| MyPlanet launches ‘EWT MyPlanet Rhino Fund’ to help save rhinos |
| Posted by Enviroadmin |
| Thursday, 09 June 2011 10:02 |
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MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet, the national fundraising initiative, has launched the EWT MyPlanet Rhino Fund in partnership with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT). With effectively more than one rhino killed illegally per day this year to date, the fund was created to empower concerned South Africans by allowing them to swipe their MyPlanet cards to raise valuable funds in the fight against the poaching of our rhinos. Now anyone can actively support rhino conservation and anti-poaching efforts made by the Endangered Wildlife Trust and their partner organisations. During World Environment Week (5 June to 10 June), it’s important to note that Black Rhinos are endangered threatened species and if rhino poaching continues at the same rate or increases, they may become extinct in 60 years, joining the nearly 30 000 species that are becoming extinct every year. The rhino is an iconic species and the Black Rhino is one of South Africa’s legendary ‘Big 5’. The EWT MyPlanet Rhino Fund is therefore exclusively committed to rhino conservation and anti-poaching efforts. In 2010 a total of 333 rhinos were illegally killed in South Africa, including ten critically endangered Black Rhinos, according to national park officials. This figure is the highest experienced in South Africa in many years and nearly triple the 2009 figure where 122 rhinos were killed, signalling a worrying trend in the poaching crisis. Approximately 95% of the world’s rhino population is in South Africa. Poachers have almost won the rhino war in Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe and the rest of Africa. The recent killing increase is largely due to heightened demand for rhino horn, which has long been prized as an ingredient in traditional Asian medicine, even though medical research proves that rhino horn has no medicinal properties. The EWT MyPlanet Rhino Fund is supported by Braam Malherbe, the well-known conservationist and TV personality. “My DOT campaign is so simple. If we all just ‘Do One Thing’ our collective actions will make a radical difference. Get a MyPlanet card and ‘Do One Thing’ – Support rhino conservation”, says Malherbe. The fund is administered by the EWT and will be used to address the most pressing needs across the country. The EWT will provide feedback on how the funds have been used and allocated, from supporting the provincial and national conservation authorities to training, law enforcement and improving rhino security. Yolan Friedmann, CEO of the Endangered Wildlife Trust says, “We are delighted to work be working with MyPlanet and Braam Malherbe to enable concerned South Africans to support the conservation of rhinos and the improved protection of our threatened wildlife heritage.” “The EWT is currently at the forefront of rhino conservation and we feel very confident in their ability to use the funds generated in the most efficient way. We encourage individuals, communities, organisations and governments to work together towards saving our iconic wildlife and environment,” comments Pieter Twine, MySchool General Manager. “By taking up a MyPlanet card, cardholders will easily be able to contribute to the EWT MyPlanet Rhino Fund simply by swiping their cards every time they go shopping at a participating partner such as Toys R Us, Reggie’s, Woolworths, Waltons, Engen QuickShops and kalahari.net at no cost to themselves,” says Twine. To help save the rhinos visit www.myschool.co.za, apply for your MyPlanet card and start swiping. Issued on behalf of MySchool by liquidlingo Communications. For media enquiries contact Eleanor Williams on 021 424 1530 or eleanor@liquidlingo.co.za ----------------------------- About MySchool MySchool acts as a channel that raises and delivers essential funding to schools, charities and environmental organisations in order to improve education and social development in South Africa. This enables members of the community to participate in the future development of our nation in a sustainable way. The programme gives parents, community and environmentally-minded individuals a vehicle through which to make a meaningful contribution to participating organisations, in a convenient and transparent manner. It is not a donation service, but a true partnership between charities and business partners. How MySchool works MySchool facilitates school support on behalf of a range of business partners who have a specific interest in education. The fundraising programme is a partnership between business partners, consumer supporters and schools; all striving to create a better future for learners in South Africa. Approximately 600 000 parents and community-minded individuals have MySchool supporter cards. Supporters use their MySchool supporter cards whenever they transact with one of the MySchool business partners. A small percentage of their transaction – up to 5 percent – is then allocated to their beneficiary school or charity. All these transactions are recorded and a statement is sent to individual supporters on a monthly basis. The supporter card is not a debit or credit but serves as a measure through which valuable supporter data, such as transactions and funds raised for a particular school, are tracked. In addition to channelling funds to schools and organisations, the system also promotes developmental initiatives in under resourced schools in conjunction with business partners. These initiatives are aimed at bringing much-needed resources to these schools, and starting partnerships with more affluent schools and business partners. Some initiatives include a twining model whereby resourced school partners with an under-resourced school with the aim of aiding the school’s development, as well as multi-partner projects such as the Toys R Us donation station and stationery collection drives for our Thuso Schools. MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet Originally the MySchool programme was exclusive to schools and only schools could sign up as beneficiaries. Recently the MyVillage and MyPlanet alternatives were added to our list of organisations that we raise valuable funds for. MyVillage organizations are charities that care for people. MyPlanet organizations care for animals and the planet. |
