Zululand is my second home. I spent a lot of time in the region north of Durban while I was living in South Africa, and I still visit several times a year for work at the Thula Thula Private Game Reserve. In recent years, I have become aware of the challenges facing society there. The wealthy South Africa that should have promoted and educated the black population to provide them with work opportunities, especially after the end of apartheid, has been forgotten. Corruption and nepotism have created appalling conditions in Zululand communities. Private game reserves, which used to support community projects, can no longer do so because of the vast sums of money required for security and private armies to combat rhino poaching.

Most of our projects focus on the five communities surrounding Thula Thula, a private game reserve near the South African town of Empangeni. This is because wildlife and nature conservation can only succeed if the surrounding communities also experience positive change.

Poverty, driven by an unemployment rate of 60%, is devastating the population. The youngest members of society — kindergarten and schoolchildren — lack nutrition, school shoes, and safe places to learn.

With this initiative, we aim to make a difference with your help. We want to give the youngest members of our society an opportunity to build a better future through education. We also want to restore the children's dignity through our annual school shoe project. We also aim to ensure that kindergarten children receive at least one warm meal a day through our projects.

As demonstrated in the past, 100% of the donated funds will be used for their intended purpose in Zululand.

Michael Holthuysen

Chairman