At Starfish, we have always believed that our impact is greatest when we work together. Through trusted partnerships with the private sector, we have been able to reach more children and families in underserved communities with life-changing support across health care, education, nutrition, and social welfare.
These partnerships are built on a shared commitment to creating brighter futures. Together, we are unlocking change where it is needed most and helping children grow, learn, and thrive.
Here are just a few of the partnerships that make this work possible.
Quite simply, Starfish would not be where it is today without Investec.
Our long-standing partnership has transformed the scale of our work and continues to provide vital operational support across Starfish Greathearts Foundation.
We are particularly grateful to Investec for providing pro bono office space for our UK and South African chapters. This generous support reduces our operating costs, allowing us to direct more resources toward delivering essential frontline services for children and families across South Africa.
Investec's generosity extends across all three Starfish chapters. Their New York office sponsors the annual Starfish USA Gala, helping raise vital funds each year that sustain our education, nutrition, health care, and social welfare programs.
Beyond financial support, Investec employees generously give their time and expertise, becoming an integral part of the Starfish family.
Chris first became involved through Starfish events and by sponsoring athletes participating in our fundraising campaigns, many of them fellow Investec colleagues.
Professionally, serving on the Board has provided Chris with the opportunity to work alongside a diverse group of talented individuals, while strengthening his own leadership and governance experience through his fiduciary responsibilities.
Today, Chris also serves on Starfish's Global Steering Committee, working alongside our South African and United States chapters. He says the experience has allowed him to both share the skills he has developed at Investec and continue growing professionally through Starfish's global collaboration.
Whether helping organize fundraising events, supporting campaigns, or sharing professional expertise, Chris represents the spirit of partnership that has made Investec such an important part of Starfish's journey. We are profoundly grateful for Investec's continued support and look forward to creating even greater impact together.
As Starfish celebrates 25 years of creating positive change, we are especially proud of this year's oral health campaign delivered in partnership with Sasol.
Maintaining good oral health is fundamental to a child's overall health and wellbeing. Tooth decay and gum disease can cause significant pain, making it difficult for children to eat, sleep, speak, and concentrate in class. During school health assessments, our nurses regularly see firsthand how untreated dental problems affect children's daily lives.
The Sasol School Oral Health Campaign is changing that.
This year, it will reach an estimated 24,000 children across several regions while distributing over 7,400 oral health kits and referring children who require further treatment. Beyond improving oral health today, the campaign equips children with healthy habits that will benefit them for years to come.
Sasol's partnership with Starfish demonstrates the powerful difference corporate collaboration can make. Together, we are extending our reach and giving more children access to the care they need to thrive.
Every corporate partnership makes a difference in its own way. Some create immediate impact, while others lay the foundation for lasting change.
When Altro funded Starfish's first Wellness Wagon mobile clinic, it marked the beginning of something truly transformative. That single investment helped launch a program that now includes five Wellness Wagons, bringing essential health care directly to some of South Africa's most remote and underserved communities. Today, thousands of children and families receive vital medical services each year, care they might otherwise have gone without.
For the past two years, Advanta Wealth has supported our preschool programs, helping provide learning materials and educational toys that allow children to learn through play, build confidence, and develop the skills they need to succeed in school.
Most recently, we were honored to receive an exceptionally generous donation from Ninety One in celebration of Starfish's 25th anniversary. Gifts like these allow us to think ambitiously about the future and continue expanding our reach so that even more children receive the care and support they deserve.
Our corporate partners don't simply fund programs. They invest in healthier children, stronger communities, and brighter futures. Their generosity helps us reach more children, respond to greater needs, and deliver life-changing support where it is needed most.
Your generosity enables us to unlock greater impact, strengthen communities, and ensure that more children have access to education, nutrition, health care, and social welfare support.
The power of corporate partnerships is the power to transform lives.
Over the past 25 years, our trusted partners have helped us reach more children and families, delivering the support they need to build healthier, happier, and more secure futures.
If your company is looking to create meaningful change, we'd love to start a conversation. Whether through fundraising, employee volunteering, matched giving, payroll giving, sponsorships, or gifts in kind, there are many ways to make a lasting difference.
More About The Author:
Archie Longrigg is a current fundraising intern at Starfish UK with an academic background in International Relations. He is passionate about supporting Starfish's mission to improve the livelihoods of impoverished and vulnerable children in South Africa.