The impact of Covid-19 on the education sector will reverberate for years to come. A study from RESEP showed that learners lost between 25-57% of contact teaching due to the pandemic in 2020. Of course, the closure of schools during this period brought to the fore the levels of inequality within our schooling system as […]
How do we know if progress is being made in social development interventions that we are implementing? How do we know if our education, health or livelihoods programme is making a change in the country? These questions are the critical ones when we want to measure impact. And to answer these questions, measurement metrics are […]
2020 was a nightmare year for almost all sectors of the economy, and education was certainly not spared the onslaught. It is against this backdrop that we are allowing ourselves to consider if the Covid-19 cloud may have created a unique silver lining for the country. Covid-19 has impacted on education in a number of […]
Tshikululu Social Investments is dedicating time and resources to critically think about the Future of Social Investments. As part of this, it will be releasing a series of thought pieces for the rest of 2020 around the Future of Social Investing, with the express purpose of driving discussion in the space and to help inform […]
On Sunday, 25 October the Sunday Times reported that education economist Prof. Martin Gustafsson had uncovered a fundamental error in the 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) data for South Africa. The PIRLS had initially found that there was no improvement in grade 4 reading levels in South Africa between 2011 and 2016. […]
Empowering NPO’s through the NPOwer Mental Health Support Programme A first-of-its kind NPO Mental Health Support Programme and 24-hour toll-free Helpline to offer mental health care and support to all NPO’s has been launched in South Africa. Called NPOwer, this initiative sees Tshikululu Social Investments partnering with SADAG (South African Depression and Anxiety Group) to […]
At the best of times, South Africa has massive need for impactful social investment and NPO delivery. The critical role they play in resolving the challenges and inequalities within society has been exponentially amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, Tshikululu Social Investments, South Africa’s leading social investment fund management and advisory firm, has undertaken […]
Social investors are not immune to the tough economic climate. As profits reduce, so too will contributions and budgets towards social investments. How does a social investor deal with having to apply budget cuts to, or end relationships with, often long-standing development partners? Responsible exits require compassion, attention, respect and time.
Since we went into lockdown in March, Tshikululu has learnt many valuable lessons for social investors who want to respond effectively and maximise social impact in these unprecedented times.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic will eventually pass, its impact will be felt for many years. Here are 10 tips to help guide social investors about how their work must change going forward.