Edward Tsumele

Edward Tsumele

The arts funding organisation, Arts and Culture Trust, will flex its financial muscle through a new partnership with an international non-governmental organisation.

Breadline Africa's partnership with the Arts and Culture Trust (ACT) is aimed at helping impoverished communities engage in arts, culture and heritage to realise their full potential.

Breadline Africa (BLA) is an African based charity which aims to help break the cycle of poverty in Africa by helping communities help themselves.

"We don't believe in imposing solutions, but in helping others to be innovative in finding their own answers to the problems of poverty in Africa," said Edna Titus, Breadline Africa's liaison officer.

"It's about offering a helping hand to the people who are dedicating their lives to smaller charitable organisations that uplift communities and help them to become self-sustainable.

BLA encourages communities to achieve long-term self-sustainability and seeks out partnerships of hope and growth in Africa to connect people, who are struggling to achieve the most basic living conditions, with others who are more fortunate and in a position to make a difference," Titus said.

ACT is the oldest independent funding agency in South Africa. Former President Nelson Mandela, endorsed the initiative and agreed to serve as the patron-in-chief of ACT.

In this way ACT was initially called the Arts and Culture Trust of the President until 1999.

Internationally renowned playwright Athol Fugard is now the patron of the trust.