We’ve listened and heard you!
The Trust’s annual community consultation was held on 19 October 2022 in Ritchie. Over 100 people from Kimberley, Galeshewe, Barkley West, Ritchie, Windsorton, Greenpoint, Riverton and Platfontein were there. Enke, Women of Wisdom, Chillas Juice and Mazingane Entertainment, all partners of the Trust, set up exhibitions at the meeting to show what they are being supported by the Trust to do.
Mazingane Entertainment also entertained guests with a live band which set a wonderful tone for the discussions that followed.
The dialogue between the Trust and community representatives at the meeting allowed the Trust to hear honest feedback and gave the opportunity for the Trust to explain its current situation and future plans. Recommendations were made about how the Trust can improve its work in the future, with much appreciation expressed for what has already been done so far. As a result, the Trust intends to lift the under-35-year-old limit on applications for skills development and training bursaries.
The meeting ended with the Trust honouring some of its beneficiaries who have been outstanding in their performance. Recognition was given to:
Gerald Connor, a recipient of a bursary from the Trust for achieving the highest academic results in 2022. Gerald is in his first year of study in Civil Engineering at the Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein. From Kimberley, Gerald achieved a 94% aggregate for this semester, making him our top student for 2022. We are very proud of him!
Baheso Brickmaking, for driving a successful women-owned business in a male dominated industry. It was established in 2011 by 5 women who saw the need to create employment in Galeshewe. The business trains unemployed youth in making bricks that are SABS certified and sold to businesses and communities at an affordable price.
“What I like about the Letsatsi Borutho Trust is that the relationship between the Trust and its beneficiaries is very close. You know all of us personally and understand our businesses and our needs. The community consultation brought a lot of clarity from the ease in asking questions, for example about the grantmaking process. I also like that the Trust is encouraging people to apply for bursaries and the transparency about how much the funds are and how it is spent, showing how every recipient benefited.” Bridgette Seile, Project Manager – Baheso Brickmaking
