The Swiss Charity Organisation Förderverein Vulamasango Südafrika (Friends of Vulamasango South Africa), was envisioned end of 2018 by Mrs. Susanne von der Becke and Mr. Reto von der Becke and officially founded in its inception meeting on the 25th of March 2019 in Steinhausen/Zug, Switzerland. The registered charity is exempt from taxes under Swiss law.
"The Charity envisions the long-term support of the children's project "Vulamasango- Open Gates" in South Africa, a Non-Profit Organisation for disadvantaged, namely impoverished, neglected, abused and/or orphaned children in Cape Town. Through donations and membership fees the charity aims to support both the After School Care (ASC) as well as the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) segments of the project."
The charity pursues no commercial activities and has no profit motive. All organs of the charity work as volunteers.
Through a connection to the South African Embassy in Berlin/Germany, where the youth choir Vulingoma of the children's project Vulamasango was performing on Freedom Day on the 27th of April 2016, Mr. and Mrs. von der Becke first became aware of the project Vulamasango in South Africa. At another concert of the choir at a school in Küsnacht/Switzerland in May 2018, they then met for the first time with the founder of the project, Mr. Florian Kraemer. After a personal visit to the project in Cape Town in November 2018 the couple then decided to support Vulamasango through setting up the Swiss charity organisation.
The charity uses the following avenues of fundraising:
Part of the funds raised will be used to issue the yearly VDB Grant to a selected group of extraordinarily gifted students from the Children’s Home in order for them to attend qualitatively better schools. In future the VDB Grant will also specifically finance tertiary education and Masters Degrees for worthy recipients from the Children’s Home.
In order to show our gratitude to our members and funders in Europe and to "give back", we have been organising a bi-annual concert tour to Europe since 2007, mostly performing in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with children and youth from the Vulamasango children's project in Cape Town. The concerts of our youth choir, known as Vulingoma, serve a threefold purpose:
The charity Förderverein Vulamasango Südafrika is represented publicly by Mr. and Mrs. von der Becke:
More information on the charity Förderverein Vulamasango Südafrika (newspaper articles, project reports and newsletters) you can find here:
VULAMASANGO | Cape Town | South Africa | +27 (0)21 - 371 5246 |