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Synergos in South Africa

History

Its dramatic democratic transformation in 1994, along with its growing commercial power and economic dominance in Southern Africa –and in Africa as a whole, has garnered international attention to South Africa. The country plays a crucial leadership role in such ambitious African development and integration projects as the African Union, the Southern Africa Development Community and the New Partnership for African Development. Nevertheless, despite more than ten years of democracy, social inequality has grown and poverty is a pervasive reality for the majority of black South Africans. For these reasons, development and reform in South and Southern Africa remains a long-term endeavour.

Since 1990, Synergos has worked to build partnerships and collaboration among civil society, business, government, international agencies and philanthropists active in the region in order to achieve these goals.

Two such programs are:

Leadership and Innovation Network for Collaboration in the Children's Sector - LINC

LINC was launched in 2007 as a partnership between Convene Venture Philanthropy, Reos Social Innovation, Synergos, and the South African National Department of Social Development (DSD).The focus of LINC was informed by detailed research and deep-dialogue interviews conducted with stakeholders in the children’s sector.

LINC is made up of two key components: the LINC Fellowship and Bridging Leadership. Both components are underpinned by individual and group coaching, events, innovation processes, as well as the LINC portal and social network.

The Fellowship is made up of over 80 leaders from across the children’s sector who represent government, NGO, business and donors. Bridging Leadership is a joint project between LINC and the Department of Social Development where LINC will be supporting leaders of the DSD to enhance the department’s capacity in the areas of multi-stakeholder collaboration and management. Both the LINC Fellowship and the Bridging Leadership program address four challenges that effective service delivery: leadership, collaboration, innovation, and systems thinking.

For more information, visit the LINC website at www.linc.org.za.

The Imbeleko Partnership (Southern African Regional Orphans and Vulnerable Children Initiative)

Formed in 2008, the Imbeleko Partnership was created with the purpose of cooperating in a cross-border project that strengthens the ways communities in the region address the needs of orphans and vulnerable children - and in particular the ways in which those communities reduce the isolation of children in distress, reduce their vulnerability, and maximize the social inclusion of children and caregivers.

By supporting on-the-ground community-based services in rural communities, cross-border learning exchanges, applied research, and documentation, the Imbeleko Partnership is striving to expand and advance a sustainable, Afro-centric model of care that builds on community assets, culture, traditions, and patterns of mutual help.