Masakhane Gym in Red Location continues to be a beacon of hope by inspiring young men to lead a productive and healthy life. Membership has grown from 20 to over 120, and a strong core of body building competitors has emerged. The Oliver Foundation continues to find sponsorship for these mostly unemployed lads to compete. We were delighted to recently sponsor three young men from Masakhane Gym to attend the IFBB SA Novice Championships in Pretoria. Unathi (seated) was placed 2nd and Zukile (standing) was placed 5th in his category.

» Get more information on Masakhane Gym here

Fourteen young men and their coaches from Umzingisi SSE arrived in the UK to play Under 13's rugby. They were hosted by Saffron Walden RFC and the High School. As Nick Mould from Umzingisi said,

"These boys that are coming to you on a cultural and sporting exchange will become more equipped than many of their peers to change their situation. I cannot even describe it as a dream come true, because for most of them it would have been far too unrealistic to even dream of visiting a foreign country let alone one as far away as Europe".

The boys were hosted by families in Saffron Walden, attended the High school, visited Twickenham to watch the Guinness Cup final, saw Buckingham palace and went boating in Cambridge. A big thanks you to everyone involved in making this happen.

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» Read more information on Umzingisi SSE here

Gail Hawes, The Oliver Foundation’s Project Director in Port Elizabeth has won the Regional Achiever Award – Social Entrepreneur Award from the Business Womens’ Association. After being selected as a finalist by a panel of respected business people of Port Elizabeth, the award was announced at a formal dinner recently.

» Read an article announcing the win here

Photo: Gail Hawes being congratulated by The Oliver Foundation board Member Nomkhita Mona

Welcome to Chris Lovemore who has joined our board of trustees in South Africa and will contribute with business and mentoring expertise.

Port Elizabeth has recently experienced an extremely cold spell of weather with torrential rain, hail and strong winds. Over 210 houses were moved in Red Location, and many are suffering from leaking roofs. The Oliver Foundation delivered heavy plastic to over 100 homes which suffered as a result of the weather.

In support of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation we hosted a private viewing of wildlife art at the Mall Galleries, London. Supporters of the Oliver Foundation were able to hear first hand about David's passion for art and his commitment to conservationist of endangered species.

Some stunning paintings from Three Generations of The Shepherd family are still available and can be viewed here

» Read more information at http://www.davidshepherd.org

Photo: Pamela Conder's 'Chimpanzees Reflections on Ageing', with Sir Michael Parkinson, David Shepherd CBE and David Gower OBE