Award-winning South African star Lira has launched a new social consciousness video of her song "U&I", in partnership with the Southern Africa Trust.

“U&I” is the theme song for the Southern Africa Trust’s change4ever campaign. The song was written and produced for the campaign by Lira, the campaign’s ambassador for change. The change4ever campaign is the Southern Africa Trust’s awareness raising, public participation, and direct-from-public fundraising initiative.

Change4ever intends to build a culture of social giving for lasting solutions to poverty, especially amongst a newer generation of people who want to support lasting solutions to poverty rather than temporary relief through conventional 'charity' – to give to solutions rather than problems.

"It’s about changing the way people think about poverty and what they can do to help overcome it. It’s about creating a new social consciousness that makes it trendy to be part of the solution to poverty by supporting credible initiatives. And to make it interesting, fun, and easy for people to get involved by supporting creative initiatives that can do the work for them," said Neville Gabriel, the executive director of the Southern Africa Trust.

"Change4ever is about making poverty everyone's business," said Shekeshe Mokgosi, the change4ever campaign coordinator. "It's about creating a lasting change in the way people think and take collective action to overcome poverty in southern Africa," he said.

"Lira has quietly supported the anti-poverty work of the Trust as part of her personal social responsibility for a several years," said Mokgosi. "Now she has publicly added her award-winning singing voice to the range of support that she has been giving to the efforts of the many people who are working hard to build a better future across Africa," he said.

The current phase of the change4ever campaign targets the South African public. It runs seasonal campaigns each year and hosts ad hoc change4ever events during the year. For example, it urges the South African public to text the word “change” and an answer to the question: If you could change one thing forever, what would it be? – to the number 40061. Each SMS donates R20 to change4ever.

All funds raised through the change4ever campaign go to groups working to overcome poverty in southern Africa. The Trust has worked with more than 180 organisations to implement more than 200 projects across 18 countries in Africa that are committed to addressing the root causes of poverty.

For more information about the change4ever campaign or to get involved, visit www.change4ever.org.