Education Funding

The Trust’s Education programme - especially its work based in the OVC centres in Hamburg, Mgababa and Lovers Twist villages - has grown enormously in the past two years in response to the escalating vulnerability of children in the Eastern Cape, particularly in the Amathole District. The centres provide a caring, nourishing, educational and creatively stimulating environment for the one to 12 year olds who attend after school programmes, pre-school and nursery facilities in these remote rural areas where there are no alternative support services.

Meeting the budgetary requirements of the centres is a challenge which the Education programme has managed for the past several years, despite the need for similar facilities in so many other villages. However, in the past month the Education programme of the Trust has come under severe strain in terms of funding. The programme’s major donor has narrowed the focus of their funding priorities and other funds which we had been given positive indications on have not materialised – again due to a sudden shift in donor priorities.

What this means is that the functioning of the three after-care centres, which serve over 400 children, are threatened with closure at the beginning of March 2012. These children depend on the centres not only for a nutritious meal, and help with school work, but the attention and care that they receive there from the dedicated teams that run the centres has also become an integral part of their young lives and experiences.

We are very hopeful that we will be able to secure long-term funding in the next few months, but in the meantime please will you consider if there is a way that either you personally or the organisations and boards you are a part of, would be able to assist in bridging the current gap. Programme staff have agreed to take a 50% cut in salaries to tide the centres through until new funding contracts are finalised (April/May 2012), and the operations at the centres will be drastically reduced. The critical factor for the next few months is continuing to provide support to the many children who depend on the centres for a daily meal. In order to keep the centres functioning at a minimum level until the end of April an amount of R70,000 per month is required. Any contribution towards reaching this target would be a great help in avoid having to temporarily close down the centres.

We are able and willing to provide detailed budgets and programme reports and plans, as well as reporting on all funds designated to this programme. Please contact Colette Tilley at colette@keiskamma.org for more information.

To donate directly to the Trust online click on www.keiskammatrust.givengain.org

Please designate your donation for the Education Programme (in the message line) and consider setting up a monthly donation!

Help Out

The Keiskamma Trust has been provisionally accepted as a Woolworths/MyVillage partner.

For those of you in South Africa, this means each time you shop at Woolworths (and other shops), you will have a chance to swipe your MyVillage card to support the programmes of the Keiskamma Trust. More info on how this works below.

Before we can issue MyVillage cards to our supporters we need to manually sign up 1000 supporters. This is where we need YOUR help.

Please download the application form from this link (pdf file).

Make the beneficiary Keiskamma Trust,
address : PO BOX 483, Peddie, Eastern Cape, 5640

At this preliminary stage we are not registered on the MyVillage site so our supporters cannot apply on-line. Until we have 1000 supporters we have to use snail mail! Please do not fax your form to the number listed on the form. We have to gather all 1000  hard copies and deliver them to the MyVillage at one time, with the signed contract. Please mail your form marked : KEISKAMMA / My Village c/o PO BOX 91095 Auckland Park, Johannesburg, 2006

If you have friends and family who would like to support us in this way please let them know!

We will let you know as soon as we have reached our target of 1000 !

Thank you for your support from all of us at the Keiskamma Trust

(questions? let me know at annette@keiskamma.org)

Keiskamma Trust Wins Chairman's Premier Award

We are pleased  to announce that the Keiskamma Trust is the proud recipient of the Prestigious Chairman’s Premier Award.

The winners of South Africa’s most prestigious business/arts awards were announced at an event held at Turbine Hall last night Monday 29 August - the 14th Annual Business Day BASA Awards. An independent panel of judges made awards in 12 categories while three special honours - the Art Champion Award, the Chairman’s Premier Award and Diplomacy in the Arts – were also given out on the night. The Chairman’s Premier Award went to The Keiskamma Trust, a community organisation in Hamburg in the Eastern Cape, which addresses poverty through creative programmes and partnerships and works to uplift local communities through skills development.

Annual Report

To download the 2009/10 annual report, please click here (1.4 meg pdf file).