About us

Our trust's history

The Trust was founded and registered as a UK Charity (no. 228605) in 1960. Dr Arthur Spencer-Payne, the driving force behind the Trust, was a dental surgeon who worked in southern Africa for some time.

He was concerned by the extreme lack of resources of the Anglican churches, schools and mission hospitals, particularly those in the segregated black areas. He requested the Archbishop of Cape Town in office at that time, to launch a special appeal to help these areas.

After retiring he returned to England and worked to increase the awareness of the plight of the church and its institutions in southern Africa. In 1979, the Directorship passed to Miss Joan Antcliff, a close friend and associate of Dr Spencer-Payne. Miss Antcliff continued the work for next twenty years, tirelessly campaigning for donations and travelling extensively in southern Africa to visit the various projects. The new Director, Dr Jack Mulder began duties in May 2000.

Aims and objectives

As a registered UK Charity the Trust is bound by the terms of its deed to operate mainly within the CPSA (Church of the Province of Southern Africa) region. This officially includes South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Angola and St Helena. The main objectives of the Trust is the building of partnerships with the dioceses, missions and rural groups in order to improve the facilities and resources for the local communities.

The trust supports the building of community centres and churches, classrooms and hostels, educational programmes and student bursaries, special projects such as primary health care in mission hospitals and more recently Aids clinics, crèches and educare centres in the townships.

Projects are carefully identified so as to avoid duplication or competition with other associations and to provide funding for smaller projects that fall outside the terms of reference of the larger funding agencies.

Trustees