development Foundation CEO Cecil Ramonotsi said power utility Eskom is pleased to have been part of the Trialogue family.
"At Eskom we believe that by working together we can find sustainable solutions to the country’s developmental challenges.”