Darling is a small village, set amid a farming community, 80 kilometres north of Cape Town on the West Coast of South Africa. There is limited community infrastructure for leisure activities that can contribute to people living active and healthy lifestyles. This is contributing significantly to the youth’s vulnerability.

2009 saw the completion of The Darling Community Swimming Pool and Education Centre – which includes an Early Childhood Development centre, Evita’s Darlings . The funding for the building and pool was raised within the community and remains our task to ensure the sustainability of these projects.

In addition to Pieter-Dirk Uys as the patron, the trust was proud to have had Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, bless the opening of the Community Centre and Pool. Archbishop Tutu said “…these facilities will be life changing to the young people in this town and their parents. The investment in their community will send the message that they matter, that they can be proud of where they come from and that the youth do have a future. I know from my own childhood what a difference it can make when someone takes an interest and cares.”

The Trust’s philosophy is strongly opposed to a ‘handout culture’. Aid that is purely reactionary and does not involve the active participation of individuals, results in beneficiaries becoming reliant on the organisation, and therefore inhibits self-sufficiency in the community.

The objectives of The Darling Trust are to:

• Work with the local community in the identification of community needs and to address those needs, by creating feasible projects or by supporting existing projects through funding or managerial or logistical assistance
• Act as a vehicle for the funding of community projects in Darling
• Facilitate skills development and employability
• Provide Early Childhood Development facilities and learning
• Facilitate physical and mental health and wellbeing through education and care
• Facilitate the identification and development of creative talent and skills, especially amongst the youth

The Trust has a well-balanced, effective and committed board of Trustees who maintain the highest level of governance and oversight, management and accounting systems, procedures and skills are in place to ensure that projects are executed effectively, and funds managed responsibly. A transparent approach is followed, and donations received are accounted for and utilized strictly in accordance with the wishes of donors.

The trust is registered as a NPO and meet the requirements of a PBO and donations to us are thus tax deductible in terms of section 18A of the Income Tax Act.