About Us

• To acknowledge the important role school principles and educators play in the community.
• To partner with principals and educators to mobilise other community members as active change agents in their communities.
• To unite schools into a ‘Cluster of Schools’ to become centres of learning for the whole community.
• To mobilise schools and communities to manage their own developmental processes.
  
• To create a platform for dialogue between community members.
• To build networks with other organisations and institutions, working together toward an inclusive approach to building communities.
• To maintain our relationships with donors and supporters with integrity and mutual understanding.
• To nurture and develop the staff, enabling them to fulfil their individual potential.
  

• We engage with schools and communities as equal partners, recognising the opportunity for mutual learning.
• We promote sustainable development by:
  o Working with schools and communities who illustrate ownership and responsibility of their initiatives and projects (believing lasting change comes from within communities, for communities).
  o Focussing on individual and community assets and not their liabilities.
• We promote open, honest and transparent communication, understanding that communication is a two-way process.
• We strive for equity and the development of democratic practice without prejudice, discrimination or favour.
• We embrace Ubuntu, respecting the humanity of people and the value of community.
• We take a multidisciplinary and holistic approach when assisting schools and communities.
• We show appreciation of local production, history, culture and identity.
• We recognise our interconnectedness within a broader context of community development.
• We maintain a strong reflective and learning culture within our organisation and work together as a team.
• We encourage creativity and innovation in our thinking and practice, opening opportunities for new knowledge, further growth and development.
  

Our vision:
We envisage the urban townships in and around Port Elizabeth as an attractive, vibrant place, respected by its residents and visitors. Schools are fully equipped with resources and act as centres of learning for the whole community. Community members are involved, mobilised and empowered to develop their own areas. Children don’t travel far for their education because parents have their faith restored in local schools.

Our approach:

• Projects are identified by schools and communities based on appreciative enquiry, thus identifying what is already available in the schools and communities to make the project come to life and based on schools’/communities’ visions.
• Calabash Trust facilitates and mentors the uniting of community members (via schools) through informal workshops, creating opportunities for dialogue, listening and sharing.
• A core group from the communities is formed to drive the process forward.
• A strategic/operational plan is formed by the communities, including their vision; an inventory/map of their skills, capacities and local resources; goals; plans for implementation and monitoring.
• We network with and mediate between communities, funders, organisations and institutions based on the above strategic/operational plan.
• External resources are not tapped into until local resources have been utilised, to minimise the creation of dependence on external forces.
• We assist with managing and monitoring projects, with an exit strategy in place.
• We administer funds in an open, transparent manner.
• The relationship between Calabash Trust and the Cluster Schools and other individual projects are governed by a broad ranging MOU.
• We research, collect, document and record successful projects in schools and communities to share with others.

Our approach has a theoretical basis stemming from Asset based Community Development (ABCD), developed by the Coady International Institute in Canada. We also incorporate ideas and tools from the ‘Ready for Success’ programme developed by the GM Foundation in South Africa, and ‘Scenario Exercises’ developed by Reos Partners in South Africa. All these have their own unique purpose of changing poverty mindsets, creating visions and strategic plans, ensuring these visions become a reality. This unique manner of visioning and planning has outcomes ranging from income generating activities, sport development, environmental programmes, educational programmes etc.

We are a team of 5 internal staff members:

Bukelwa Gongxeka - Financial Officer
Carla Collins - Monitoring & Evaluations Coordinator and Fieldworker
Lindiwe Mahambehlala - Receptionist and Administrator
Noluthando Khunjuzwa - General Manager
Ntombentsha Madinda - Projects Manager and Fieldworker

The Board consists of 7 people:

Marion Gate - Chairperson and Co-founder
Thembalethu Hopa - Vice-Chairperson
Lynne Lawson - Treasurer and Trainer
Paul Miedema - Co-founder and owner of Calabash Tours
Zilindile Tambo - Educational Advisor
Therese Boulle - General Advisor and Development Expert
Mzukisi January - Educational Advisor

Through the facilitation of Vision Quest Africa (VQA) we have been following:
• A 3-year Strategic Plan since 2010
• An Operational Plan which we review annually.

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E):

• Ongoing monitoring in conjunction with the communities consists of the following:
  Measurable indicators per project help us to systematically gather qualitative and quantifiable data on an ongoing basis.
  M&E forms, questionnaires, attendance registers, field reports, minutes from meetings, general observations, general feedback from communities and project/operational budgets are collected, summarised and analysed quarterly.
  M&E reports are released mid-and end of each year with statistics. 
• We evaluate our work informally once a year or when necessary, and formally every 3 years.
• Our last external evaluation by Vision Quest Africa (VQA) confirmed the importance of our work and partnerships, as recommended by Dirk Marais:

"The following are some of the many strengths of this remarkable group of people called CALABASH TRUST!

• Very committed and competent Board of Trustees, staff and volunteers.
• Strong willingness and commitment to learn from their experience and in so doing to constantly improve their practice.
• The work is deeply rooted in the community and strong participation and shared ownership from the people who participate in the work is a hallmark of the way the Calabash team conducts their work.
• There is a real honest attempt to improve their own ability to assess the impact of their work – and they are very actively busy creating support mechanisms to make this possible.
• There is a consciousness of the need to give proper attention to both the service capacity and the service of the organisation.
• The leadership is strong but participatory and it is shared on many levels.”

"In my nearly 30 years of working with civil society organisations, Calabash Trust has indeed been one of the most impressive and exciting ones! Please support this important organisation – South Africa needs organisations like this – the world needs organisations like this!”

Our achievements:

• 1999 – Calabash Trust was established by Marion Gate and Paul Miedema.
• 2000 – Calabash Trust received the first container from Holland with school furniture.
• 2001 – Calabash Trust was registered as a Public Benefit Trust, with a Board of Trustees.
• 2001/2002 – Calabash Trust started actively funding community projects, and building capacity in these projects. Training was delivered in volunteering, financial management, administration etc.
• 2003 – Calabash Trust employed its 1st two staff members. Noluthando Khunjuzwa is now our General Manager.
• 2003 – Mark Acher, a young enthusiastic teacher from England, cycled across the UK to raise funds for Calabash Trust. He was inspired to do this after taking a township tour with Calabash Tours. He raised in excess of R100, 000 – our biggest donation at that time.
• 2004 – Wellington School in Ayr Scotland chose Calabash Trust as the first ever foreign charity for the year. Wellington raised over 17, 000 pounds (Over R200, 000).
• 2004 – Calabash Trust launched Lavela Early Childhood Development Centre in Ramaphosa Village. We partnered with NOH Architects, who assisted in designing a multi purpose centre using old shipping containers. The project has since been moved to Joe Slovo as part of the Ramaphosa relocation.
• 2004 – Calabash Trust and Calabash Tours won the 2004 London Times Responsible Tourism Awards a the World Travel Market in London. We received great coverage in the London Times. We won the category Poverty Relief, and were declared overall winners – beating 700 other organisations from around the world.
• 2004 – Calabash Trust was registered as a Non-Profit Organisation.
• 2005 – Calabash Trust UK (CTUK) was registered.
• 2006 – Marion Gate, co-founder of Calabash Trust received the Rotary Vocational Service Award for Community Work.
• 2006 – Reeds College, along with Calabash Trust UK, started the Grass Roots programme. Schools from the UK visit our poor township areas once a year to help build and improve sports fields, libraries and food gardens.
• 2006 – Paul Miedema, co-founder of the Trust received a Rotary Vocational Service Award for Community Development and Commitment and Contribution to Responsible Tourism.
• 2006 – Calabash Trust formed the School Cluster of Excellence – partnering with 6 primary schools from the townships, and making them the focus of our educational programmes. Today the School Cluster consists of 10 Primary Schools.
• 2007 – Calabash Trust now employs 5 people, all from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, and from the communities we serve.
• 2008 – The Dutch Ambassador attended the `100th container’ celebration of school furniture arriving from Holland.
• 2009 – Marion Gate was awarded the Sir Rufane Donkin award for service to the community.
• 2010 – Noluthando Khunjuzwa, Calabash Trust Manager chosen to attend the ‘Leadership Skills for Women in the 21st Century Short Learning Programme' at the NMMU Business School.
• 2010 – Board member Zilindile Tambo and General manager Noluthando Khunjuzwa were appointed to the Mayoral Committee for Education
• 2011 - Our friend, Tim Ellis from Face Africa and his team climbed to the top of Kilimanjaro for Calabash Trust. They raised over R50 000.