When you think of the lottery, you think about the big winners – those individual people who come away millions of Rand richer and blow it on big houses, beautiful clothes and fast cars. However, this is not all that the lottery is about. The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) is an organisation there to use lottery money to help those who cannot even afford to buy a ticket, as well as aid important aspects of community life.
The NLDTF currently receive 34% of National Lottery revenue in South Africa, 45% of which goes to the Charities Sector, 28% to the Arts, Culture and national Heritage Sector, 22% to the Sport and Recreation Sector and 5% to the Miscellaneous Purposes Sector. In 2011/12, R1.7 billion of lottery revenue was shared between these sectors.
Since, 2010, regulations have been in place to make sure the money goes to particularly vital courses. For instance, half of the money given to the Charities Sector must now be put towards expanding home-based care services through training and developing infrastructure for the care of old people, sick people and vulnerable groups, including orphaned children and providing educational facilities for early childhood education and adult literacy, and undertaking vocational training and mentoring for skills development through programmes that include people with disabilities.
One of many organisations that has benefitted hugely from NLDTF money is Abraham Kriel Childcare, who received R2.9m in 2009 to put towards caring for children who have suffered the likes of neglect, abuse and physical and emotional pain. This money helps look after children from birth age up until 18, no matter who they are or where they come from, helping them heal and develop through therapy and counselling so that they can one day live a fulfilling independent life.
Another is the District Six Museum in Cape Town – a reminder of a triumphant campaign that led to people being able to return and live on land from which they had been forcibly removed. This museum educates youngster about the impact of such racially-motivated evictions and the R14.7m of lottery money they received back in 2001helped expand the museum dramatically back in 2001. It allowed them to renovate a second museum building, as well as create a theatre to act as a home for the “performance of memory” and start up the performing of expressive arts to display the experiences of those oppressed in South Africa through a modern and engaging medium.
Currently, the NLDTF only receives money from the South African National Lottery, but who knows, in the future the huge growth in online play could mean that online lotto revenue also goes to helping those in need or to boosting the community. Certainly, the more it receives, the better it is for South Africa as a whole.
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Currently, the NLDTF only receives money from the South African National Lottery, but who knows, in the future the huge growth in online play could mean that online lotto revenue also goes to helping those in need or to boosting the community, sites such as www.lotteryresults.co.za are constantly gaining popularity and could certainly be part of the good cause in years to come . Certainly, the more it receives, the better it is for South Africa as a whole.
