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The Pietermaritzburg and District Community Chest is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. SHARON DELL spoke to current director Aroo Naidoo about developments under his watch and his own plans for the future.
WHEN Aroo Naidoo retired in 2001 after 24 years as headmaster of the H.S. Ebrahim Training Centre and joined the Community Chest full-time as donor liaison officer, he welcomed the opportunity the move would give him to connect directly with local communities.
“I didn’t want to chair meetings and sit in an office. I wanted to get out into the community at grassroots level and be of help there,” he said. When he was promoted to donor services manager and his contact with the Chest’s beneficiaries increased, Naidoo said he felt he had fulfilled a life-long ambition. “My heart is in welfare,” he said. “I get real satisfaction from seeing people’s living conditions change for the better or knowing that they are no longer hungry.”
When Naidoo became executive director of the Chest in 2004 – the first black person in the job -- his commitment to community-based development saw him change the profile of the organisation’s beneficiaries and, with the support of the Chest’s council and allocations committee, institute some changes to the way it distributed donations.
“Most of our beneficiaries in 2001 were well-established organisations, and the perception existed that the Chest supported mainly white beneficiaries.
“I realised that there were a number of grassroots organisations springing up in rural communities that also needed help,” he said.
“These were made up of people, like home-based carers, who didn’t even have offices. All they had was a real desire to help, a deep passion, but no formal organisational skills,” he said.
From 2001, the Chest steadily increased its beneficiaries, bringing into the fold a number of smaller community-based organisations and helping them to build organisational capacity.
One of these is the Zithuthukise Development Organisation in Mpolweni (see below), of which Naidoo is particularly proud.
In 2001, the Chest had 17 beneficiaries. Today, it has 55. In that same period, the amount distributed to beneficiaries has grown from R1,1 million to R2,3 million – thanks to dedicated staff, said Naidoo.
For Naidoo, one of the Chest’s most important and closely-guarded achievements is its reputation for integrity. “It has an impeccable record for managing and accounting for its funds,” he said. “Much of the credit goes to our voluntary board members.”
The Chest was established in 1960 to serve as a conduit between business and welfare organisations, many of which relied – and still rely -- on these donations to meet their basic running costs. “We could diversify the donor’s investments by spreading the money over a number of beneficiaries,” said Naidoo, “That was the Chest’s selling point.”
Over time, the Chest has had to adapt to shifts in the arena of corporate social responsibility.
“When the Chest was established, social responsibility was a ‘heart thing’. Businesses made contributions not because they were compelled to do so, but because they believed it was the ‘right thing to do’,” said Naidoo.
“Today, legislation demands that companies have social responsibility programmes, with the result that many have their own social responsibility offices which receive and assess applications for donations.”
In keeping with the times, the Chest introduced the option of ‘donor-advised giving’ to cater for the increasing number of companies asking to fund specific projects which have outcomes that can be seen and measured by them.
Under this option, the Chest plays a role in monitoring and evaluating the specifically-funded projects on behalf of the donor company. “Our objective of serving the community is still met,” said Naidoo.
Under Naidoo’s watch, the Chest has also introduced a chairman’s discretionary fund which gives the Chest flexibility to quickly meet clear and pressing needs, for example, the donation of a prosthesis to a six year old Edendale girl who lost her foot after a snake bite.
Among his highlights, Naidoo lists the acquisition in 2006 of the Chest’s immaculate premises in Stranack Street. “The organisation had always rented premises … Now, we have a proper home, a sense of identity and stability,” he said.
Despite his commitment to the Chest and his personal excitement around the 50-year anniversary, Naidoo said he intends to retire – again -- next year. “I’m not fed up or tired; I’ve got lots of energy. I just want to spend more time with my wife Elaine and my grandson -- take him to school – those kinds of things.”
“I’ll still keep close ties with the Community Chest and continue my involvement in other organisations,” he said. “I’m bowing out, but not out of welfare.”
Who is Aroo Naidoo?
Born in New Hanover in 1946, Aroo Naidoo became the first principal of H.S. Ebrahim School for the intellectually disabled in 1977 when the school was then just six months old.
Naidoo was well-equipped for the job, being among the first three students in South Africa to complete a diploma in specialised education for the severely mentally handicapped at University of Durban-Westville, then on Salisbury Island.
From 1971 to 1973, he worked with handicapped children at Shri Vishnu Primary School in Longmarket Street before moving back into mainstream education at Mountain Rise Primary and later ML Sultan Secondary.
As principal, Naidoo oversaw the rapid growth of H.S. Ebrahim School, which started in rented premises in the Marian Centre. In 1979, the school moved to new, bigger premises in Northdale where it continued to grow. In 1985, a hostel facility was added to cater for children from as far afield as Escort and Newcastle.
Naidoo’s extensive community work spans many years. His involvement in teacher affairs resulted in the launch in Pietermaritzburg of a South African Democratic Teachers’ Union branch, which he chaired. He was also the first black president of the SA Federation of Mental Health. Currently, he is vice-chair of the Love to Live Action Committee, chairman of the Gandhi Memorial Committee and chairman of the Cindi Network.
He is also a member of the governing body of St John’s School and executive member of PMB Tourism.
Naidoo is a keen tennis player, ballroom dancer and gardener – of roses in particular. He is married to Elaine, also a retired schoolteacher, and has a daughter Melanie, a son-in-law, Preggie, a one-year-old grandson, Prezlin and a late son André.
Zithuthukise Development Organisation, Mpolweni.
WHEN he turned 18 and there was no money to pursue his dream to be a social worker, Sambulo Ntombela decided he could help his community in Mpolweni without a degree. Together with a bunch of peers, he started an HIV/Aids awareness programme, handing out condoms and raising money through fashion shows and selling potatoes.
Today, at 29, he’s at the helm of Zithuthukise Development Organisation, a dynamic community-based organisation that has attracted nearly R1 million in Lotto funding and assistance from a range of government departments including Health, Arts and Culture and Agriculture.
Under the organisation’s wing is a team of 22 home-based care volunteers, who also run a food garden and soup kitchen. The organisation also runs woodworking and craft projects.
Built on three hectares of land donated by the Mshwati Municipality is the income-generating broiler project – an impressive collection of airy chicken coops housing 1 000 birds in various stages of growth. The project employs eight people full time and has a number of positive spinoffs for the community.
Ntombela says the broiler project is set to tap into the formal market and expand even further.
Community Chest Director Aroo Naidoo said a very persuasive and tenacious Ntombela turned up at his office one day and wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.
It was the beginning of a seven-year relationship between Zithuthukise and the Chest which has seen the Chest give small grants to the organisation, help it register as an NPO and apply to Lotto. The Chest also facilitated an approach to the Golden Horse Casino which resulted in the building of more chicken runs and a processing and storage room for the broiler project, and the promise of a new community hall.
“The Chest’s funding to Zikuthukise is negligible when compared with other funding received by them,” said Naidoo. “We’ve simply offered advice and guidance and facilitated proper governance procedures. They’ve been willing to listen but have largely used their own initiative. It’s a model we would like to see replicated.” |
