Giving back to South Africa one Globetrotter at a time
In recent years, despite the pandemic, South Africa has seen an overwhelming increase in the number of citizens emigrating. According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Desa), nearly a million South Africans moved abroad between 2015 and 2020. Among the top destinations, the Netherlands has become a popular choice due to various reasons, such as the great work/life balance it offers and tax incentives in the form of the 30% ruling for highly skilled migrants such as professionals from the IT industry. Naturally, this has resulted in a massive brain drain in South Africa as people search for better opportunities (workwise and personal) as well as better standards of living – which they can’t be faulted for.
But, how sustainable is it as a business model for companies such as Ir Olav’s Globetrotters and other international recruiting companies that recruit from South Africa? It is in the best interest of the country where this talented and skilled workforce is recruited from, but also the companies abroad that hire them, to give back – to invest in the future of their employee’s country of origin and in their own business as well. With this goal in mind, we have partnered with Kinderfonds MAMAS a charity that aims to empower and support women in South Africa’s poorest communities who want to make a real change in the lives of the children through education, shelter, food, clothing, safety, medical care, sports, games and above all a lot of love and attention.
In South Africa, the word “Mama” (mother) is treated as a term of respect and endearment and is the perfect description of these strong women that form part of Kinderfonds MAMAS who cannot just stand by while the children around them suffer in poverty. Unfortunately, resources are limited and the majority of these women are completed reliant on donations and government funding which hampers any effective change. Kinderfonds MAMAS aims to empower these women by connecting them with people in the Netherlands who want to help – such as Ir Olav’s Globetrotters.
We have therefore partnered with Kinderfonds MAMAS and will be sponsoring a child for one year for each new candidate they successfully place at a client in the Netherlands. This means that the more candidates that they can successfully place, the more children Ir Olav’s Globetrotters will sponsor. But, this social responsibility is not only on the shoulders of the recruiting companies, who act as facilitators in this job exchange, but also on the end clients that hire the candidates. So, once a candidate is taken on as a permanent employee, the client has the option to take over the sponsorship of the child from Ir Olav’s Globetrotters.
This means that not only are we helping companies find rare IT skilled professionals but they’re also helping companies give back to a country that has provided them with this valuable resource. Speak to Sonja Poortman or Diane van Galen Last to find out more about us and our partnership with Kinderfonds MAMAS.
About Kinderfonds MAMAS:
Kinderfonds MAMAS supports the MAMAS of South Africa. Powerful, local women who can no longer watch children in their country become the victims of extreme poverty. Children who often have no food at all. No bed to sleep in. No medical care if they are sick. No access to school. No future perspective. Spread across South Africa, Kinderfonds MAMAS supports 56 projects in which local MAMAS join forces and take action. All these projects offer concrete, daily care to children in severe poverty. With education, shelter, food, clothing, safety, medical care, sports, games and above all a lot of love and attention. “We believe in an approach in which local people, the MAMAS, determine for themselves what structural care is needed in their community and are one hundred per cent owner.”
