Charity

The Africa Trust

The Africa Trust was founded in 2010 by Ian Thorpe (founder of Pump Aid and The Elephant Pump) and Paul Searle (Managing Director, AquAid).

The Africa Trust works to bring sustainable solutions to poverty in Africa, and has expanded its operations over Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe . This includes establishing sustainable supplies of clean productive water (Elephant Pumps) and decent sanitation. Income generating projects are used to pay school fees, improve clinics and generate the funds needed to run orphanages. Wealth generation is an important objective, with business skills training, helping school leavers and villagers to start or expand profitable businesses. Funds are circulated to catalyse projects and are then extracted to establish new projects or to invest in expansion.

Each person uses at least one 20 litre bucket of water per day for all their needs. For example a mother and her oldest daughter may make four trips to collect eight buckets for a family of eight including one grandparent, two parents and five children. More water must be collected during the long dry season to water domestic livestock and to sustain vegetable gardens.

Currently Acre has raised enough money to install 6 Elephant pumps in communities across Africa. Communities have contacted us and have thanked us for our and The Africa Trust’s help as this means that they will ‘no longer be late for school’ due the miles they had to walk to collect water, and now they can drink ‘clean water’.

This is a wonderful charity to be involved with as the effect of a pump can change a whole community. Education can be enhanced as the time it took to walk to water is now used for more time in education. Businesses can produce more crops for market bringing in more money into the community. All thanks to clean water from an Elephant Pump. Great work The Africa Trust.

Arts Education

ArtsEd is a world-leading centre for the study of the performing arts based in the heart of Chiswick. Offering outstanding conservatoire training in Musical Theatre, Dance and Drama to a vibrant and diverse student body, ArtsEd produces confident, creative and committed young performers, well prepared for the ever changing demands of today’s industry.

Acre Properties is delighted to be a major contributor to the ArtsEd Scholarship and Bursary Fund and in 2018/19 will be helping to support five students on their BA degree courses in Acting and Musical Theatre. Our support provides invaluable financial assistance to these immensely talented young students who, without it, would have faced the prospect of turning down their place at ArtsEd or even leaving their course before finishing.

Acre Properties is delighted to be building a partnership with an organisation that is such a vibrant part of the local community.

Renewable World

Globally, around 1.3 billion people still do not have access to electricity. The majority live in the poorest countries in the world and are most at risk from the effects of climate change. The lack of safe, reliable energy causes ill-health, reduces chances for education, slows down social and economic development, and damages the environment. The clean, sustainable form of energy can provide light for households and schools, power for water pumps and electrical appliances, and can prove to catalyse both economic growth and human development.

In 2017 we met with Renewable world and a wonderful partnership was formed. Since working with Renewable World, funding enabled them to bring energy to a community in Mirunda for the very first time. The funded Energy Hub and metering systems installed provide energy to 28 homes and businesses as well as a water pump.

The next phase of work, already underway, includes a connection to the water pump for a women’s agricultural cooperative and the installation of micro-irrigation systems at a two acre plot. This will enable the women to grow tomatoes, peppers and other high value crops for consumption but most importantly, for market.

We are excited to be working with Renewable World and for future works that will be enriching the lives of others.

Resurgo Spear

Spear prepares young people from disadvantaged backgrounds for the workplace, and trains employers to get the best out of them. They coordinate year-long programmes that equips 16-to-24-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) from disadvantaged backgrounds to find long-term employment. They coach young people to help overcome the attitudes and behaviours that are holding them back, as well as training in how to write a CV, mock interview practice etc.

Acre has been affiliated with Resurgo Spear since 2017. Since then we have been opening our doors and working alongside inspirational young people in coaching them to have interpersonal and communication skills, and build self-confidence, motivation and enthusiasm. Working with these young individuals has been a pleasure and seeing them move on from Acre and move to building a career for themselves has been a touching experience.

Testimonials