The Human Elephant Foundation has taken on board the professional services of John Charter as well as the administrative assistance of Kim Hoepfel. John has been appointed as the CEO of the Human Elephant Foundation and his mandate will be to mobilise the principles of the Human Elephant Foundation amongst the financial industrial and corporate sectors of South Africa in order to start the necessary debates as to how different economic relationships can be set in motion that are less harmful to the planet.

PLANNED ENVIORNMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME

An urgent agenda for the Human Elephant Foundation will be to develop an environmental education programme specifically geared to the primary and secondary school system in South Africa. The iconic elephant, Nomkhubulwane, will be taken throughout KwaZulu-Natal and later, South Africa, as a catalyst for these debates at the various schools. The mandate of the management team will be to develop the educational programme.

BABY ELEPHANT PROJECT

The baby elephant project is an integrated project of the Human Elephant Project. Whilst the large elephants speak more directly to the human environmental debate, Andries Botha has decided to pay specific attention to one of the more vulnerable aspects of the South African cultural and physical landscape.

The baby elephants have been made to speak directly with children of South Africa. The baby elephants are made in Botha’s studio, working directly with three young local South African artists: Sbu Mazibuko, Siya Madlala, Ntokozo Ntshingila. Botha designs the elephants and keeps a strict monitoring role over the manufacture and production. The three assistants produce the elephant under his instruction.

These elephants are then made available for purchase and/or auction to anybody who wishes to support individuals or organisations that represented, protect, assist children. The elephants leave his studio at cost. The profit made on the elephant minus the production cost goes directly to the children’s cause.

The beauty of this initiative is that works of art enters the public space as the marketplace thus enabling the purchaser of a work of art to simultaneously support the social good.

The high incidence of mortality and disease in Southern Africa renders many children homeless. The need for individuals and organisations to respond to the crisis of homelessness, especially amongst children, represents one of the greatest challenges that faces Africa today. The consequence of children outside and beyond the safety net of parental care and guidance creates incremental socio economic problems for the future, notwithstanding the obvious human tragedy encapsulated with them.