Page 13 - SCAT Rural Voice II - 35 Stories for 35 Years

empowering young people; and managing community and income generation projects. Currently, we can boast that 95% of SCAT funded LDAs are well run and achieve their goals and plans annually. This speaks to the quality and impact of SCAT support and monitoring provided to these LDAs by the SCAT field staff. I am proud to be part of a team that achieves what we do. We are small but our impact is big.
BEANCOUNTING FOR SOCIAL GOOD
Hishaam Nordien SCAT’s Finance Manager writes about how he found a home at SCAT after doing book keeping for a string of small businesses.
Having trained in finance and worked for a string of small businesses my last role before SCAT was for a company based in Atlantis. This exposed me to a peri-urban community where unemployment was rife, people worked long hours for very little money, in less than ideal conditions. This taught me how insignificant my personal challenges were. Seeking work closer to home, I went for an interview at SCAT. From the start I could tell something was different about this organisation. I quickly learnt that the organisation is inclusive, the staff are friendly and busy and showed a lot of interest in me, who had come to work in a tie. I was warned by others that working in an NGo would be different. I didn’t listen to them and I am very happy I didn’t.
I am proud to be part of an organisation that runs a tight ship, and has all the systems in place to ensure good financial management and governance. Transparency is at the core of SCAT and is reflected in the degree of openness around all decisions in the organisation. SCAT has regular internal and external audits and has for the past 35 years received unqualified financial audits. In addition to this we have regular sub-committee meetings providing board oversight. This has ensured that members of the Board of Trustees have their finger on the pulse on whats happening on the ground. All of these elements and the opportunities I have been given to progress from Senior Finance Officer to Finance Manager continue to make me feel excited about being part of this organisation. It has been a rewarding journey being part of an organisation making positive change in the lives of others.
hishAAM nordien FinAnce MAnAGer
RuRal Voice ii: 35 stories for 35 years
11