Our Vision

Growth through positive development, Zimbabwe in growth, people in growth.

Core Principles

  • Help to self-help
  • Equality and respect – Advancing positive assistance
  • Local population involved from ideation to operation
  • Few intermediaries, direct channeling – Effective and flexible

Background

Sabona Trust was founded in 2001, after the founder Ynghild Solholm became an expatriate teacher at Dopota primary school in Mabale Hwange in 1999. She witnessed first-hand children fainting in class because of hunger and some not attending to classes because of socio-economic challenges. With the help of the community and fellow teachers, she began fundraising for a food station at the school and Sabona Trust was born.

Upon returning to Norway, her native country, she founded Sabona Norway in 2003 and the organisation has been functional since then. As a trust, Sabona became registered in 2010. Currently the Trust is in the process of being registered as a PVO under the Social Welfare so that it becomes a fully-fledged Non-Governmental Organisation.

We strive to support self-help projects and create a sustainable future. Through practice and experience we recognised that self-help is essential to community progress. We ensure that key stakeholders are in control of their own initiatives by holistically participating in the project cycle from proposal formulation to project execution. This produces community centred initiatives which are strong and sound.
Once a project is completed and results seen by the surrounding communities, Sabona can then move on to other areas in need.

The organisation is committed to helping the underprivileged community members by tackling poverty from a holistical approach. The organisation believes that for a community to function, all aspects of its well-being have to be addressed.

What We Do

Sabona Trust is a non-profit making organisation based in Bulawayo and in Mabale, Hwange. The organisation’s head office is in Bulawayo while Mabale has the sub office. The trust is helped by its fundraising and international partner, Sabona Norway, which is based in Oslo and is where the founder of the organisation Ynghild Solholm is based. The organisation’s operational areas are Bulawayo, Lupane, Insuza, Tsholotsho and Hwange, with Bulawayo and Hwange being the most dominant areas.

Sabona Trust has five thematic areas: