Waitrose Foundation

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Waitrose Foundation»

Established in 2005

The Waitrose Foundation in South Africa

The aim is to focus on improving the lives of farm workers and their families in the communities that supply fruit to the Waitrose Supermarket in the UK. This is in line with the South African Government’s aspirations for Black Economic Empowerment.

Now in its fourth year, the Waitrose Foundation has funded and overseen 143 projects to date. It has benefitted as many as 22 000 farm workers, their spouses and children in the respective farming communities.

The Foundation is a Partnership between Waitrose and its supply partners, where we all return a percentage of our profits from the sale of fruit and wine to the farm workers who grow it.

Jerusalema Challenge – Covid Lockdown Teambuilding

200 000 Cartons

In the history of Zwartbooisberg Farm we have hit the 200 000 packaged carton mark!

Worker Committees

It is our belief that the farm workers own the right to make their own decisions about what projects are needed on their farm, and it is therefore crucial that the projects are chosen by the workers themselves.

Since the start of the Foundation the workers committees have chosen a diverse group of projects including; crèches, adult literacy programmes, healthcare, and the set up of small businesses. We do not dictate in any way as to the projects that can be chosen, but they are truly based on the real needs of the community.

Waitrose Foundation Bursary Scheme

The Waitrose Foundation bursary scheme was set up to give farm workers and their families the opportunity to take up tertiary education. The Foundation have several years of supporting the bursary programme and plans are in place to take on two students per academic year.

The first two students have successfully completed their studies: Joline Isaacs and Marco Rooi. A further two students have been awarded bursaries leaving the current total at four: Likhaya Batyi, Mzomhle Tshapile, Conré Jantjies and Siyabonga Mathebula