Schauenburg Education Trust funds Education Centre

The Schauenburg Education Trust is proud to partner with Afrika Tikkun, Wings of Life Centre in Diepsloot by contributing R3.3 million (about 200k euro) towards the building of an education centre focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning. The facility includes two classrooms, a reception area, administration offices together with a new kitchen and ablution facilities.

Schauenburg’s partnership supports Afrika Tikkun’s mission of combating poor living and education standards. Its contribution provides access to mentorship, advanced learning facilities, clean and healthy living environments, and career opportunities.

Students are now able to register for courses in this new space as well as discuss the progress of their learnings with their facilitators in a private and professional matter.

The new facility will be equipped with the latest multi-media devices and improved Wi-Fi connectivity. There are plans to subdivide the one classroom into two in order to increase capacity and one of the classrooms is currently being utilised as an onsite covid-19 vaccination site.

The Wings of Life centre was opened in 2008 thanks to generous sponsorships by various organizations and is equipped to enable the effective implementation of the “Cradle to Career Model”. Today Wings of Life is the largest of the centres and is supported by a team of 82 people. Their 360° Cradle-to-Career Programme approach is designed to meet the demands of health, education, and future wellbeing of South Africa’s impoverished youth. These programmes are highly developmental-centric, inspired to be practical and accessible at every touchpoint of the growth journey. The students that are occupying these newly building classrooms sponsored by Schauenburg are part of the career development section of the 360° Cradle-to-Career Programme approach.

Florian Schauenburg, founder of the Schauenburg Education Trust and CEO of the Schauenburg International Group, is delighted, “This is a great example of the successful work of the Foundation. We established the trust to empower and promote disadvantaged individuals and communities by providing educational opportunities like Wings of Life. We aim at providing a quality education for deserving individuals who can contribute positively to the future industrial growth and socio-economic transformation of South Africa”

Lewis Mathieson, the Managing Director of Schauenburg Systems and a Trustee of the Schauenburg Education Trust says, “It is such a privilege to be associated with this project as it aligns with the values of the company as well as what we are trying to achieve with the Education Trust and that is to provide educational opportunities to previously disadvantaged individuals.”

Alef Meulenberg, the CEO of the Afrika Tikkun Foundation, expressed with gratitude, “We are excited and deeply appreciative of the partnership that The Schauenburg Education Trust and Afrika Tikkun is about to embark upon. Together, we will deepen our impact at the community level. Afrika Tikkun has already succeeded in creating over 3,500 work opportunities for the young people in our programme.”

About Schauenburg Education Trust

The Schauenburg Education Trust focuses on selecting and financing students to obtain qualifications which have been identified as scarce skills and which will ensure that these skills are available for employment in South Africa. The Schauenburg Education Trust focus’ on providing bursaries to students in the fields of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. The Schauenburg Education Trust is part of the Schauenburg International – Africa Group which forms part of the Schauenburg International Group, a strategic family equity investor headquartered in Germany.

More information about the Schauenburg International Group of companies can be found at: www.schauenburg.com | www.schauenburg.co.za

About Afrika Tikkun

Established in 1994, Afrika Tikkun NPC is a leading non-profit organisation, proudly homegrown in authentic South African values and both locally and internationally recognised for their commitment to holistically developing the lives of young community members. Afrika Tikkun focus is to empower young people through trusted partner contributions – and their promise to nourish partnerships for the greater well-being of young people.

www.afrikatikkun.org