Lesedi communications

In 2022 the Lesedi communications team was launched.

The team seeks to communicate in a way that:

  • establishes trust in the Trust;
  • ensures that the community is informed about the work and impact of the Trust;
  • enables community stakeholders to authentically participate in the work of the Trust; and
  • creates a level of community ownership of the vision of the Trust.

According to communications manager Carolyn Cramer, a communications practitioner with nearly two decades of experience working in the South African NGO sector, creating trust and buy-in for the Trust must go beyond smart PR and heart-warming stories to ways of working.

The team’s approach is to:

1

Prioritise local input

Where possible, and within reason, contractors are sourced from within the communities as a means of further investing in Black people living within these areas. Where the required skills do not exist within the areas, creative solutions should be sought whereby contractors mentor local youth and upskill them in the process of the particular project.

2

Champion our partners

Communications should not only build the brand of the trusts, but also enhance the brands of the projects as well as the key messages of the projects themselves.

3

Edify the community

Communications should edify the community wherever possible and rather than overtly celebrating the success of the Trust, stories should first champion beneficiaries of the Trust (such as leading with the achievement of a particular child, and secondly mentioning their involvement with the projects and Trust).

4

Lead with hope

Our communities do not need to have their feelings of despair exploited. Rather, without ignoring the very real issues facing these communities, communications should lead with hope based, and should be solutions oriented. We believe that hope inspires action and so our communications outputs will largely be aimed at inspiring hope.

In 2023, Postmasburg local, Thandeka Molale joined as Marketing and Communications intern. Building on her BA Communications degree from the University of the Free State, Thandeka has risen to the challenge, representing the Trust at numerous events, writing articles, and managing the Trust’s Facebook page and marketing materials. She recently completed a photography and editing course as evidenced by the increased quality of photographs across our platforms.

To keep informed of the work of the Trust, please keep visiting our website, like us on Facebook and sign up to our quarterly newsletter here.