Speaker: Regaugetswe Netshiozwe
Title: Chief Development Officer, SayPro
Date: 17 May 2025
Location: Midrand, South Africa
[Opening – Greeting and Acknowledgement]
Good morning to our esteemed guests, valued partners, dedicated colleagues, and community champions.
It’s a true honour to be with you today, on World Hypertension Day 2025, as we unite around a common goal: raising awareness, promoting prevention, and saving lives. On behalf of SayPro’s Development Office, I thank you for being part of this growing movement.
This year’s theme — “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer” — is a call to action, but also a call to investment. Because lasting change — the kind that reaches every home, school, clinic, and workplace — requires sustainable resources, committed partnerships, and strategic development.
[Development Is About More Than Fundraising]
As Chief Development Officer, my role is often associated with funding. But the truth is, development is not only about raising money — it’s about mobilising possibilities.
It’s about building a foundation that allows SayPro and its partners to do more, reach more, and impact more lives — consistently and sustainably.
When we speak about hypertension — the “silent killer” affecting over 1.3 billion people globally — we’re speaking about an urgent health crisis that demands long-term, coordinated investment in screening, education, technology, training, and policy.
And that kind of impact doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when we intentionally develop the systems, partnerships, and funding models that support real change.
[What We’ve Accomplished — Thanks to Strategic Investment]
This year, SayPro has expanded its impact thanks to targeted resource mobilisation and development-driven partnerships:
- We secured multi-year funding from philanthropic foundations to expand free blood pressure screening programmes in rural and peri-urban communities.
- With support from corporate partners, we rolled out our Community Health Education Toolkits in schools and workplaces across three provinces.
- We co-invested with government and NGO collaborators to equip over 100 community health workers with the tools and training to conduct hypertension awareness workshops in local languages.
- And through in-kind contributions, volunteer engagement, and digital campaigns, we’ve extended our reach to more than 1.5 million people.
Behind every data point is a donor, a partner, a supporter who chose to believe in this mission.
[Why We Must Invest in Hypertension Prevention Now]
Hypertension is preventable. It is manageable. But it requires early detection and sustained education — both of which need consistent funding and resource planning.
We cannot afford to act only during campaigns or commemorative days. The communities we serve deserve a continuous commitment, not just a spotlight.
That’s why our development efforts are increasingly focused on:
- Building resilient funding pipelines
- Fostering cross-sector collaboration
- Designing scalable, cost-effective interventions
- And empowering local leadership with ownership and resources
Because when communities lead, and when development is localised, the impact is lasting.
[Call to Action – Join Us in Building a Healthier Future]
So, to our current and future partners, I say this:
- If you are a funder or corporate leader, let’s co-create initiatives that leave a legacy of health.
- If you are part of government or public institutions, let’s align resources and co-invest in long-term impact.
- If you’re a member of the SayPro family, keep telling our story — because every voice helps us grow support.
- And to individuals and communities — your time, your networks, and even your small contributions matter.
Every rand, every connection, every hour of support — brings us closer to a world where no one dies from an undiagnosed, untreated condition like hypertension.
[Closing – Development for Impact, Development for Life]
As SayPro’s Chief Development Officer, I stand here not just with gratitude — but with conviction.
Conviction that with the right resources, the right partners, and the right strategy, we can make hypertension awareness, prevention, and control a permanent part of every community’s reality.
Let’s not wait for another life to be lost before we act. Let’s develop systems that protect, educate, and empower.
Happy World Hypertension Day 2025.
Let’s measure. Let’s fund. Let’s grow. Let’s save lives — together.
Thank you.
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