The Love Trust

Our relationship with the Love Trust in Johannesburg, South Africa, is based on confidence which comes with experience, as we have known its fundraising representative, Charmaine Gola, since we started awarding scholarships at the well-known Roedean School in 2021 as part of our Round Square scholarship programme. In 2022 Charmaine left Roedean to go back to her roots. Since then she has been in charge of fundraising to finance the Love Trust’s Nokuphila School, enabling children from precarious backgrounds in the neighbouring township to attend school. The holistic concept of the school includes the transport for children to and from school, regular meals, sport, music and culture. Support for the children does not end in the classroom. Social workers take intensive care of the children’s emotional and mental health, and support parents with home visits and workshops. As a former scholarship recipient herself, Charmaine knows very well the situation of the scholarship students:

“Education alone doesn’t make a whole person. Sometimes beneficiaries of scholarships carry their entire families’ hopes and dreams on their shoulders, and it is at times this pressure that doesn’t afford students the time to fully immerse themselves in their learning experience, or impacts them mentally – therefore psychosocial support is always key …”

Our visit in February 2024 showed us how the Nokuphila School makes a difference for its pupils. This was all the more emphasised when we drove through the Thembisa Township, where the children are from.

The Aumund Foundation is supporting the school with scholarships for 20 year 8 children in 2024 and providing funding for a social worker.