Co-founders Craig and Jane Lauder have long believed in the value of educating girls and young women, empowering them to be the best versions of themselves and in that way, contributing to a more prosperous community and a higher functioning civil society. 

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Early years in South Africa led to an acute awareness of the issues of girl education on the sub-continent. Poverty does not allow much in the way of resources for children’s schooling and what are available, are used to educate the boys in the family. This despite there being so much evidence demonstrating the greater community and social value derived from educating girls. 

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Action often starts with a simple conversation. For us, it was a serendipitous meeting on a short flight from Johannesburg to Lusaka in 2022. A shared belief in the power of education, a passion for empowering young women, and a connection to Africa ignited a series of actions leading initially to the opportunity, in our personal capacity, to sponsor a number of girls attending high school outside Lusaka.

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But we wanted to do more. Involving our companies seemed like the next logical step. Both SIA Albums and Bataleur Enterprises have long established traditions of contributing back to the community. The shared philosophy of empowering women, of tackling issues related to women’s health and building strong female leaders, led to the formation of TBA Foundation to provide opportunity for clients, staff and suppliers to become involved, to contribute to making the world a better place, one educated girl at a time.

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With the registration of the TBA Foundation, we have translated our interest in educating girls in sub-Saharan Africa into a focused and clear strategy: to sponsor girls through high school in Zambia, helping them achieve the highest possible academic success. We don’t just want to see them graduate; we want to shine the light on choices, open up new apertures of opportunity, and frame brighter futures.