Sappi Ideas that Matter - Book 7

Africa
Imibala Sponsor a Child
Imibala
In the beautiful Helderberg basin near Cape Town,
South Africa, many parents cannot afford to pay the
school fees or buy the school uniforms that would give
their children access to an education. Appealing to
both local and international donors, Imibala’s ‘Sponsor
a Child’ campaign is able to pay fees and clothe a
schoolchild for just ZAR600 (under US$100) a year.
Designer and photographer Christine Meintjes
of Christine Meintjes Design & Photography in
Stellenbosch, South Africa, saw in Imibala an
organisation that was playing a vital role in the
upliftment of the previously disadvantaged, and
contributing in a tangible way to the future of this
country. After visiting the Imibala-run art centre (where
children from underprivileged communities receive free
arts and craft training) she knew she had to extend
her services as a graphic designer and photographer
to Imibala, if only to create an awareness of the
miraculous job they are doing in the community and
to give people the opportunity to ‘Sponsor a Child’.
Visits to the centre also helped her formulate a concept;
art was a way in which children could literally learn the
skills to help them fulfil the Imibala slogan of ‘turning
grey todays into colourful tomorrows’. She chose to fill
her material with childlike figures, creating the appeal
and naivety of youth.
‘The feeling that one is left with is that unhappiness is
grey and dull, such as the unhappy faces in my work,
but the bright colours are brought by Imibala as they
change children’s lives,’ says Christine.
The campaign has proved an inspiration to children
and Imibala staff alike. And while it’s still too soon to
quantify the effect of the campaign, the future for the
organisation must surely be as bright and colourful as
Christine’s work.
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