The Waterberg Trust is a U.K. charity that helps to uplift people in a corner of rural South Africa, supporting established educational, health, welfare and environmental projects on the Waterberg plateau.

Previously known as the Waterberg Welfare Society Trust, we have been supporting the Waterberg Welfare Society for many years, helping those infected with HIV/AIDS and promoting activities aimed at preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The Waterberg Trust has branched out to provide a means of supporting a number of projects in the Waterberg and can channel tax-efficient Gift Aid donations from the UK throughJustgiving.com

The Waterberg Trust is governed by a board of trustees in the UK and the Netherlands, some of whom are founder members of WWS and who have lived in the Waterberg, South Africa.

TWT Trustee Profiles ~

The Waterberg Trust in the UK is governed by a board of six trustees.

• Mr Barry Burles – Chairman – has experience in project development and formulation of pharmaceutical products that enhance immune levels. He is involved in developing biotechnology across the breadth of food, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics, water and the environment.

• Mrs Jane Whitbread – Founder of the Waterberg Welfare Society in 2000 and Chairman from 2000-2004, whilst resident in the Waterberg with her husband and four children. Jane returned to the UK in 2004 and set up TWT in 2006 in order to access funding streams not directly available to South Africa.
• Mrs Wilhelmina Loudon-Barnaart – Once landowner in the Waterberg, now resident in Holland, she has been a trustee of TWT since its inception and was a board member of WWS. She has twenty-five years of experience in hospital nursing and has a particular interest in the welfare of vulnerable children.
• Mrs Elaine Franklin – has 20 years experience working for major UK and US manufacturers and for Tesco Retailing. Elaine has gained knowledge of a range of business functions, although her main passion is for marketing.
• William Orme – has helped Barry plan, organise, raise money for, and participate in two TWT Cambridge to Norfolk cycle rides. As a keen but amateur trails cyclist with a long career in tech, William joined the board in 2021 to help out with the TWT website and to organise more fantastic bike rides in the UK and the Waterberg. With a long time love of Africa, he has a thinly disguised motive for wanting to visit the Waterberg.
  

~The Waterberg Trust Trustees~

They are supported by :

• Mrs Sophie Williams-Thomas – an anthropology graduate who began working in the Waterberg in 1992. A founder committee member of WWS, Sophie moved to England in 2004, started to raise funds for TWT projects and recognised the need to set up a UK charity, open a Justgiving site and maintain a website.
• Mrs Michelle Ponting spent time in the Waterberg in 2004 working on conservation projects with Clive Walker, which inspired her to study an Environmental Science BSc and go on to become an Environment Manager at Sony for over 12 years. She now enjoys working as a Teaching Assistant in a school, as her family are still young.