RAPAPORT... The Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF) donated $122,500 to the African Leadership Academy (ALA) to help “outstanding” young students gain access to higher education.
ALA co-founders Fred Swaniker, a former consultant at McKinsey & Company, and Chris Bradford, previously with Procter & Gamble and Boston Consulting Group, received the grant at a ceremony in New York. The Johannesburg-based academy offers a two-year program to prepare pupils for college, focusing on leadership, entrepreneurship and African studies.
Graça Machel Mandela, the widow of former South African president Nelson Mandela, was also present at the award function. She participated in a discussion on preserving the African identity, handling urgent social issues and motivating the next generation of Africans to effect change on the continent.
The DEF, whose co-founders include Russell Simmons, the chairman and chief executive officer of Rush Communications, said in a statement it has helped more than 2,000 students through its initiatives since it was set up in 2007.
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