The Waitrose Foundation
The Waitrose Foundation in South Africa was established in 2005, with the aim of 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 sixth year, the Waitrose Foundation has funded and overseen 265 projects to date. It has benefitted as many as 50 500 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.
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 is in its fourth year supporting the bursary programme and plans are in place to take on two students per academic year.
Joline Isaacs was privileged to be one of the first Waitrose Foundation Bursary recipients in 2008. She studied Financial Management at Boland College in Stellenbosch.
After obtaining her certificate in 2010, she has been job hunting towards a position in Financial Management. She worked as a waitress at the local Wimpy in Robertson for almost 2 years, because she struggled to find her dream job.
On Friday 30 September 2011, she received the exciting news, that her application has been successful and that she has been chosen to work at ABSA Robertson from the 10th of October, after numerous applications for such a position.
'I would like to take the opportunity to thank The Waitrose Foundation for believing in me. Thank you for the bursary and thank you for your guidance, love, care and trust. I will never forget how good you have been to me and my family. I will use every opportunity that I can to impart, help, support and inspire children, so they can all have a bright future irrespective of where they come from.'
'I was overjoyed and could not contain myself when I heard the news, because I realized it was like a dream come true, says Joline.'
At The Waitrose Foundation we place a strong emphasis on getting a good education and furthering your studies. We would like to urge farms to get in contact with all their 2012 Grade 12 learners to enquire about dreams to study further. We will be sending out Bursary Application Forms in June.
