Projects

Thanks to our donors, TWT has been able to help some amazing projects in the Waterberg:

The Waterberg Trust Logo with white writing

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Lapalala Wilderness School – Education in Conservation project

2017 – TWT enabled 125 pupils from Vaalwater aged 12-17 to attend a 3-day residential course at Lapalala Wilderness School

2018, TWT enabled 60 teenagers and their teachers from Leseding Secondary School to go on a 5-day immersive residential course at Lapalala Wilderness School.

2019, TWT sponsored 60 pupils and two teachers from Meetsetshehla Secondary School to attend a 5-day course.

2021, TBC 

LWS 2019 tyre

Northern Education Trust’s roving School Nurse – Health and Welfare project

TWT provides the salary for an experienced school nursing sister 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/alcohol abuse.

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School nurse Grace Ismail

Sr Grace has an office at Meetsetshehla Secondary School, which has 700 learners. Here she offers careers advice, takes life orientation classes and sees pupils on matters of health and welfare.

Environmental Impact Management Services have sponsored two school vegetable gardens that Grace has set up and oversees. The produce supplements her nutrition programme.

TWT's donation of Dignity Dreams stanitary pads 2019
Meetsetshehla’s Life Orientation teacher Ivy Rachele with Nurse Grace, TWT Trustee Sophie Neville and pupils receiving packs of Dignity Dreams sanitary pads in 2019

Grace has been able to distribute donations of sports kit and bras from the UK along with washable sanitary pads from Dignity Dreams so that girls do not miss lessons when they have their periods. We are seeking funding for another 300 packs to equip all the school girls in Vaalwater. If you would like to donate to this project, please click here.

Life Orientation - Working in the garden

Waterberg Welfare Society – Education, Health and Welfare projects

 

The Waterberg Trust continues to finance learner support programmes at the Waterberg Welfare Society to give local children a place to study with a qualified Maths mentor.

WWS club

The Language and Homework Club ensures pupils graduating from primary schools, where lessons are given in SeSotho, can improve on their language and computer skills to make the most of their secondary education, which is taught in English. All pupils have improved by a grade.

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Soul Buddie’s Turorial and Homework Club at WWS

In 2018, The Waterberg Trust paid the salary of a nurse working at the WWS Hospice and on the HIV/Aids Stepping Forward project.

Lethabo Kids Club’s ‘Back to School’ project – Welfare

Letabo Kids Club going back to school
School shirts purchased for members of Lethabo Kids Club in 2016

TWT grants have supported the ‘Back to School’ project at Lethabo Kids Club, that has been run in the township of Leseding by Marilyn Cook for the last eighteen years. This ensures each child has a smart uniform, shoes, a book bag and place in school.

TWT supporters visited the project in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Kids Club is attended by 200-660 children each week and is an important point of contact with those in need.

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Members of Lethabo Kids Club showing off their new school uniform to TWT riders in 2017

Marilyn says, ‘Most requests are for school shoes.’ These cost about £10 a pair. She ensures they are properly fitted. The shoes get passed on as soon as they are out-grown.

TWt Ride 2018 school shoes purchased with a TWT grant

The youth who have grown up at Lethabo Kids Club now help as volunteers and have formed the Kholofelo Association who are seeking help to take them through tertiary education or start businesses.

TWT Ride 2018 Nurse Grace speaking at Lethabo Kids Club
Nurse Grace speaking at Lethabo Kids Club in 2018

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, a local teacher, sadly died. Donum was studying for a degree in Actuarial and Financial Mathematics at Pretoria University.

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Donum Mandizvidza at 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 – Education

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Pupils at Boschdraai Primary School receiving new books in 2015

Donations of books and stationary were brought out by TWT riders in 2015 for Boshchdraai Primary School, which 140 children now attend.

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Boschdraai Primary School receiving pens and pencils in 2018

TWT supporters kindly bought the school gifts of pens and pencils in 2018 and 2019

Alex's donation

The Waterberg Living Museum – Education in conservation

TWT Rdie 2018 DAY 3 - Riders atg the Living Museum with benches donated by TWT
TWT riders at the Waterberg Living Museum with benches donated by TWT

Outdoor furniture and information boards have been purchased for the Waterberg Living Museum established by Clive Walker and his son Anton Walker for local school children and visitors to the area.

Picnic tables donated by TWT to the Waterberg Living Museum
Picnic tables donated by TWT waiting to be placed at the Waterberg Living Museum

Save The Waterberg Rhino – Conservation project

Save The Waterberg Rhino anti-poaching equipment
Officer van Heerdon receiving equipment from Tessa Baber of Save The Waterberg Rhino

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.

New baby rhino born at Ant's Nest, South Africa

TWT is now helping Save The Waterberg Rhino purchase high-tech security initiative equipment with a network of 34 night-vision cameras to help guard wilderness areas from the threat of poaching. These need to be erected on concrete poles:

Lorry planting poles for STWR cameras

This operation has been carefully thought through and implemented, maximising security in the whole area so that everyone benefits. It has been vital to get the right hardware, software and verification processes in place.

Sophie with security camera

~TWT trustee visiting one of the security posts where WSI guards are based~

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TWT Riders with a security point for Save The Waterberg Rhino in 2017

 

TWT Ride 2018 DAY 3 - Clive Walker with a security guard currently using the container donated by TWT as an opperations base
One of the Waterberg Security guards with conservationist Clive Walker in 2018 outside another security base provided by The Waterberg Trust

The security container purchased by The Waterberg Trust is being used as a staging post for WSI security patrols in the district, which operate on a 24 hour basis.

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One of the WSI Anti-Poaching units that use the TWT security container as a base – photo taken by TWT Chairman, December 2018

The Waterberg is home to the third highest population of rhino in the world and is under huge pressure from international poaching syndicates. We are doing all we can to help protect the species from extinction. If you would like to donate to this project, please click here.

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-TWT Riders observing white rhino-

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TWT receives reports on how the projects are going, which are published on our News page. It is always great to receive thank you letters from projects administrating the funds.