The Menomadin Foundation held an event on Sunday at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Former vice president of Angola Bornito de Sousa Baltazar Diogo attended the event after arriving in Israel to explore the possibility of partnerships as well as to visit universities.
Other notable guests were Labor Social Affairs and Social Services Minister Meir Cohen, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked and Angola’s Minister of Labor, Public Administration and Social Security, Teresa Rodrigues Dias. Dias came to Israel to learn about the Jewish state’s innovation in education and technology. Ambassadors to Israel from Ethiopia, Rwanda, Morocco, Angola and Equatorial Guinea also attended.
"Throughout projects and investments over the last decades we have been helping communities and individuals realize their dream for a better future, first through Mitrelli and now, through the Menomadin Foundation, which is helping to amplify this benefit and impact."
President of the Mitrelli Group and Menomadin Foundation, Haim Taib
The event was put on by businessman and entrepreneur, Mitrelli Group and Menomadin Foundation president Haim Taib and Menomadin CEO Dr. Merav Galili. According to its site, the Menomadin Foundation “supports change-makers, united by their commitment to achieving inclusive international development.
“Humanity’s greatest challenge is to ensure that people, all people, never lose the ability to dream of a better life for themselves,” Taib said in an address to event participants. “Throughout projects and investments over the last decades, we have been helping communities and individuals realize their dream for a better future, first through Mitrelli and now, through the Menomadin Foundation, which is helping to amplify this benefit and impact.”
“We are here today to talk about more than Angola, we are here to talk about all of Africa,” de Sousa said. “Indeed, we are here to talk about more than impacting one or two communities, we are talking about changing lives across a whole continent, tackling poverty and climate change – making history and building the future.
“I invite business people, academics and scientists, artists and personalities in the culture sector, sports players, youth and students, in particular, to get to know Angola and the opportunities it holds for business, cooperation and tourism, following the example of the entrepreneurs who already develop their projects there.” he said.
“I would like to take this opportunity to salute the Fundação Arte e Cultura, a strong partner of the Menomadin Foundation in Angola, and underline the action developed there for the preservation of local arts and culture and the social responsibility of the Mitrelli Group, a consortium of companies that support it,” he continued.
The Menomadin Foundation operates in Israel and Africa
The foundation operates in both Israel and in Africa’s emerging markets. Their vision is to promote social impact around the world, basing it on the ability to think differently about different resources and what people can do when given different tools, according to a press release.
During the event, the Menomadin Foundation showed its first impact report, showcasing the highlights of the work that it conducted in Israel and Angola.
One of the key examples given was a collaboration with “Save a Child’s Heart” where they bring children from around Africa to Israel for life-changing surgery.
“I invite you to read the first impact report that we are launching today, in which we used methodologies accepted in the impact world to qualitatively analyze every project, investment and venture in Israel, Africa and all around the world while examining a multitude of parameters to make sure we are always on the right track,” Dr. Galili said during her speech at the event. “Impact management is an international challenge and we test ourselves every day to make sure we are making a difference and producing a positive impact.
“We are on a continuous journey of learning, as part of a process that the global impact investor community is going through,” she said. “Quite a few times we find ourselves returning to the whiteboard, continuing our open mind and flexibility of thought and constantly listening to the populations we work with and our partners.”
The event celebrated the strengthening relationship between Africa and Israel. “The Menomadin Foundation is built on decades of experience in social activity and tremendous impact in Africa, both in philanthropy and investments. The foundation has learned a great deal and today is creating economic and environmental impact at the state level.” Galili explained. “We have formulated new models that are applied today in Israel and help to deal with social market failure and the ability to measure the impact and change.”
Taib summarized the impact that the foundation was having on African communities: “The work of the Menomadin Foundation is building lasting impact for people across the African continent, but it is also dramatically contributing to the partnership and collaboration between Israelis and Africans.
“We have so many opportunities to share best practices when it comes to tackling the key issues we all face today, including – but not limited to – climate change and food and water security,” he said. “We are bringing to life a vision of cooperation and progress that should be a model for the whole world.