Wheat Newsletter December 2010

WHEAT Talks philanthropy

Women’s Hope Education and Training Trust (WHEAT Trust)

NEWSLETTER The WHEAT Trust thanks you for your support and friendship during 2010

Celebrating 2010 2010 saw South Africa host the Soccer World Cup. WHEAT, through the support of Filia undertook research on the impact of the games on grassroots women.

The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) and the International Network of Women’s Funds (INWF) supported WHEAT to visit the HER Fund and the Hong Kong Women’s Fund. WHEAT attended the INWF learning and sharing meeting in Ulan Bataar, Mongolia.

WHEAT made 51 grants, totaling ZAR 850 000 during the 2010 calendar year. WHEAT received over 300 applications from women’s groups nation wide and the number of applications increased with each cycle.

December 2010

 Women care  Women share  Women give Sue Howell, WHEAT’s Executive Director pictured with the Mayor of Istanbul, Kadir Topbaş

WHEAT partnered with Shoprite Checkers for their Woman of the Year event.

WHEAT was invited by the Turkish Government to attend the Womanist Conference and Exhibition in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Global Fund for Community Foundations invited WHEAT to their learning and exchange meeting in Nairobi, Kenya.

WHEAT attended the 1st Pan African Assembly of the African Grantmakers Network.

Securing support for Women’s initiatives and Women’s Rights In the last quarter, WHEAT secured support from the Accenture Foundation, the African Women’s Development Fund and Future Growth to fund initiatives that women-led grassroots CBOs have started in South Africa’s rural and peri-urban areas.

Accenture’s contribution will focus on income generation activities and programmes

WHEAT Talks Philanthropy

centered around economic rights. Future Growth’s funds will go to projects in the Western Cape that vary from food security to community health, particularly HIV and AIDS prevention and care.

During the 16 Days of Activism WHEAT entered into a partnership with a new donor, the Foundation for Human Rights (FHR). With

this partnership WHEAT enabled 6 women’s groups to organise events that create awareness around vio-

lence against women and children .

The events included a march; an open air event; several workshops and a performance with traditional dance, drama and song.

 Women know  Women lead Do you know?

Your contribution to WHEAT may be offset against your tax

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WHEAT Talks philanthropy

Women and philanthropy Women's philanthropy is the voluntary promotion of human welfare with a focus on empowering the lives of women and girls. Supporting women’s funds that help women and girls, through encouragement to build their lives, results in dynamic transformation and social change. As more women become successful business entrepreneurs, they have shifted their charitable giving to a wider scope of philanthropic giving.

Traditionally, women were charitable givers relieving poverty through religious channels and sending food, nappies and other commodities to

low and no income township women. However, these well meaning acts also contributed to dependency from the recipients as donated goods require constant replenishment. Women today are the main funders of women’s funds and are encouraged to maintain and grow their role as individual givers to improve human rights for women and decrease domestic violence. Become part of a global movement of women by investing in women’s funds.

Women’s funds are run by women for the benefit of women and girls.

Wendy Ackerman, South Africa’s first Women to Move a Million. Join this prestigious global group of women and donate a million to your favourite women’s fund

The Thera Award In August, during WHEAT’s Honour a Woman Campaign, a new award fund was launched dedicated to forward thinking women with critical minds.

This award, named the Thera Award, was started by friends and family of the late Dr Thera Wijsenbeek, an academic working in the field of economic history. Candidates nominated for receiving the Thera Award are selected

from WHEAT applications or recommended by the Centre for Life Long Learning at the University of the Western Cape. The purpose is to support one or several women with their tuition fees, who would not qualify for a loan from The National Student Financial Aid Scheme of South Africa.

Thanks to this award, Thera is still

encouraging women to learn and study further. To date, ZAR30 000 and a laptop have been collected to swell the finances for this award. The first award will be given out at the beginning of the 2011 academic year. Thera, who passed away in June 2010, was the mother of WHEAT staff member, Bregje Wijsenbeek.

Honour a Woman Campaign

The late Mizana Matiwane, a founder member of the WHEAT Trust is honoured Mizana Matiwana was one of the founders of the WHEAT Trust. She was a dedicated community worker and adult educator for many years. She started her professional life as a nurse, then became a trade unionist, an adult educator, community health worker and a feminist advocate in women’s development programmes. She joined UWC in 1985 where she and Shirley Walters, also a WHEAT founder, became friends and colleagues. When Mizana passed away in 2009, Shirley invited friends to help es-

tablish the Mizana Matiwana Fund to support community projects. This fund is administered by the WHEAT Trust.

At the event in November, the first award was made to the Nonkqubela Day Care Centre. Mizana’s friends and colleagues remembered her with warm affection as someone `who had more best friends’ than anyone that they knew! She was someone who showed compassion and had a playful sense of humour.

of humour and was very humble. She lived to make the world a better place for others.

Friends of Mizana celebrate her legacy and honour her life’s work

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WHEAT Talks Philanthropy

Women and Money As this edition of the WHEAT newsletter highlights philanthropy, it is befitting that we speak about women and how they use their finances. It is not enough to simply be a philanthropist, nor to be purely on the receiving end of benevolence.

There is a greater need and an increasing trend by our grantee partners to show their stewardship by investing their proceeds from their projects and continuously making prudent financial choices. This ensures project sustainability, highlights the economic emancipation of women and makes a greater impact on any organisation’s establishment.

A partnership between WHEAT and Old Mutual has resulted in 6 community women-led groups, each with fifty participants totaling about 300 women who received financial workshops in the last two months. As these technical assistance workshops are at an initial phase, we have therefore only worked with groups in the Western Cape and one in the Northern Cape. The course, tailored

by Old Mutual, is being taught to executive business people but is equally useful, if not more, amongst Community Based Organisation’s

and has credibility as it is registered with the banking SETA. The topics covered by the Old Mutual facilitators vary, but are essentially about investment and good financial principles.

These workshops have been well received and have made a real difference in the lives of women. Different mediums are used as part of the learning process, thus making the workshops interactive and memorable.

and make investments (no matter how little they may seem). When we are not in debt, it contributes to better health for us, and reduced stress levels” Ghairunisa Johnstone Adams, November 2010.

These comments from Mustadafin, a Muslim women’s group in Khayelitsha, highlight the learnings gleaned from the workshop.

“because of the programme, the women in our group feel that they can now do better budgeting…they now also know what is required in the budget. The group was very excited and I must say, by teaching, using the symbols of the animals represented on the Rand notes, it now has a new meaning for us.

There are lessons to be learned from the -rhino, leopard, buffalo, elephant, lion. We have also learned not to spend what we do not have,

WHEAT grantees attend the financial workshop in Khayelitsha

Handbag Heaven The Women’s Fund for Scotland (WFS) gathered donated celebrity handbags to auction off at a glittering charity event held at Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh. The aim of the handbag auction was to raise funds for sister funds in the Global South and the Handbag Heaven event strengthened the connection between the Women’s Fund for

Scotland and WHEAT. Two fair trade bags were auctioned for GBP650 and the proceeds donated to WHEAT. Marian and Judy, both seen in the photo are founders of the WFS.

Marian Thomas (right) modeling some of the stunning Handbag Heaven bags

WHEAT Trust 4 Devonshire Court, 20 Devonshire Road, Wynberg, 7800, Western Cape, South Africa.

Tel: +27 (0) 21 762 6214 Fax: +27 (0) 21 797 2876 Web: www.wheattrust.co.za Email: development@wheattrust.co.za Standard Bank of South Africa Limited Mowbray Branch : 024909 Account number: 075 147 033 Name of account: WHEAT Trust Swift code: SB ZA ZA JJ Type of account: Current

WHEAT’s Vision

A Southern Africa where all women live in safety, enjoy their human rights and have equal access to education, training and a sustainable, adequate income.

WHEAT’s Mission

Through supporting grassroots women to seek local solutions to local problems, WHEAT invests in education, training and capacity building to foster women’s leadership and to enable dialogue.

To achieve this, WHEAT promotes a culture of giving and follows the principles of human rights for women and of feminism.

The WHEAT Trust’s 1000 Women United Against Domestic Violence initiative We all know someone who has been a victim of domestic violence.

It is time to speak out, take a stance and work together for a caring society.

  

One out of every four women in South Africa is in an abusive relationship.

Every six days a woman in South Africa is murdered by her partner.

Every 25 seconds a woman is raped in South Africa.

WHEAT Trust will once again host the 1000 Women United Against Domestic Violence initiative, culminating in a luncheon on the 11 t h of May 2011.

stand together against domestic violence. The event also offers great entertainment, inspiring guest speakers, a networking opportunity with prominent members of society and celebrities as well as great goody bag.

How can YOU get involved: Join the 1000 Women Against Domestic Violence Initiative and attend the luncheon on the 11th of May.

More importantly, the profits from this event will strengthen women-led initiatives across the country that work tirelessly to bring hope, protection and knowledge to women living in abusive relationships. Good sponsorship makes good profit. Become a significant sponsor for this prestigious oneof-a-kind event and add your name to the growing number of good citizens and companies that take a stand against domestic violence.

Make an unrestricted gift to the WHEAT Trust to provide funding to strengthen grassroots women-led organisations.

Be part of the 1000 Women United The WHEAT Trust is a woman’s Fund that works with human rights for women. It is at the forefront of addressing social injustice and making a difference for women suffering abuse.

For the past 12 years the WHEAT Trust, also known as the WHEAT Women’s Fund, has invested in grassroots women and the organisations they establish to address domestic violence and other human rights issues for women.

Since 2004, WHEAT Trust’s initiative of

1000 Women United Against Domestic Violence in Cape Town, is well known for its synergy where 1000 women

Against Domestic Violence Initiative 2011, and join us with 1000 women

for a luncheon at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on the 11th of May. To learn more about the 1000 Women

United Against Domestic Violence Initiative call Bregje at +27 21 7626214.

Become a sponsor of the event R150,000 (Platinum) R50,000 (corporate) or encourage your company to sponsor a table for R10,000.

Mobilise Corporate Social Investment (CSI) money from your company employees - join the WHEAT giving circle and donate R1000 each; together we can make a difference.

Mobilise your friends and join 1000

Women United Against Domestic Violence Initiative.

We each have the ability to make a lasting change, foster and develop a culture of women who care about each other and who know that their own well-being in inextricably linked to the well-being of others.

SAVE THE DATE 11th May, 2011