24 February 2015
President Jacob Zuma
Union Buildings
Government Avenue
Pretoria
Private Bag X1000,
Pretoria,
0001
Pretoria,
0001
E-mail: PresidentRSA@Presidency.gov.za
Dear President Zuma
I am writing to you as both an experienced start-up and business development entrepreneur of both listed ( publicly owned ) and privately owned financial and industrial organizations, in South-Africa and across border, on the African continent, and as someone living with a physical disability. [ Business Portfolio attached ]
For 2.5 years, I've invested my own resources in time and money to employ a rigorous process, with in-dept planning, systemization to better understand the real dimensions of the challenges faced by people with disabilities and their family members.[ Data and Statistics attached ]
This contributed to our much better understanding of the most appropriate steps required to ensure that all efforts will have a measurable positive impact in breaking the cycle of dependency, disempowerment and poverty.
“If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one minute resolving it,” Albert Einstein"
With mounting pressure on Government to solve more complex problems, and they must do so with fewer resources. Premised on the view that the business sector has much to contribute to addressing social issues and can provide social leadership on pressing problems. It can bring financial support and expertise and customize products and services. It also can harness its core competencies and business assets to create lasting societal and business benefits..
The Prospect of aligning public and private sector interests.
I would welcome the opportunity to share my well researched strategy and potential framework for a possible collaborative relationship with government - with the real potential to accelerate the implementation of innovative transformational tested and proven ways to support people to take ownership of their own development. With them as co-facilitators in a process that, with appropriate initial support, ultimately leads to them realizing their own potential, taking their financial futures into their own hands, running their own companies, or using home-based work as a genuine career option.
Permanently changes the perceptions, behaviours and structures that previously gave rise to these challenges.
Experienced change leadership from within the fraternity of people with disabilities, with both the willingness and capacity to create ripples and much needed momentum will be a prerequisite for breaking the cycle of dependency, disempowerment and poverty. We have to stop pussyfooting around if we want to solve this problem.
Societal attitudes have not developed in isolation from the ways that we have historically responded to people with disabilities. Nor can they be adequately addressed without changing the way we continue to respond to people with disabilities.
What I do know is that we can't do today's job with yesterday's methods and expect progress.
Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom"
- Nelson Mandela-
- Nelson Mandela-
I know that when I'm standing up for an ideal, or acting to improve the lot of others, or striking out against injustice, I'm sending forth a ripple of hope. I am also fully aware that any change, even change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomfort. So I must be willing to take the punch and emotional pain for a while, there is no way of getting around that. But that's ok, because I want to be thoroughly used up, the day when I die.
MY OWN EXPERIENCE:
"Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
― Albert Einstein
― Albert Einstein
It was only when I've lost the usage of my hands, 14 years ago that I've really start to acknowledge the value of the mindset- we all have problems and are often tested by
circumstances out of our control - even though we might not be in control of things outside of us, we can still control our reactions to those situations”.
Business leaders whom have developed a disability and whom have not let their disability stop them from living full and rich lives often see their disability as an opportunity through their ability to show leadership, which will always have a profound influence and impact on others.
" Very occasionally, if you pay really close attention, life doesn't suck"
- Joss Whedon
There is a great level of potential value that can be unlocked, if society and business’ alike start to look at each individual’s ability rather than their disability. Very often we see how disability enhances the ability to never give up in the face of resistance or setbacks, empowering people to adapt to change and man-oeuvre through complex situations effectively, and to quickly find ways to eliminate roadblocks.
Disabled people are natural entrepreneurs because they are forever thinking outside the box and forever thinking of ways to get around things. As a disabled entrepreneur you are used to planning and overcoming physical barriers on a daily basis, and this makes for very logical, organized businesspeople.
For South-Africans with disabilities, no less than for all other citizens, the opportunity to earn a living and be self-supporting is a universally held goal. Whatever set of statistics one chooses from among the varying estimates of employment rates for South-Africans with disabilities, the rate and level of employment for this population remain far too low.
DISABILITY AFFECTS THE WHOLE FAMILY:
Economic stability has the potential to affect people with disabilities and family members whether a person with a disability is living independently, with their family members, or in long-term care. Costs acquired, for a disability in a family ranges from 11% - 69% of their income. 7 In addition to medical rehabilitation and other direct expenses that families also face opportunity costs.
Where employment would otherwise be an option, caring for a family member with a disability is likely to result in lost economic opportunities, as caregivers either reduce their paid work or refrain from seeking it.
Where employment would otherwise be an option, caring for a family member with a disability is likely to result in lost economic opportunities, as caregivers either reduce their paid work or refrain from seeking it.
Excessive demands on children: When adults acquire a disability, children are often asked to help and male children may be expected to enter the workforce to compensate for a parent who is no longer working.
Family members of the People with Disabilities employed in digital jobs will gain economic and social benefits as a result of the willing and employable disabled working, and the digital jobs created will in turn create indirect job opportunities for communities – ultimately leading to impact millions across the African continent.
MAXIMUM VALUE AND IMPACT
Having a positive impact on societal issues such as living standards is not a “quick fix” project. Leaders who want to partner therefore need to have a long-term mind-set backed up by solid promises and measurable commitments and actions. Your initiative must demonstrate added value to both shareholders and stakeholders over time.
There are no "magic-bullet." solution, but it's no longer a secret that the sooner we change the inefficient methods used by NPO's, the better. Relying on outdated methods, is nothing else than bottomless putt for more, and more funding, a direct consequence of a deep entrenched decades old culture of " passive aggressiveness ". where accountability and measurable progress are seen as only applicable when running a business.
What is efficiency in the non-profit world? - There are no benchmarks, statistics are non existing - not even basic data at NPO's/PBO's operational for 70 years plus, it's incomprehensible, but fact. What is the difference between a dreamer and an effective doer?
The equalization of social service work with non-profit balance sheets became sacrosanct (sacred / holy). In order to do good, common practice and wisdom told us that we could not also do well. Now, the notion is being turned on its head. Not only do social investors believe that it is possible to do good and do well, other aspects of the old Mindset are falling away.
Entrepreneurs are keenly interested in understanding impact. There is a great effort to measure efficiency and to seek a means of improvement.
The point isn't so much whether you are a nonprofit or a for-profit, but rather how you manage for maximum value and impact as leader. We know that the traditional funding model of dependency on formal grants and on hard-won subsidies cannot last, so sparks will fly, as the worlds slowly
collide.
MEASURE SOCIAL IMPACT - [ See "Data and Statistics " attached ]
All partners ought to agree at the outset regarding how they are to measure their success and how they are to incorporate the measurements into the best value requirements for continuous improvement.
This measurement process must include arrangements for monitoring and reviewing how effectively the partnership itself is working.
ACCESS TO AND USE OF SUPPORTIVE SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGY HAS CREATED NEW AND VERY EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES THAT WERE NOT PREVIOUSLY POSSIBLE:
People in poverty are so focussed on daily survival that they do have neither the time nor the energy to dream. Without a dream or a vision of how life could be different, it is very difficult for people to escape poverty.
Despite having the ability and willingness to work, many people with disabilities reported frustration at their reliance on the Disability Grants. The high cost associated with living with disability relative to the level of the pension was seen as restricting the ability of people to live independently and enjoy a decent standard of living.
People with disabilities and their families, friends and carers reported living lives of ‘fear and desperation’, despised by many in the community for their reliance on the grants, yet unable to access the support they required to move off it by taking full and smart advantage of quite spectacular and far-reaching advances in science and technology not only in promoting national economic development, but particularly addressing the needs of poor and marginalized sections of society.
People with a disability want to live in a society where they are treated with respect, dignity and importantly with equality, and not as ‘poor things’ nor merely as recipients of services. Additionally they do not want to be segregated as ‘people with disabilities’.
Whilst technology access in the pre-digital era has always been a major barrier to economic and social development in developing countries, this is no longer an absolute barrier for at least three reasons: firstly, the proliferation of distributive and open technologies, and limits to the power of proprietary frameworks; secondly, the increasingly lower delivery cost of new technologies; and thirdly, the emergence of multiple sources of technology innovation and development in civil society.
Because of the complexities around the different ways in which a disability can presents itself we must treat them as our " customer " with different needs and expectations that must be met, our goal must be that every willing and able person with a disability receives the support to overcome their specific barriers
By overcoming obstacles of time and space, supplementing vital human functioning and supporting the development of crucial skills, these technologies contribute to the increased effectiveness of educational processes by enabling people with disabilities to actively participate in meaningful learning experiences.
Technology is intertwined in nearly every aspect of business today, with information technology fast becoming a pri mary driver of market differentiation, business growth, and profitability. Digital skills are fast becoming a requirement to gain employment, and ICT enabled jobs are more critical than ever in helping young people, people with disabilities and rural woman to develop the required skills for the jobs of the future.
Although I think that ‘innovation’ is a term that is often interpreted quite narrowly in society. People tend to think that you need to come up with a wonderfully innovative idea to be successful. This is simply not true. Innovation can be so much more. It can refer to a mind-set, a culture or an approach to achieve certain key objectives.
It's my observation that people tend to get fixated on looking for the “big” opportunity as opposed to collecting the low-hanging fruit. Invariably the person that has become accustomed to utilising the small opportunities to both generate revenue and deliver on societal needs are in a much better position to take advantage of the “big one” when it presents itself.
Self-help and self-reliance must form part of our cornerstone philosophy. Our people should not remain dependent on grants alone. We need a robust economy in which everyone can participate, earn a living and enjoy meaningful lives.
With the emphasis on finding permanent solutions to problems, but also preventing problems from recurring. Highlighting the importance and priority of new sustainable development income generating activities, as a universally held goal, and ultimate solution
A lack of employment opportunities limits the ability of many people with disabilities to fully participate in society, as employment plays a number of important roles and functions for individuals
COLLECTIVE AND REDISTRIBUTIVE MECHANISM;
Collective action is traditionally defined as any action taken together by a group of people whose goal is to enhance their status and achieve a common objective. It is enacted by a representative of the group.The term "collective action problem" describes the situation in which multiple individuals would all benefit from a certain action, but has an associated cost making it implausible that any one individual can or will undertake and solve it alone. The rational choice is then to undertake this as a collective action the cost of which is shared.Channeling change; making collective impact work and leveraging the collective buying power of people with disabilities and their family members. They are united only by the experience of living with or with a family member that is disabled.Physica Investments has the opportunity to build a network by connecting different ethnic, social or religious groups through a joint effort to create a better life for people with disabilities (one common dominator).People with disabilities are not the problem, but rather a caring father or a mother, sister, brother or friend who has a favorite dish, song or game; with a daughter or son that have dreams and the desire to fulfill them.By creating and managing collective impact requires a separate organization and staff with a very specific set of skills to serve as the backbone for the entire initiative.Developing a shared measurement system is essential to collective impact. In an effort to promote inclusion and fairness, people with disabilities should be able to enlist the support of their families, disabled people’s organizations, parents, associations and community groups.They should also be able to count on allies further afield.
PROMISING ELEMENTS OF A NEW BUSINESS MODEL ARE EMERGING:
Where organizations make a shift from metrics that reflect narrow financial goals to metrics that reflect contributions to prosperity of individuals, organizations and society, for achieving both purpose and profit.
Companies must take the lead in bringing business and society back together. The recognition is there among sophisticated business and thought leaders, and promising elements of a new model are emerging. Yet we still lack an overall framework for guiding these efforts, and most companies remain stuck in a “social responsibility” mind-set in which societal issues are at the periphery, not the core.
The solution lies in the principle of shared value, which involves creating economic value in a way that also creates value for society by addressing its needs and challenges. Businesses must reconnect company success with social progress.Shared value is not social responsibility, philanthropy, or even sustainability, but a new way to achieve economic success. It is not on the margin of what companies do but at the center. We believe that it can give rise to the next major transformation of business thinking
At a very basic level, the competitiveness of a company and the health of the communities around it are closely intertwined. A business needs a successful community, not only to create demand for its products but also to provide critical public assets and a supportive environment. A community needs successful businesses to provide jobs and wealth creation opportunities for its citizens.
Although some people might not like business or fail to understand that it needs to make a profit, they do understand that it has to play a key role in driving solutions. In the next ten years, I think you are going to see many more initiatives undertaken by groups of businesses to protect their long-term interests and the long-term interests of society.
I have always seen the creation of new economic and social value for businesses and society, as one of the most powerful forces driving growth in the global economy. This thinking represents a new understanding of customers, productivity, and the external influences on corporate success.
My sincere thanks for your time, and hope that my proposal will receive your favorable reply.
Best Wishes
Corne Ferreira
Mobile: 079 023 7279 / 076 157 4876
My sincere thanks for your time, and hope that my proposal will receive your favorable reply.
Best Wishes
Corne Ferreira
Mobile: 079 023 7279 / 076 157 4876
