As part of the celebration of Mandela Day, Binance provided financial support of $40,000 USD for the Mandela Day Healthcare Initiative of the Falling Forward Foundation. This initiative is implemented in collaboration with The Impilo Project to assist the most needy people.
This funding allows covering the remaining need for all 670 community members expected at the Community Health Day on July 18th. Thanks to this support, they will have access to medical, dental, mental health, and social assistance services in one place.
The Binance team discovered the Falling Forward Foundation through social media. What caught their attention was not a large advertising project or a famous name, but the foundation's proven experience in making a significant impact in the communities it serves. In the context of corporate social investment, which can seem monotonous, supporting a smaller, grassroots organization was seen as a more meaningful decision, suitable for a month dedicated to service rather than visibility.
The Falling Forward Foundation was created specifically to connect corporations, individuals, and public organizations with initiatives that are already providing benefits but often lack visibility or funding. The foundation's first major campaign supports The Impilo Project, which has conducted over 11 integrated Community Health Days across South Africa to date.
Rachel Kolisi, founder of the Falling Forward Foundation, noted: 'I realized that we can never create long-term impact alone. Binance's intervention to fill this gap is a powerful reminder of what is possible when purpose and generosity come together. When we stop working in isolated groups and start working together, we create real change for the communities that need it most.'
Larry Cook from Binance stated: 'Mandela Day reminds us that service should not be complicated; it should be consistent.' He added that the Falling Forward Foundation and The Impilo Project have supported communities across South Africa for years, and help closing this financial gap means 670 people will receive vital medical care.
This contribution continues Binance's work on the African continent, aimed at supporting programs in education, financial inclusion, digital skills, and community empowerment. During this Mandela Month, their commitment extends to something more immediate—ensuring that healthcare reaches the people who need it most, on a single day dedicated annually to remembering that everyone has the power to change a life.
As part of the celebration of Mandela Day, which is observed annually on July 18th in honor of the life and legacy of the late former president Nelson Mandela, the Sibaya Community Trust in Durban implemented three infrastructure projects.
The South African government declared Mandela Day as a call to action for everyone—people, communities, and organizations—to reflect on Mandela's principles and values. Mandela himself called for the fight against poverty, suffering, and deprivation, stating that 'it is in your hands to make our world better for all, especially for the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized.'
The Trust completed these three projects across KwaZulu-Natal, stating that they will directly improve the lives of hundreds of beneficiaries. These include people with disabilities, students with special needs, and cancer patients who require temporary accommodation during treatment.
Vivian Reddy, founder and chairperson of the Sibaya Community Trust, noted that investing in dignity, accessibility, compassion, and hope is a tribute to Madiba's outstanding legacy. One project involved repairing and replacing over twenty windows at the Merewent Cheshire Home, which supports people with disabilities. The Trust also carried out significant renovations and upgrades to this facility, installing steel railings to enhance the safety, accessibility, and mobility of residents.
Furthermore, two new sanitation blocks were built at the West Park Special Needs School. These structures provide safe, accessible, and dignified hygiene conditions for students with various physical and intellectual impairments. The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) in Durban received an updated building to house a new six-bed ward. This ward serves as a temporary refuge for cancer patients traveling from remote areas to receive treatment at nearby hospitals.
Reddy emphasized that this compassionate initiative will help alleviate the emotional and financial burden experienced by patients and their families during difficult times. She added that for over two decades, the Sibaya Community Trust has remained true to its mission of transforming lives through sustainable community development. To date, the Trust has invested over 280 million rand in social upliftment initiatives in KwaZulu-Natal.
South Africa consistently supports the idea of a united Africa, once envisioned by the country's founder and global icon Nelson Mandela. Mandela dreamed of a unified Africa capable of overcoming common challenges and realizing its vast potential through joint action. He emphasized that continental development is impossible through the actions of individual nations.
The principle of unity has guided South Africa's activities since the dawn of democracy. The country strives to strengthen cooperation on the continent and raise Africa's voice on the world stage, advocating not only for unity but also creating institutions and partnerships to realize it.
Through the African Union and the United Nations, South Africa participates in peacekeeping missions, conflict mediation, and post-conflict reconstruction. Significant interventions in Burundi, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have contributed to stabilization and the creation of conditions for sustainable development.
Concurrently, South Africa utilizes its presence in global platforms such as the G20, G7, BRICS, and the UN to shift discussions that often exclude the African perspective. The country actively promotes reforms of international financial institutions, improved access to development finance, and debt relief, thereby helping Africa become an influential voice in shaping a more equitable world order.
Beyond diplomatic efforts, South Africa's most significant contribution lies in supporting continental economic integration. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offers an unprecedented opportunity to create the world's largest free trade zone, uniting over 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP exceeding $3.4 trillion.
South Africa is one of the largest sources of foreign direct investment on the continent, with South African companies playing a vital role in banking, telecommunications, retail, mining, energy, manufacturing, and logistics sectors. These investments stimulate economic growth in host countries by creating jobs, transferring skills and technology, expanding access to financial and communication services, and strengthening local supply chains.
Under AfCFTA, South Africa also helps reduce non-tariff barriers hindering intra-African trade. By simplifying market access requirements and reducing administrative costs, the country creates a more favorable environment for goods from other African countries in the South African market, which promotes increased trade, industrialization, and the development of regional value chains.
At a more local level, South Africa's partnerships with neighboring states deepen regional integration. A recent state visit to Mozambique strengthened cooperation in trade, infrastructure, and energy, building on the successes of the Maputo Corridor. Cooperation with Botswana has also reinforced economic ties within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).
Within SADC and SACU, South Africa promotes an industrial strategy supported by the SACU Industrial Development Action Plan and the SACU Development Fund. These tools aim to help the region climb into global value chains by financing critical infrastructure, supporting industrialization, and creating jobs. This economic cooperation is also based on long-standing alliances, such as the Binational Commission of South Africa and Nigeria, established in 1999.
The Commission connects the continent's two largest economies through more than 34 bilateral agreements aimed at expanding trade, deepening investment, and strengthening industrial integration. These bilateral efforts are part of a broader strategy to build a more integrated and competitive African economy. Through transformative initiatives like the North-South Corridor Development, South Africa facilitates the development of roads, railways, ports, and digital networks necessary for the full realization of AfCFTA potential. Furthermore, its role as the host of the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand, Gauteng, provides a constant platform for harmonizing legislation and strengthening democratic governance across borders.
South Africa's commitment to the continent is most evident in moments of crisis when solidarity must translate into action. When catastrophic floods and Cyclone Idai struck Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, South African rescue teams provided vital on-the-ground assistance.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa led calls for global equity in vaccine access and advocated for localized medical production when vaccine nationalism threatened to leave developing countries behind. This leadership earned the country the title of African Union Champion for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response.
Working with African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, South Africa continues to strengthen healthcare systems, support the African Medicines Agency, and promote coordinated procurement systems to improve access to essential medical supplies. Its pledge to allocate $13.5 million to the African CDC to aid in treating and containing the recent Ebola outbreak reflects a broader commitment to supporting Africa's capacity to collectively respond to shared challenges.
More than three decades after achieving democracy, South Africa remains dedicated to Mandela's vision of an Africa united by purpose, confident in its potential, and determined to build a future of prosperity and opportunity for all its people.
