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WHO WE ARE

ORIGIN

In 1999 Bright Kid Foundation distributed 1000 toys to teachers throughout South Africa via the Mandela Children’s Fund. We included a feedback form and a teacher wrote: “We love the toys but I’m teaching in a shack. Please send us a school!”

Those words inspired us to see how we could grant her wish and the idea of converting containers into preschool classrooms was born and Bright Kid Foundation was formed to deliver Edutainers® throughout South Africa. Since 2000 the foundation has converted over 500 shipping containers into fully functional pre-schools and delivered Edutainers®  throughout Africa.

MISSION

Bright Kid Foundation believes that every South African child has the right to quality pre-school education in a safe and learner-friendly environment with access to educational toys and books that encourages an optimal learning experience under the supervision of a trained teacher.

Initially Bright Kid Foundation focussed on improving the poor standard of  infrastructure in Early Childhood Development in South Africa by delivering these Edutainers® (containers extensively converted to fully equipped bright, insulated preschool classrooms) to trained teachers, generally to poor rural communities. These were so successful that the Department of Social Development  (DSD) requested the Foundation to expand the infrastructure to create Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDCs) to include Edutainers®, Service Centre (office, kitchen and sickbay), ablution facilities, outdoor play equipment, fencing, a shade area and water tank. The EDCD Edutainers® are equipped with  adult furniture so that the Edutainers® can be used by adults and unemployed youth for training in employable skills after school hours. The ECDCs include the entire infrastructure required for registration and subsequent per child per day subsidy from the Department of Social development

Children at school

DIRECTORS

Nicholas Jaff

Nicholas is the founder and CEO of the Bright Kid Foundation, a non-profit organization, founded in 2000. He holds a degree of Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, a Diploma in Business Administration, Victoria University, Manchester, UK, and an MSc in Industrial Administration, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA. Previously he developed several manufacturing businesses, and at present serves on several boards.

Nicole Jaff

Nicole is Chair of the Bright Kid Foundation. She is a North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP), a council member of the South African Menopause Society and a member of the Professional Board of Psychology, South Africa. She is an honorary lecturer in the Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, a Research fellow at The Arum Institute. Her research has been presented at international conferences, and she has published four books on menopause. She has been awarded two awards by NAMS - a New Investigator award (2019) and the NAMS/Ann Voda Community Service Award (2018). Nicole is a member of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) MenoNotes team. She is on the Editorial Board of the medical journal, Women’s Midlife Health, (BioMed Central), and served as Chair, Consumer Education Committee (CEC), of NAMS (2016-2017,) and Editor, of Menopause e-Consult, clinical newsletter, NAMS (2017-2018). She serves as a trustee on the Javett foundation, and was a trustee of the Helen Suzman Foundation (2009-2016)

Peter Leon

Peter is a partner and the Africa Co-Chair at global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills. During the last decade several peer reviewed global legal directories, including the International Who's Who of Mining Lawyers and BestLawyer have consistently identified him as one of the world's pre-eminent mining lawyers. Peter has significant experience in resource regulatory issues across Anglophone Africa. He has also written extensively on the mining and international investment law topics and is an honorary lecturer at the University of Dundee in Scotland's Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy. Peter holds an LLM (first class honours) and Diploma in Comparative Legal Studies from the University of Cambridge. He has an LLB (cum laude) and a BA (awarded with distinction in Roman Law) from the University of Cape Town. He was elected as senior scholar of Christ's College, Cambridge and was a council member of the Legal Practice Division of the International Bar Association responsible for the Africa Regional Forum and the section for energy, natural resources and infrastructure law.

TRUSTEES

Sonja Brink

Sonja is a Research Associate at the Centre for Education Practice Research at the University of Johannesburg and Associate Editor of the South African Journal of Childhood Education. She is a LEGO Learning through Play Ambassador and her research foci are early childhood development and education, the pedagogy of play, and early reading literacy. She has in-depth knowledge of poverty contexts as well as extensive experience in community development and education.

Sibusisiwe Ndlovu

Sibusisiwe (Busi) Ndlovu is a Director in Accord Kalos Academy Pty LTD, a business consulting company, co- founded with her husband, consulting in the Public and NGO sectors. She has extensive experience in the field of education - from ECD to High School as well as teacher training. She has a BA from UNISA, a BA Honours from University of Johannesburg (RAU), and a Diploma in Management Advancement Programme (MAP) from Wits Business School. She is currently working with Ntataise Trust in Quality Assurance and Monitoring capacity.

Tony Phillips

Tony was previously CEO of Barloworld Ltd., and remains active as a non-executive director of a number of listed and unlisted Companies in Southern Africa. He has been a director of WWF for more than 10 years, is chairman of the finance committee, and sits on the Board’s Audit and Risk Committee, and Remuneration and HR Committee. He has a degree in civil engineering

Mmaphuthi Morule

Mmaphuthi is a graduate of the University of Cape Town, having completed a Marketing Honors degree in Business Science and an Economics Honors degree in Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management. She started her working career at Investec Specialist Bank and then shifted from working in finance to joining the advertising world, as a Digital Strategist at agencies Trigger/Isobar and iKineo. She then joined Nike working in various brand roles, namely Sportswear brand manager and category manager. In 2017, she joined NBA and has been leading their Marketing efforts for the Africa region. She is passionate about all facets of youth development and in her free time likes to DJ and collect records.

Anthea Poulos

Anthea Poulos, more commonly known as AntheaKnowsBest, lives a multi-faceted life. Anthea, has a BA in Politics and Sociology (2007), and an Honours Degree in Sociology from UCT(2008) and is is a Youth culture specialist, founder and co-owner of the brand consultancy The Bread. She uses her wide knowledge and understanding of South African and global youth culture to assist brands, both local and international, to engage with their audiences. Anthea is an Influencer on social media and with her ebullient persona and her appreciation of all new and exciting brands from streetwear to décor, has become the go-to person for advice on a broad range of events, advertising and promotions. She has been involved in several social projects including Pioneer Nation and ProTest HIV.