Financial woes force Calabash Trust to shut its doors

After more than 14 years of uplifting communities in urban townships while working with schools and other organisations, the Calabash Trust, the philanthropic arm of Calabash Tours, has decided to shut its doors by July 31.

In a statement, Calabash Trust chair Gary Koekemoer said the difficult decision was made on April 8 after it became evident the trust could not afford to continue.

“Unfortunately, our expenses simply outweigh our income and we see no realistic prospect of that changing in the future,” Koekemoer said.

With the downturn in the economy, concerns about the funding environment and funding priorities having changed, Koekemoer said it was inevitable the trust would close.

“This changing reality is reflected in our declining revenues and our attempts to reverse that trend have not been successful,” he said.

According to Koekemoer, the trust will be working with Ikhala Trust to ensure that the projects currently catered for by the Calabash Trust will continue running. These include those in Pearston as well as the longstanding Lavela and Emmanuel projects, which might have an alternative funding channel put in place.

Koekemoer said as a consequence, these projects may be required to set up their own boards and acquire a separate legal status.

“We will support them as best we can in this period to secure their continuity, and, once set up, will communicate their details for ongoing donations.”

Koekemoer said they were in constant communication with Calabash Tours to ensure the volunteer programmes supported and facilitated by the trust were not unduly impacted by the closure.

Calabash Tours will not be affected by the closure of the trust.

In its heyday, the Calabash Trust had a whole team of workers in a vibrant office who contributed to its work, Koekemoer said.

“Each of them has made a valuable contribution to the projects of the trust.

“They are well remembered for their contribution.”

He said it was not an easy decision to close the trust, especially after all the work it had done over the years, particularly with regard to township schools.

A final report and review of the work done by the trust over its 14 years would be compiled soon and necessary details for continued donations to the Lavela and Emmanuel projects would be made available once confirmed, he said.

The Calabash Trust was founded by Marion Gate and Paul Miedema in 1997 in conjunction with Calabash Tours.

Miedema died suddenly at the age of 45 in February 2017.