The Arabella Homeowners’ Community Trust
Contributing to local communities
The Arabella Homeowners’ Community Trust was established in 2021 by the homeowners of Arabella Country Estate. The aim of the Trust is to enable support to residents of socially disadvantaged communities in Botriver and Kleinmond. Upliftment and empowerment forms a key principle of the Trust. The Trust does not receive any government funding. Funding is dependent on the generosity of homeowners on the estate.
Trustees are all homeowners on Arabella Estate who have volunteered their time and skills and, in many projects, also the funding of projects.
Since its establishment, the Trust has held meetings each month, with regular updates provided to the HOA Board. Governance arrangements are in place. Newsletters have been circulated to Arabella homeowners on a quarterly basis.
A number of criteria were agreed for Trust activities. Key criteria include striking a balance between meeting basic needs for food and shelter and supporting interventions aimed at empowering community residents and enhancing educational and related services. Accountability is another key element while availability of funding determines the extent to which we can plan and maintain support for agreed actions. Using these agreed criteria, and following consultations with key stakeholders in Botrivier and Kleinmond around priority needs facing these communities, it became evident that addressing food insecurity was a key area in which the Trust could make a meaningful impact. Other identified priorities included establishment of a vegetable garden that would serve as a skills/ training opportunity, addressing preschool learning needs and assisting residents in navigating barriers preventing them from accessing employment or access to government grants.
Homeowners’ Trust
Projects We Support
Although the Trust is very focused on helping local communities through education and employment opportunities, it is clear as we consult with community representatives that the need for food is most pressing, particularly where indigent, older persons are concerned. Since we commenced our food jar project, we have distributed approximately 1000 food jars to the Botrivier Advice Centre and the Botrivier Outreach project. Monthly food hampers, substantial in size and nutritious in content for struggling foster families, are also delivered to Child Welfare Kleinmond.
Many school going children living in poor circumstances avoid attending school if they do not have the required school uniform. A new school uniform may seem a trivial issue to many of us, but having a new, clean uniform makes a real difference to these children. Through ongoing donations from homeowners, we were able to provide a number of uniforms, and we aim to continue this project.
The Trust supports upskilling of teachers working in the field of early childhood education, as well as at providing funding towards a range of educational opportunities and resources for preschool children.
The Trust provides support to individual learners, and this has proven to be an effective means of improving educational outcomes, enhancing employment opportunities and uplifting communities. Funding the education of promising, identified students is an area we are presently exploring, and it is anticipated that this is a programme that can be grown, pending support from homeowners. Currently two homeowners donate funding towards a student’s education at Overberg High School in Caledon.
The Trust provides support to individual learners, and this has proven to be an effective means of improving educational outcomes, enhancing employment opportunities and uplifting communities. Funding the education of promising, identified students is an area we are presently exploring, and it is anticipated that this is a programme that can be grown, pending support from homeowners. Currently two homeowners donate funding towards a student’s education at Overberg High School in Caledon.
Period poverty refers to the lack of access to sanitary products and hygiene facilities to manage menstruation. Researchers at Stellenbosch University reported that an estimated 30% of girls in South Africa do not attend school while menstruating because they cannot afford sanitary products. This means that girls fall behind at school and may often drop out of school entirely. The Trust is working across the Botrivier and Kleinmond communities for this project. We have received some funding towards this project but always need additional monies to enable us to ensure a regular, reliable supply across both school going communities, for at least a year.
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