Contributed by Faiz Kermani
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New Era for Non-Profit Organizations Thanks to globalisation, the Internet, and improved systems for communication, it is now easier for small, non-profit organizations to contribute to social improvements elsewhere in the world.
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any people with specialist backgrounds have decided to become involved in charitable initiatives, to tackle the social issues that they feel most strongly about. With its international outlook, it should come as little surprise that Basel has inspired the launch of a number of small but dedicated, non-profit organisations. A tale of two charities The charitable trust EACHSA (Educational Aid to the CHildren of Southern Africa), has steadily been making inroads into tackling educational inequalities in South Africa through its book donation program. Its Basel connection comes through one of its founders, Professor Max Bergman, who is based at the Institute of Sociology, Basel University and also serves as Visiting Professor at the Universities of Johannesburg and Witwatersrand. The charity’s core team and partners in Switzerland, the UK and South Africa have jointly launched a number of educational projects. EACHSA has been working with schools in South Africa, supplying them with books, to help children learn English. The children speak any one
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of nearly 100 languages, and although they hope to learn English at school, they have little by way of English books to read. EACHSA has been collecting undamaged children’s books in English and shipping them to the University of Johannesburg, after which they are then distributed to the South African children who need them most. Its latest shipment has made a huge difference to two local institutions.
Philile Preschool is situated in Diepsloot informal settlement in Johannesburg, South Africa. The principal, Lauren, started this school two years ago by converting three shipping containers into two classrooms and one storeroom. The school has access to a communal tap for water and septic tank toilets but no electricity. Two years down the line the school has three teachers and 60 energetic and happy students age 2–6, who all come from the surrounding area. The books donated from
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