SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND PHILANTHROPY IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: CONTEXT

1
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND PHILANTHROPY IN SOUTHERN
AFRICA CONTEXT TRENDS

• Barry Smith, Regional Director, Synergos Southern
  Africa
• GIFE Congress, Salvador, Bahia, April 2008

2
Socio-economic environment

• Continuing process of democratization and
  regional integration
• Advances in human rights entitlements and
  protection
• Strong economic growth rates
• Significant improvements in public service
  provision and infrastructure

3
Socio-economic environment

• Continuing high rates of unemployment and poverty
• Some of the highest rates of social inequality in
  the world
• High correlation between race, class and poverty
  status

4
Socio-economic environment

• High rates of migration and mobility
• Racism, xenophobia, and lack of social cohesion
• Persistent social and economic divides
• Continuing crises of structural poverty,
  homelessness, bad education, health/HIV, orphans,
  crime and violence

5
Trends in philanthropy

• Expanding but turbulent civic space and
  active/growing civil society
• Deeply entrenched patterns of giving and informal
  community help
• Mainly through extended family, neighbourhood and
  religious institutions

6
Trends in philanthropy

• Growth in popular movements/protests around
  rights service provision
• Growth in corporate social investment and
  corporate citizenship
• driven in South Africa by Black Economic
  Empowerment (BEE)
• Small non-corporate foundation sector

7
Trends in philanthropy

• Expanding black economic leadership and urban
  black middle class
• Gradual growth in individual and family
  philanthropy
• Increased collaboration and growth among
  community grantmakers

8
Trends in philanthropy

• Poor performance by state agencies supporting
  civil society development
• Legislative and tax environment still relatively
  unfriendly
• Philanthropic and development sectors are
  underdeveloped, affected by silo mentalities
  and systems blockages

9
Trends in philanthropy

• Much talk of partnerships but less real
  collaboration
• Regional divides between aid culture and strong
  internal resource base
• The challenge is not a lack of resources or money

10
Trends in philanthropy

• Great opportunities for a vibrant culture of
  giving
• Unifying social narrative of liberation and
  social justice (i.e. the SA Constitution)
• If philanthropy can connect to this vision and
  learn to collaborate the future will be bright