The David Rattray Memorial Trust (UK)

The Trust was formed in 2007 shortly after the memorial service in Southwark Catherdral for David Rattray. Its purpose is to commemorate David Rattray in the UK and secondly fund the David Rattray Foundation in South Africa in its educational and development work. In the mid-1990's, David and Nicky Rattray started informal support programmes for some of their local schools. With David's unexpected death in early 2007, the Foundation was established to continue promoting reconciliation, by educating and caring for children at 16 schools in a very poor and undeveloped district of Kwa-Zulu Natal. To learn more about the David Rattray Foundation, click here.

David Rattray Memorial Essay Prize& Guardian International Development Journalism Competition

The Trustees initially ran an essay competition for young people on themes which reflected the values for which David Rattray stood. In 2011, the Trust changed its policy and decided its work would receive wider promotion by taking part in the The Guardian International Development Journalism Competition, for details of the competition please click here.

Many crucial issues facing the developing world are often overlooked or underrepresented by the media. The Guardian International Development Journalism Competition aims to highlight some of them. The finalists spend a week in the area of work of the charity to research and write in detail on a given assignment. Their essays are then published in two Guardian newspaper supplements. In 2011 Eleanor Davis was the Guardian finalist who visited the area surrounding Fugitives Drift in rural KwaZulu Natal, to read her published article " On the road to learning " please click here. To read Eleanor’s Blog of her visit, please click here

The first essay competition in 2008 was entitled “Battlefield” linked to the theme of reconciliation and the winning essay was submitted by Lucy Turner from Edinburgh, she was presented with her prize cheque by Nicky Rattray at a fund-raising function held at Sotheby’s in October 2008. To read the essay, click here

The second essay competition in 2009 was entitled "Reconciliation" and the winning essay was submitted by Shahnaz Ahsan from West Yorkshire, she was presented with her prize cheque by Nicky Rattray at a dinner held at the Lansdowne Club in November 2009. To read Shahnaz's essay, please click here

The third essay competition in 2010 was entitled "Classroom" and was submitted by Nicholas Ward, he was presented with his prize cheque by Rob Caskie, Senior Guide at Fugitives' Drift after a lecture given by Rob in London. To read Nicholas' essay please click here.

Rural KwaZulu - Natal

The Umzinyathi District, the area of focus for the Foundation, is one of South Africa's poorest and least developed areas where over 80% of the population lives below the poverty line. It suffers the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS infections leaving some 40% of children in this area without parents and a traditional family structure The population numbers just under half a million of which 85% are unemployed, 93% live rurally and 70% are younger than 29. Most households number four to seven people attempting to survive on a social grant of R900 per month, compared to the poverty line minimum income accessed as R1600 per month. Some 44% of the residents have no education and over half of the teachers do not have proper qualifications.