Thanks to our regular donors and the support of those who sponsored riders on the last three Waterberg Trust Challenge Rides, TWT has been able to help a number of projects and individuals in the Waterberg:
Lapalala Wilderness School – Education in Conservation project
In 2017, The Waterberg Trust enabled 125 teenagers from Vaalwater aged 12-17 to attend a three-day residential course at Lapalala Wilderness School where they learnt about nature conservation.
TWT has just enabled 60 teenagers and their teachers from Leseding Secondary School to go on a five-day residential course at Lapalala Wilderness School in 2018.
Northern Education Trust – School Nurse
TWT is providing a school nurse to work in and around Leseding Township to address social, health and educational issues faced by learners including teenage pregnancy and teenage motherhood as well as drug/alchol abuse.
~Nursing Sister Grace Ismail who has years of experience working in Vaalwater~
Nurse Grace has an office at Meetsetshehla Secondary School, which has 706 learners. Here she offers careers advice and has set up a recycling project to finance the purchase of santiary products so that girls do not miss school.
Waterberg Welfare Society – Education and Welfare projects
The Waterberg Trust continues to finance learner support programmes run at the Waterberg Welfare Society to give local children in need a place to study with qualified mentors. All those assisted so far have improved by a grade.
The study club ensures pupils graduating from primary schools, where lessons are given in SeSotho, can improve on their language studies and computer skills so they can make the most of their secondary education, which is taught in English.
Lethabo Kids Club – Education and Welfare projects
TWT grants have supported the ‘Back to School’ project at Letabo Kids Club, that has been run in the township of Leseding by Marilyn Cook for the last sixteen years.
The ‘Back to School Project’ ensures each child has a smart uniform, shoes, a book bag and place in school.
TWT supporters visited the project in March 2016 and January 2017, bringing sports kit with them. Kids Club is attended by 200-600 children each week and is an important point of contact with those in need.
Marilyn says, ‘Most requests are for school shoes.’ She takes the children shopping to have them properly fitted.
The youth who have grown up at Lethabo Kids Club now help as volunteers and have formed the Kholofelo Association. TWT is providing one of the members, Emmanuel Nku, 23, with a grant to cover his accommodation costs while he studies nursing at Suid Afrikaanse Vroefederasie training centre in Pretoria. His parents pay his fees and transport costs. Other students are seeking help to take them through tertiary education or start businesses.
The Northern Education Trust – Education Support projects
A grant was awarded to help with the university fees for an outstanding student called Donum Mandizvidza whose mother sadly died. She had been a teacher at the local secondary school. Donum has been studying for a degree in Actuarial and Financial Mathematics at Pretoria University.
“I am driven and upon finishing my undergraduate I want to pursue my Postgraduate degree in Financial Mathematics while writing my board certification exams from ASSA (Actuarial Society of South Africa) and CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) institute.”
Boschdraai Primary School
Donations of books and stationary were brought out by TWT riders in 2015 for Boshchdraai Primary School and Creche. TWT supporters visited the school in 2017 and hope to find gap-year students to help teach English at this state primary school, which is short-staffed with only two teachers for up to 90 puipls.
Save The Waterberg Rhino – Conservation project
Thanks to those who sponsored Sam Whitbread and his friends on their Rickshaw Run through India, TWT was able to send £1,000 to Save The Waterberg Rhino for the purchase of equipment for the anti-poaching unit and local Police Force.
TWT is now helping Save The Waterberg Rhino to install a high-tech security initative to help guard wilderness areas from the threat of poaching.
The Waterberg is home to the third highest population of rhino in the world and is under huge pressure from international poaching syndicates.
-TWT Riders observing white rhino in January 2017-
