Towards the end of 2006, South Africa had undergone immense changes, transforming the apartheid autocracy into a truly democratic, multiracial democracy.
But the country still faced immense challenges. Despite a growing economy, poverty and inequality seemed to have gotten worse, though, in fact, it was a reality inherited from the apartheid past that the new, post-apartheid state was struggling to deal with. Of great concern was the impact this had on the younger generation, part of what academics called Africa’s “youth bulge”.
In addition to the growing socioeconomic crisis, South Africa was hit by the HIV/Aids pandemic, a deadly global disease that required a comprehensive response – medical and educational – that the then government did not respond to adequately.
Established in 1999, the Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) focused on…