NMCF provides support to Operation HOPE’s “silver rights” mission to eradicate poverty and inspire dignity; Banking on Our
Future program office opens in South Africa to educate youth and young women in financial literacy, dignity, and entrepreneurship
LOS ANGELES, CA — June 13, 2007 — The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF) has become a key partner in support of Operation HOPE (HOPE), an American-based nonprofit and financial literacy and empowerment leader, and its new Banking on Our Future, South Africa office. NMCF, along with HOPE global partners for South Africa, will also help HOPE to recruit, train and mobilize more than 250 professional HOPE Corps volunteers to educate 50,000 South African youth, young adults and women on personal finance, dignity and self-sufficiency, using the award-winning youth financial literacy program, Banking on Our Future.
In addition to HOPE working with NMCF grant recipients, such as Youth Connections, which HOPE and NMCF team members visited outside of Johannesburg this week, NMCF will encourage members and leaders to become Global HOPE Corps members for the training and placement as skilled financial literacy volunteers internationally, specifically South Africa. The HOPE Corps members will provide training for the Banking on Our Future learners. The new program office is located on the CIDA University campus.
"The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund is proud to be partnering with Operation HOPE and their efforts to help our youth and young women help themselves through financial literacy and dignity programming. We believe in order for young people to thrive, we must give them sound training in financial education as well as a strong knowledge support base. We believe Banking on Our Future will help to provide our youth with education and life skills they need to take control of their financial future," said Mampe Ntsedi, NMCF, Leadership and Excellence Education Skills Development Program Specialist.
Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman and CEO John Hope Bryant said, "Operation HOPE is really honored to have the support of The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, extending Mr. Mandela’s legacy in meaningful ways in the lives of the people and children of South Africa. Their faith in us here will go a long way to help us reach and teach those in underserved communities throughout the whole of South Africa. Their commitment to ‘silver rights,’ will help us positively impact the lives of thousands of local youth and young women by giving them an education that is not only good for them; it is also good for the community. Education is the ultimate poverty eradication tool. When you know better, you tend to do better too."
Banking on Our Future’s expansion into South Africa is in line with the mission of both organizations to bring economic self-sufficiency and a sustained spirit of revitalization to the underserved communities. Before expanding to Africa, the program’s proven success included Oprah’s Angel Network Use Your Life Award and the U.S. Treasury Department’s John Sherman Award for Financial Literacy Excellence. In the last 10 years, some 6,000 HOPE Corps volunteers have empowered more than 225,000 youth in the basics of banking, savings, checking and investment. The South Africa curriculum has been customized to include dignity building and entrepreneurship, in additional to the standard components.
About The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund
The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund’s target beneficiaries are children and youth from birth to 22 years of age who come from impoverished backgrounds. To maximize the positive impact of our resources, the Fund works closely with fellow development organizations, government, the private sector and other interested parties. NMCF strives to positively impact the way society treats its children and youth. For more information about The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, visit www.nmcf.co.za.
About Operation HOPE, Inc.
Operation HOPE, Inc. is a non-profit organization, which was founded in 1992 to empower minorities in underserved U.S. communities by connecting them to mainstream, private-sector economic resources made available through ongoing collaborations and long-term partnerships with leading government, private sector, and community interests. In April 2007, HOPE succeeded in encouraging President Bush to become the first U.S. President to take action on financial literacy as "a new priority in American life." At the core of HOPE’s mission to eradicate poverty and empower the wealthless is a movement to establish "Silver Rights" or the right to financial literacy, access to capital, and equality of opportunity for the underserved. HOPE and its programs can be found online at www.operationhope.org.