Stonehage marathon runners support primary healthcare for children in Western Cape

MaAkrika Tikkun cheque handover. From left to right: Gary Lubner (Chairman of MaAfrika Tikkun UK), Stonehage CEO Giuseppe Ciucci and Marc Lubner (CEO of MaAfrika Tikkun)

Team Stonehage, consisting of 35 employees and associates of the Stonehage Group, managed to raise close to £235 000 for charity during this year’s London marathon. Following the marathon a donation of £135 000 (R1.5 million) was recently handed over to MaAfrika Tikkun - an award-winning NGO that provides care and support programmes to meet the developmental needs of children, as well as support for their families, in informal settlements around Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Stonehage is a leading international wealth management adviser to high net worth families, providing international families with family office, wealth management and fiduciary services.

The other major beneficiary of Stonehage’s fundraising initiative was Clic Sargent, the UK’s leading children's cancer charity, while a proportion of the fund raising money was also allocated to other beneficiaries supported by the Stonehage Charitable Trust.

The money raised by the Stonehage London Marathon runners will be used to support MaAfrika Tikkun’s primary healthcare programme in the Western Cape, in terms of which 187 trained health caregivers each visit six homes daily to provide healthcare support, palliative care, counselling and referral services.

Said Marc Lubner, CEO of MaAfrika Tikkun: “Our caregivers also identify orphans and vulnerable children and refer them to the holistic care and education programmes run at our community centres. In addition our nurses and caregivers run large scale interventions like a recent polio and measles immunisation campaign, and a child abuse awareness campaign.

“MaAfrika Tikkun runs a comprehensive training programme for caregivers and each caregiver is paid a stipend of R900 per month. While not a significant amount, it engenders responsibility, fosters pride and provides them with some financial relief. The basic support and advice our caregivers provide can have a life-changing impact. In the Western Cape they currently support over 2 300 regular patients each month, with once off interventions helping a further 4 500 beneficiaries on average each month. Our thanks to Stonehage for helping to make it possible for us to continue this vital work.”