March against the National Lottery - Press Release
January 30, 2012
The Catholic Institute of Education (CIE) serves 352 schools across South Africa, primarily in peri-urban and deep rural areas, focusing on some of the poorest and most under-privileged schools in KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, North-West, Limpopo and the Northern Cape. The CIE’s work includes HIV/AIDS and Gender interventions, Pastoral Care, Policy and Advocacy on behalf of the schools in our network, and Whole School Development. We rely entirely on donor funding, and particularly on funding from the National Lottery.
As such, the lack of transparency from the National Lottery Board (NLB) about changes in its funding to us and various other NGOs across South Africa, as well as its apparent mismanagement, gives us great cause for concern. Queries sent to the NLB have not brought any closure to our concerns, and the vital support that we offer our schools, as well as the 160 000 learners in them, is now in serious jeopardy. We will be joining a coalition of NGOs in marching on the National Lottery Offices in Pretoria on Friday the 27th of January 2012, in order to present the NLB with a memorandum of our grievances.
For further information, please contact Cullen Mackenzie at cullen@cie.org.za
