Enlighten Education Trust
One of the most significant projects funded by the Sunshine Foundation Trust, the forerunner to the Javett Foundation, was for the Enlighten Education Trust in Hermanus. This organisation works to improve education in the Western Cape’s Overstrand region by upskilling teachers and enhancing children’s intellectual, physical and emotional development with the focus on literacy, numeracy, music and the arts.
The Sunshine Foundation Trust funded the building of the Enlighten Education and Training Centre, which opened its doors in Hermanus in 2008. This centre is easily accessible to the residents of Mount Pleasant and Zwelihle. It houses offices, training rooms, computer centre for research and e-learning, music rooms, art studios, a pottery studio and a library with membership of nearly 5000 children from the Zwelihle and Mount Pleasant communities.
This project reflects the commitment to education, and the enthusiasm for art that is a key feature of the Javett Foundation’s philanthropic philosophy. The project included a regional design competition for mosaic murals. The 32 panels of the winning mosaic design, by Nyanga resident Sandi Mdekazi, have been installed on the centre’s perimeter walls, making it a colourful landmark in the area.