We are thrilled to announce our 11th and newest addition to the GIFT portfolio: Khula Education. Khula (the operating name of the David Rattray Foundation) is a South African non-profit working to lift rural communities out of poverty through the power of education. Founded in 2007, Khula supports children and young people from their earliest years through to their first steps into employment, and beyond. Based in the uMzinyathi District of KwaZulu-Natal, one of South Africa'

This is a truly incredible moment for the Lotus Flower . The main takeaways are: TLF is so proud to say they have reached over 115,000 women, girls and community members over the last 10 years, having started out with Vian from a burnt cabin in one of the camps, with no funding and no connections. TLF model works because it is locally rooted and globally connected. Being 100% locally staffed in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq means they stay when others leave, and they adapt w

What a privilege to witness Taban Shoresh OBE , founder of The Lotus Flower , receive the Nansen Award for MENA from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency last week. GIFT has proudly supported The Lotus Flower for five years, and we remain immensely inspired by what Taban and her team achieve day in day out for displaced women and girls in Kurdistan. As UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi beautifully stated, "This year's laureates remind us that, even in dark times, co

GIFT organised a table at the 20-year anniversary gala of World Bicycle Relief. It was a privilege to share with our guests exactly the type of organisation GIFT champions: locally led, impactful, and truly transformative. While mobility feels like a basic human right to many of us, 3.1 billion people worldwide still lack access to reliable transportation. Over the past two decades, World Bicycle Relief has distributed more than 900,000 Buffalo Bicycles across 28 countries, c

🎙️ J'ai eu l'honneur d'être interviewée par Emilie Compignie d' EC CONSULTING dans son podcast DONORS|TIPS. Un échange passionnant où nous avons notamment parlé de : ✨ La philanthropie stratégique et professionnelle – donner c'est bien, mais bien donner, c'est encore mieux! 🌱 Soutenir les organisations locales – elles sont au plus proche des besoins et les mieux placées pour transformer des vies. 🤝 Défier le déséquilibre de pouvoir – pour Give It Forward Trus

We are thrilled to unveil GIFT's new visual identity and launch our completely redesigned website that better reflect who we are and what we stand for. This rebrand reflects our evolution over the last five years and our commitment to both strategic philanthropy and empowering local solutions. This transformation wouldn't have been possible without the exceptional talent and dedication of Margaux Klein and Anastasia Kovac Gureghian. Thank you for your collaboration, it has

November 28, 2024 We are delighted to announce that Polycom Girls has joined the Give It Forward Trust (GIFT) portfolio, following a thorough due diligence process and a heartfelt recommendation from one of our valued donors, Leysa Noble, who visited the organisation in July. Founded in 2004 as a Community-Based Organization (CBO) in Nairobi’s Kibera informal settlement, Polycom Girls has since grown into a robust NGO with a reach far beyond Kibera and Nairobi. The organizati

November 26, 2024 We are thrilled to announce that Pimali, a remarkable organization founded in 2014 by Stéphanie and Alexandre des Arts, has joined the Give It Forward Trust (GIFT) portfolio! About Pimali Based in Thailand’s Nong Khai and Issan regions, Pimali empowers disadvantaged youth through comprehensive hospitality training. Operating as both a training center and eco-resort, Pimali provides practical experience to 20-25 students annually, focusing on those from orpha

September 25, 2024 We are thrilled to share the remarkable results of our three-year commitment to CAMFED Tanzania, which has far surpassed our expectations. Our partnership aimed to support marginalized girls from the Mvomero and Ulanga districts in completing secondary education, and the outcome has been nothing short of extraordinary. Key Achievements: • Originally targeted 366 girls to complete lower or upper secondary school, but the project actually helped 964 girls.

May 28, 2024 An Evening of Inspiration in Sussex Last Wednesday, GIFT had the pleasure of introducing the incredible Taban Shoresh and the Lotus Flower to a wonderful group in Sussex. The evening was filled with inspiring stories and meaningful connections, showcasing the impactful work of the Lotus Flower, an organization that GIFT has proudly supported for many years. A heartfelt thank you goes out to Leysa and Andrew Noble for lending us their beautiful home, which added a

Taban Shoresh has been honored with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her outstanding charitable work in aiding displaced individuals, refugees, and local communities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. GIFT is incredibly proud to be associated with Taban Shoresh OBE and the remarkable team at The Lotus Flower. This recognition is truly extraordinary and richly deserved. We are overjoyed and deeply honored to support their commendable efforts. Congratulations, Taban!...

January 16, 2024 In 2016, Taban Shoresh founded The Lotus Flower in her living room with no money. Fast forward to December 2023 and watch her being introduced by The High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva. Taban was part of two multi-stakeholder pledges; the first one was called ‘Gender Equality and Protection from Gender-Based Violence’. Under this pledge, the Lotus Flower is committed to creating a Peace Centre in Kurdistan, w

We’re excited to announce that Skateistan , an award-winning NGO known for its unique blend of skateboarding and education, has become the seventh partner in the GIFT portfolio. This partnership is a key step in our mission to create positive change. Skateistan: More Than Just Skateboarding Skateistan stands out for its commitment to using skateboarding as a tool for empowerment, focusing on safe learning environments for young people. Skateistan’s dedication to creating safe

It is not often one gets to experience the transformative power of an organization firsthand. Recently, I had the privilege to do just that with The Lotus Flower (TLF) during a four-day visit to Kurdistan, Iraq. The depth of their impact and commitment left me profoundly moved. Community Centres: Sanctuaries of Healing and Growth At the heart of the Lotus Flower‘s operations are their community centres, strategically positioned both within and outside camps for internally dis

I recently had the incredible opportunity to travel to Tofo Beach and visit the heartwarming surfers not street childrenMozambique program. Among my various motivations for this trip, one was to personally witness the differences and similarities between this program and the one in Durban. I wanted to see if the program’s claims of changing kids’ lives were as impactful as they sounded. I also wanted to spend some time with the kids and do whatever was possible on my side to

CAMFED has secured substantial funding from the Audacious Project, enabling them to expand their successful initiative and make a profound impact on girls’ education. Gift is proud to support such an organization. Attached is a video of the Ted Talk delivered to the Audacious Project investment committee, showcasing CAMFED’s inspiring work. CAMFED Ted Talk

GIFT is thrilled to welcome World Bicycle Relief (WBR) to its portfolio, recognizing the organization’s profound impact and commitment to empowering individuals and communities through the transformative power of bicycles. WBR has effectively addressed the enduring transportation challenges faced by over 1 billion people worldwide, with a particular focus on the 450 million individuals residing in Africa. By leveraging its 100% owned social enterprise, Buffalo Cycles, WBR ha

Tom Hewitt MBE receives Nelson Mandela Changemaker Award Congrats Tom on 25 years of pioneering work developing surfing as a tool for positive change. It is a privilege for GIFT to support the work of Surfers Not Street Children and see these lives of youngsters being transformed on a daily basis. Full article

What the Lotus Flower’s key supporters say about the organisation. Gift at minute 4’40 https://youtu.be/kWGHA1Kv4rk

Summary of my trip to volunteer for Surfers Not Street Children My trip to Surfers Not Street Children took place this summer between July 5 th and July 23 rd 2022. I had the chance to visit the program and meet the people that make this association an amazing one. Tom Hewitt is a much-respected person in Durban and in the world of surfing. He manages the organisation in a very good and healthy way. He has a good relationship with the whole crew and every single child that