Wheat Trust helps the communities in a very practical way. How do we do this?

We believe women are the drivers of change in their communities, and through our work we empower them to continuously defend the human rights of the women of South Africa. By actually talking to the women, we have been able to answer to the women’s actual needs, and not just to their perceived needs. Let us take you on the inspiring journey we would like to call our own, but that are made possible by our grantees, by our donors, and all that are involved in making this organization to what it is today.

Convenings offer a platform for women to find their voices and actively engage in pertinent topics that affect them. In these gatherings we create safe spaces for a community of women to share their information and learn from each other. It is an important aspect for the movement-building agenda of WHEAT Trust, because through these sessions, women become aware of their rights and options. Through convenings, women network and leverage other resources to support themselves, both socially and economically.

Convenings are South Africa based, mostly on rural en peri-urban areas that have the need but also the potential to become catalysts of change. Through the convenings, we meet potential and existing grantees, and we are able to introduce them to other government and development stakeholders. Convenings are used as a medium to profile the WHEAT Women’s Trust and call for new applications.

Lastly, we learn a lot from the convenings, we come to understand what the real community needs are, and how these needs can be addressed.

Read more about our past convenings.

WHEAT Women’s Fund has created a platform where you can contribute to keeping the memory and spirit alive of Dr. Thera Wijsenbeek Olthuis (1946- 2010) in a meaningful and practical way. Thera was an academic at the University of Amsterdam and the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. For most of her life she questioned existing rules, societal norms and intellectual assumptions. She related to people on a personal level and cared deeply for her loved ones, students and colleagues. Dr. Thera Wijsenbeek-Olthuis displayed a commitment to gender equality throughout her career, with humour and flair in her interaction with colleagues and on a more serious note in her academic work.

By creating an annual award with a financial contribution for female out-of-the-box and creative thinkers; the Thera award will give the opportunity to women leaders, academics or activists to study further, do research or obtain the necessary skills to achieve their goal. 

Interested? Read more.