Ambassadors’ partners visit Foundation

Members of the IDSA and Foundation staffers Ruth Rensburg, fifth from left, and Boniswa Nyati, fourth from right with some of the gifts Mr Mandela has received

October 29, 2009 – The International Diplomatic Spouses Association (IDSA) paid a visit to the Nelson Mandela Foundation earlier this month, on Friday, October 9, to find out more about the organisation and to offer its support.

Set up in 1999, the IDSA is a registered non-profit organisation made up of the partners of international ambassadors to South Africa. It aims to promote cultural and social interchange between members of the diplomatic corps and South Africans. The organisation supports various charitable organisations in South Africa and was described in a 2006 address by then Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and current Deputy Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, Sue van der Merwe, as the “unsung heroes of a quiet social revolution, a way of changing the world”.

During the visit the group was told about the Foundation’s core work in the areas of memory and dialogue before being given a tour of the Foundation.

After lunch the group was shown some of the gifts and awards that Nelson Mandela has received from around the world.

Memory Programme Head Verne Harris extended his thanks on behalf of the Foundation, saying that he hoped that the visit was the “beginning of a long relationship”.

Resource Development Manager Ruth Rensburg added that it “is critical to us that we have a wide array of partners and supporters to continue the work of the Foundation”.

In an email the IDSA’s president, Marieta Neykova from Bulgaria, later thanked the Foundation for the opportunity.

“The IDSA visit to the Nelson Mandela Foundation last week was a special [opportunity] for us to meet the friendly management of the Foundation, to find out more about their work and to feel their devotion to make [Mr Mandela’s] legacy more approachable and more meaningful for everybody all over the world. It was a great honour to see [Mr Mandela’s] office and to get a closer look [at] some of Mr Mandela’s letters and pictures in the archives room and see part of his gift collection. To enjoy the delicious food together and have a talk about the work and plans of the Foundation in an informal environment was an extra feature of our visit.”