books, clothing and related needs.
or those at tertiary level the bursary
also includes laptops. Ongoing mentorship
is provided to these learners also when
they enter the world of work.
Philanthropy
In his inauguration speech on the 16th June 1999, President Thabo Mbeki said “And because we are one another’s keepers, we surely must be haunted by the humiliating suffering which continues to afflict millions of our people”. And addressing the opening of parliament on the 25th June 1999 he challenged South African citizens for “practical actions … for a common effort to build a winning nation”. The Mhakazi Trust (MT) is a humble contribution towards those “practical actions”.
The Mhakazi Trust is a legally registered trust, registration number IT 606/09. The Trust uses its own resources and also mobilises strategic partners to achieve its objectives. Therefore, the identification of partners and management of strategic relations is a significant component of the work of the Trust.
KEY PROGRAMMES
In order to achieve the stated objectives, the Trust focuses on three main programmes.
1) Youth Support Programme
The primary objective of the Trust is to facilitate the empowerment of vulnerable young people through education and training. This is defined as young people who:
- are in child headed households
- are orphaned and stay with grandparents
- are in poor women-headed households
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2) Elderly Support Programme
The elderly who are “parenting” orphaned grandchildren are also a target group for the Trust. In supporting grannies, the Trust is securing the environment within which young people as primary beneficiaries, are growing up. This is important in communities where about 20% of the households are headed by grandparents, and depend entirely on social grants.
The main initiatives for this programme will be:
- Mobilisation of food parcels to improve nutrition of the primary beneficiaries. Masscash donates food parcels monthly to the most destitute households.
- Providing snacks for the elderly weekly after the church service.
- Support for the obligatory church fees.
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3) School Support Programme
The Trust mobilised the re-building of the Kromhoek Combined School and playing grounds. It continues to support the SGB and the principal through leadership development and ongoing resource mobilisation. Masscash donated a fully equipped kitchen and supplements the government school feeding scheme monthly for the foundation phase. The Trust is sponsoring the salary of an administrator for the school to ease the administrative role for the principal.
4) Ad Hoc Initiatives
The Trust also responds to a number of ad hoc community requests. On a number of occasions events at the local police station and the church have been sponsored.
GOVERNANCE
In line with the provisions of the trust deed, The Mhakazi Trust has a board of trustees comprised of three black women.RVN Accountants provide audit services for the Trust as part of their SCI contribution.
VOLUNTEERS
The focus and programmes of the Trust are defined in collaboration with the Kromhoek Development Committee, a multi stakeholder community structure that has been in place for more than two decades. In executing its programmes the trust is supported by a number of community volunteers.
