Remarks by Dr Prakash Ratilal, trustee, Southern Africa Trust at the investing in the future and Drivers of Change awards held in Johannesburg on 25 October 2007

Dr Survé, our guest of honour;
Distinguished guests . . .

A very good evening to you all!

Let me begin by acknowledging the Southern Africa Trust’s excellent partnership with the Mail and Guardian. Such partnerships are imperative in our efforts to overcome poverty which remains the historic challenge in our region.

This evening we affirm the outstanding contribution of some remarkable individuals and organizations to overcome poverty and inequality in southern Africa. More so, we are doing this a week after 17 October, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, when people throughout the world responded so positively to stand up and speak out against poverty, setting (we expect) a new world record for the largest number of people to actively participate in a campaign on one day.

Meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the year 2015 is a fading hope for many countries, including many in our region. In southern Africa, close to 100 million people out of a population of more than 230 million live in absolute poverty. Business as usual, not only by businesses, but by governments, civil society organizations, and donors as well, will not lift us out of the poverty trap to a new era of progress in our region.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Through the Drivers of Change awards, we recognise innovation in anti-poverty work. This evening we single out drivers of change to overcome poverty from government, business, and civil society. These key interest groups in our societies need to find common ground and share a common vision to overcome poverty.It is through such collaborative efforts that we can achieve better results that change the lives of people living in poverty.

The drivers of change we recognize tonight are excellent examples from our region that by doing things a little differently, each in our own fields, we can make a real difference towards the vision of a region free from poverty. Congratulations to you, drivers of change! Thank you for inspiring us. You remind us that if we are to truly invest in a future that is filled with hope, we must also change some of the ways that we do things, especially in our struggle to overcome poverty.

Ladies and gentlemen,

. . . I am sure that you are eager to hear who these drivers of change are. May I now call upon Ms Shirley Moulder, my fellow trustee of Southern Africa Trust to join me to honour the 2007 southern Africa Drivers of Change, as I hand over to Doreen Morris to announce the winners . . .