Greater Stellenbosch Development Trust’s (GSDT) core mandate is to provide a safe, educational environment for the youth of Khayamandi, a township in Stellenbosch, South Africa, where development and nurturing can take place in a positive manner and where learners can begin the process of exceling academically. Using a holistic approach, GSDT provides learners with nutritious meals, monitors their health, evaluates psychological welfare, and provides them with essential life skills for the future. At present, close to 300 children attend the program.
Initially established to benefit orphans from homes affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the program has widened its beneficiary scope and includes all children with the potential to excel academically. With a noble commitment to promote the health and welfare of people and communities around the world, Victor Restis and the Macias Restis Family Trust approached the Greater Stellenbosch Development Trust (GSDT) through Mr. Jannie Momberg, the former South African Ambassador to Greece.
The Macias Restis Foundation is a charitable institution founded in memory of the Restis family patriarch, Macias Restis. Macias Restis loved Africa and its people and considered South Africa to be his adopted home. The family could think of no more a fitting way to honor his memory than by helping children, the most vulnerable and deserving members of our communities, through the good works of the foundation bearing his name. They quickly concluded that they could best achieve their mission by providing financial and practical support to existing programs rather than by establishing their own program. They embarked on the task of identifying a core group of local charities in South Africa. What these charities share is an established track record for aiding underprivileged children, mainly orphans, in a loving and yet efficient manner. Over the years, they have expanded as help to include a focus on excellence in education.