In 2008, Heidi Naude was working for a toy shop. Her time with the toy store had exposed her to community work and soon Heidi realised that she wanted to devote her life to such work. Within two years, Halli Trust was born.
Heidi Naude, the CEO of Halli Trust, started the NPO with her husband. They aim to serve the communities around the Helderberg. PHOTO: Kyra Rensburg
“It’s just amazing sometimes to look back at your life to see how things have come together,” says Heidi Naude, the CEO of the Helderberg-based non-profit organisation (NPO) Halli Trust.
Naude was born and raised in Namibia, but moved to South Africa after matric to study in the food and clothing field at Tygerberg Technical College. A career in the catering industry followed. After having her second child, in 2000, Naude decided to become a stay-at-home mother.
Seeing the magic
However, after being a stay-at-home mother for eight years, Naude felt like she needed a change. As luck would have it, a toy store had just opened in Somerset West, and Naude felt it was the perfect match for her at that time.
In Naude’s second year at the toy store, she was assigned to work in their community involvement sector, where they took out mascots into the surrounding communities. It was here that Naude witnessed the magic of a mascot in the eyes of children.
“It’s not something that we are used to in South Africa…mascots. It just opened up a whole new world. We would go to schools and… I cannot tell you… the kids would go crazy just to see us,” Naude explains. She realised that mascots created a powerful way to interact with children.
As she saw the impact of working within the community, she became inspired to pursue this avenue professionally. Naude says she had always had an interest in community work but working in the toy store really brought out a passion for it.
“So, it is a seed that was always there; just given water and the nice soil so it could grow,” Naude explains.
Dreams becoming a reality
In 2008, Naude’s father passed away and left her an inheritance. Her husband, Martin, suggested that they use this inheritance to fund their own NPO. Two years later, on 17 September 2010, the Halli Trust was founded.
Heidi Naude’s husband, Martin Naude, is the co-founder of Halli Trust. PHOTO: Kyra Rensburg
The name Halli means unexpected gift and blessing, says Naude. The name came about after a friend of Naude’s looked up her first name in the Greek/Hebrew translation Bible, and came across Halli. The name fits perfectly because they can give unexpected gifts and blessings and can also receive them, says Naude.
Naude knew the trust needed a mascot, having seen the impact that it could have on children. After watching the film Hachikō, she chose the Japanese Akira dog to be their mascot and the face of Halli Trust.
“I love his loyalty, his character, his friendship, and that he is your friend forever,” says Naude. The mascot embodies the characteristics she wants to impart on the youngsters in the educational and community involvement programmes.
Halli Trust’s colours are a bright green. Naude said they chose green as it represents growth, which is what Halli Trust tries to achieve through their involvement in the communities. The work they do is aimed at giving people the help they need so that they can continue to help themselves and others. PHOTO: Kyra Rensburg
Halli Trust has three focuses, explains Naude: community involvement, educational involvement, and the rehabilitation and caring of animals. Halli Trust is operating in the Helderberg area and has been consistently active in neighbouring communities like Macassar, Lwandle, Nomzamo and Zola for 11 years. Consistency is key, she says, as it builds trust and familiarity with the community members.
“It’s just amazing sometimes to look back at your life to see how things have come together.”
It also provides an opportunity for Halli Trust to observe whether they are making a difference in the communities they serve. They have representatives in each community that identify community members in need of assistance, says Naude, highlighting the importance of the community representatives as the core of Halli Trust.
Halli Trust donates food, clothing, sanitation products and other items to those who the community representatives have identified. They also provide emotional support where possible.
Their educational involvement program, Halli Club, is a monthly educational program that teaches children life skills, safety and dealing with their emotions. These are hosted either by Naude and Halli, the mascot, or a guest speaker. They also have a weekly homework and reading club for the children and are currently working on an emotional healing program.
Their animal rehabilitation program aims to educate people on how to care for their pets. They also assist with resources such as food and sleeping facilities, and aim to secure funds to sterilise stray dogs and cats.
The Halli Trust’s educational involvement is aimed at developing children’s knowledge. It often entails educational talks where the mascot Halli assists. PHOTO: Supplied/Heidi Naude
Making a difference
For Naude, it is extremely important to make an immeasurable difference through their involvement. Therefore, she does not believe in hand-outs, but rather provides support and resources for those in need.
Through its community involvement, Halli Trust provides short-term assistance to families or individuals so they can sustain themselves. The needlework club, which is a community involvement program, aims to empower women with skills they can use to make a profit. Helen Jonkers (in green) is a needlework representative that oversees the club. Some of the items made by the needlework club are sold at the Halli Trust shop. PHOTO: Kyra Rensburg
“I chose Halli Trust after hearing what their vision was; of changing people’s lives. They are not just saying it, but they are doing it,” says Gloria Hungana, a community representative and trustee.
Hungana was the Naude family’s housekeeper and joined the trust in 2014, as a trustee and representative in Lwandle, Nomzamo and Zola. She has been a guiding light in introducing Halli Trust to the community and familiarising the trust with how things are done in the community, says Naude.
“I’ve learned a lot by buying the right groceries, to make sure that you respect that household,” says Naude, pointing out the importance of buying the food that the specific family eats. “I feel it’s so arrogant of me to go into that home and decide: ‘Look, you need to do it the way I do it.’ It’s her house, so have respect for that,” says Naude.
What it takes to run an NPO
“It’s much more complicated to run a non-profit than an actual business,” says Naude.
Halli Trust is a self-sustaining organisation, and their biggest financier is an annual golf day, which has been suspended due to Covid-19 restrictions. Therefore, they rely on donations and will accept anything in a good condition, she says. Halli Trust strives for transparency by openly sharing their quarterly report with the public, so that benefactors know where donations go.
Naude is honest about the challenges they face and the difficulty of running an NPO, especially when it comes to financial sustainability and maintaining a good reputation in the public eye. However, she says the work they do and the impact they have is worth the challenges.
“It’s hard and there is a lot of tough stuff… But I cannot tell you how humble I feel… Of how we’ve touched people’s lives, [and] how proud I am of what we are able to do and the effect we have,” says Naude.