iPod sales raise the game for Tomorrow Trust

The Tomorrow Trust, an organisation that supports the education of orphans and vulnerable children, has been given a boost thanks to the popularity of the iPod. A proportion of sales of the device during December 2008 was committed to the Trust, and the resultant R300 000 proceeds were handed over last week.

The distributor of Apple products in South Africa, the Core Group, has presented a local charity with a cheque for R300 000 from proceeds of iPod sales in December 2008.

The charity, The Tomorrow Trust, is a South African NGO that supports the education of orphans and vulnerable children right up to their first pay-cheque. This is achieved through a number of holiday schools that support learners from grade 0 to 4 and grade 10 to 12. The holiday schools provide guidance in their future career paths and the organisation also funds further tertiary education for orphaned and vulnerable children.

The cheque for R300 000 was handed over to The Tomorrow Trust at an event at the new Apple iStore in Sandton last week.

Says RJ van Spaandonk, Executive Director of Core Group: ‚We chose to support The Tomorrow Trust because, as Apple’s representatives in South Africa, we share a similar commitment to education. This is the guiding principle behind our iSchoolAfrica Ignite Programme.

‚The Tomorrow Trust has given so many young people that chance, and has made a genuinely sustainable impact in their lives. We are confident that The Tomorrow Trust will put our donation to use and continue to equip children to be tomorrow’s leaders and guarantee the future of South Africa.‚

‚We are not merely a bursary fund,‚ says Kim Feinberg, the CEO of The Tomorrow Trust and the bright spark behind many of their innovate education interventions. ‚Rather, we have a holistic approach to seeing these young individuals educated and empowered, which includes providing them with food, transport, social workers, and weekly communication to find out how they are doing. Universities and colleges have a 50 percent drop-out rate, whereas our students all stick to their educational commitments. This is because we mentor and care for every student in the programme to ensure they see their education right through to graduation and beyond.‚

Van Spaandonk adds: ‚Our customers also need to be thanked for supporting this initiative by buying with their heart, and purchasing iPods in the month of December. We are seeing a new socially-conscious ethic creeping into consumer choices and it is very encouraging.‚

Kim Feinberg says the The Tomorrow Trust is delighted with the donation.

‚This is a partnership that has been built over the past three years and one that we feel extremely grateful and privileged to have,‚ she adds.

Feinberg says the money will be used to educate orphans and vulnerable children in the The Tomorrow Trust’s Post Secondary Department, assisting with fees and textbooks for both their college and university students.

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