Our Investment in Communities


Empowerment of Black Women in Rural Communities

Encouraging innovative initiatives that benefit rural black women and restore the dignity of communities.

Projects

Impumelelo Centre for Social Innovation (National)


The Impumelelo Centre for Social Innovation is a leading awards programme in South Africa, rewarding innovators who find creative solutions to public problems. Impumelelo also regularly submits the work of its award winners to the UN Public Service Awards and the Dubai International Awards for Best Practice, and since 1999, 21 projects have won international prestigious awards.

Inspire Children and Youth (Malmesbury, Western Cape)


Inspire Children and Youth (ICY) works on Middelpos in Riebeeksrivier, Malmesbury. Middelpos is a 60-hectare land-reform farm bought by the Ministry of Rural Development and Land Reform and given over to 13 families for farming in terms of a 30-year lease. The families need to prove in the first five years that they can develop the farm into a sustainable business.

Thanda (Mtwalume, KwaZulu-Natal)


Thanda is a community-based organisation that provides innovative solutions for sustainable development. Thanda’s aim is to create safer, stronger communities by providing educational, skills-building, and micro-entrepreneurial opportunities to individuals.

Ubunye Foundation (Ngqushwa, Makana and Peddie, Eastern Cape)


Established as a rural development trust in 2002, Ubunye aims to address chronic economic poverty and economic marginalization. Ubunye’s approach acknowledges existing local strengths, emphasises local ownership, and avoids a level of involvement that may lead to dependency.




Our Investment in Communities


Education and Work-readiness

Improving basic schooling.

Assisting young people to complete their tertiary studies successfully so that they are better placed to get jobs.

Projects

School Turnaround Foundation (Worcester, Western Cape)


The School Turnaround Foundation (STF) has developed a turn-around methodology that successfully addresses serious problems in public schooling, amongst others, the high dropout rate, mediocre learner outcomes and dysfunctional schools. STF has piloted this methodology successfully in a number of provinces.

Rural Education Access Programme (National)


The Rural Education Access Programme (REAP) REAP aims mainly to assist learners from poor rural areas to study and succeed at university. The Distell Development Trust’s funding over three years is being used mainly for monthly mentoring, advice and counselling provided by dedicated Student Development Advisors and for related support services deemed necessary by REAP.

SA College for Tourism (Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape)


The SA College for Tourism annually trains, and then tries to place in jobs, around 90 women between the ages of 18 and 35 years. They are generally young unskilled, unemployed, black women from poor communities in and around the peace parks of southern Africa. Upon their graduation these women are placed in paid internships or learnerships or employment in small accommodation establishments.

Usiko (mainly Stellenbosch and surrounding areas in the Western Cape)


Usiko’s work focuses on youth aged 12 up to 18 years. The focus includes “children of impoverished farm workers and adolescents from townships and remote rural settlements as well as young offenders referred by the court system”.

Rapport Onderwysfonds/Rapport Education Fund (National)


The Rapport Education Fund provides financial assistance students pursuing teriary studies in Education. The assistance starts out as loan bursaries that are made to Education students at a very favourable rate of interest. In the case of students who perform very well, the loan is converted to a bursary.




Our Investment in Communities


Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship in Townships

Working with organisations that help youth to develop suitable skills that enable them to find suitable jobs.

Helping potential or prospective entrepreneurs to start businesses and run them successfully.

Projects

Ray Mhlaba Skills Centre (Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape)


The Ray Mhlaba Skills Training Centre is a vocational skills development organisation focusing on the skills and social upliftment of underprivileged youth. It provides vocational skills and social development programmes in Woodwork and Upholstery, Hospitality, Bakery, Sewing and Crafts, Hairdressing, Early Childhood Development and HIV and Palliative Care.

Amy Foundation (Cape Flats, Western Cape)


The Amy Foundation is a Non-Profit Organisation that specialises in programmes to develop and empower children and youth (aged 5-35 years) in challenged and vulnerable communities within the Western Cape. Learners are mainly from the townships of Gugulethu, Khayelitsha, Nyanga, Langa, Crossroads, Philippi and Bonteheuwel on the Cape Flats.




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