| Abbreviation | IFF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2010 |
| Founder | Ivor Ichikowitz |
| Type | Non-profit, Charitable organization |
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | Youth empowerment, heritage preservation, environmental conservation, education |
| Headquarters | Johannesburg, South Africa |
Region served | Africa |
Chairman | Ivor Ichikowitz |
| Website | ichikowitzfoundation |
The Ichikowitz Family Foundation(IFF) is a charitable organization established by South African businessman Ivor Ichikowitz in 2010.
The philanthropic work of the Ichikowitz Foundation focuses on the development of educational, environmental, and cultural programs to create unity and dialogue among the peoples of Africa and preserve African heritage. [1] The Foundation has reported an upswing in “Afro-optimism” and a belief among young Africans that the “21st century will be the African century.” [2]
In March 2012, the Ichikowitz Family Foundation donated a field hospital to treat the large number of casualties following the Brazzaville arms dump blasts in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. [3]
In September 2015, the Ichikowitz Family Foundation partnered with the Visual Arts Network of South Africa to celebrate Heritage Month with an exhibition of works from its Heritage Art Collection in Alexandra. In November, the foundation followed up with a second exhibition at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg in an effort to support Africa’s creative talent and employ art as a tool to combat xenophobia. [4]
Since 2019, the Foundation has conducted a biennial survey of African youth aged 18-24 in face-to-face interviews in 25 African countries. The African Youth Survey explores how young people in Africa view themselves and the world around them. [5] Ahead of the country’s general elections in 2019, the survey revealed a high level of concern over their personal and national future, [6] as well as an alarming lack of trust in the political system. In the wake of these findings, the Foundation set out to combat this disillusionment by fostering respect for differences and creating a spirit of social cohesion through art, education and empowerment initiatives. [7]
In a subsequent survey, the country’s youth expressed great concern over poaching. The majority of the respondents felt that ivory from tusks and pangolin scales should be banned world-wide and agreed with the statement that the poaching of wild animals would lead to their extinction. To address this problem, the Foundation donated a reconnaissance aircraft to Kruger National Park equipped with special technology to track down poachers. [8] The Foundation also established one of South Africa’s largest anti-poaching and K9 academies, offering programs to safeguard rhinos, elephants, pangolins and abalone through the training of handlers and detection dogs. [9] In previous years, the Foundation financed helicopter and pilot training, specialist ranger training and anti-poaching equipment to address the rampant poaching of Gabon's forest elephant population. [10]
The Foundation has also partnered with Granny & Childheaded Households, the Alta Du Toit School; Barefoot No More, Buskaid’s Soweto String Ensemble, Theatre Outings for the Aged, the Peace of Educational Mind Foundation [11] and the Union of Jewish Women. [12]
In July 2012, Ivor Ichikowitz, founder of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, won the Prix de la Fondation from the Swiss international organization Crans Montana Forum for his contribution to Africa's social and humanitarian development. [13]
In 2021, the Foundation won two SABRE Awards for its African Youth Survey campaign. It won first place in the Non-profit category and a Certificate of Excellence in the Southern Africa region. [14]