On Thursday the 29th October, heart got a visit from HSH Prince Maximilian of Lichtenstein. H.S.H Prinz Maximilian is the CEO of Lichtenstein Global Trust (LGT), a private banking, wealth and asset management group based in Lichtenstein. The company has invested substantially into heart.

In the first of his monthly meanderings, Peter Shrimpton, Founder of heart, pleads the case for Social Innovation in South Africa…. We know the facts. Every day, the very livelihood, dignity and survival of people in need come under attack from a number of hybrid aggressors – from water to food, disease to wars. In Africa, the numbers are so great that people have become statistics, bell curves on flip charts and Powerpoints.

 A group of 13 brave souls ventured out from Woodstock towards Gansbaai this past Sunday in search of a life changing adrenaline rush. The group consisted of 8 young men from Percy Bartley House, a temporary home for boys who are facing challenges in their lives. The event was part of Adrenalize - a youth development project managed by Heart, a local NGO based in Woodstock.

It's not often we see desk-bound employees painting classrooms or planting herbs but that's exactly what "Do It Day" is all about -taking corporate employees out of their comfort zones and into their communities. This annual event, which was started by GreaterGood SA , takes place on 18 September in schools, old age homes, creches and disadvantaged communities right accross the country.

Watch what happened when Grow South Africa went to pay the volunteers a sneaky visit....

Wetgewing wat veronderstel was om korrupsie by munisipaliteite aan te roer, het tot ’n ontploffing in burokrasie gelei. Me. Helen Zille, premier van die Wes-Kaap en voormalige burgemeester van Kaapstad, sê dit verydel die bystand wat aan maatskaplike projekte gebied kan word.

The first Party with Heart event in Cape Town was launched in the Karma Lounge, Friday 10th July. Party with Heart is a new initiative by Cape Town NGO Heart to involve the nightlife industry in contributing to raising funds to help alleviate social and environmental problems.

"The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking."  ~Albert Einstein

This new way of thinking was the starting point for the development of the suite of social enterprise funds that Heart recently launched, to change the way businesses or individuals approach charitable donations and to transform them into investments that can produce financial returns.

We believe that the foundation of all good ideas is a base of comprehensive research. Before launching our blended value funds, we conducted a perception audit among agents of corporate social transformation to ascertain their thoughts on the proposed funding structure and related CSI topics.

Love to Africa is a developmental project that develops and markets social tourism packages (voluntourism) to tour operators in Cape Town. We conducted a perception audit among tour operators, language schools, backpackers and hotels to evaluate:

Stories With Heart

"If you think making donations to charities will solve our problems, you are making a grave and destructive mistake." - Peter Shrimpton

‘Party with Heart’ is a new initiative being launched in Cape Town next month to entice the nightlife industry to give something back to the escalating social problems our city and country face.

Peter Shrimpton, CEO of Heart, is interviewed at the World Economic Forum on Africa at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 18-19 June 2009.

Social and environmental challenges are escalating worldwide, with an increasing need to find sustainable business solutions to these problems. Watch this video to find out more.

‘Party with Heart’ is a new initiative being launched in Cape Town next month to entice the nightlife industry to give something back to the escalating social problems our city and country face.

Summit TV speaks to award winning social entrepreneur Peter Shrimpton from Heart Social Investment about how to invest and make money while working for the greater good.

On 22 May the Heart of Healing re-launched as Heart, to reflect its evolution as a business and introduced South Africa’s first social investment funds that invest in social enterprises – Heart Social Investments. Watch and listen to speeches from Hellen Zille and Peter Shrimpton.

heart’s first event of the year was fuelled with fun, good will, fantastic guests and an electric atmosphere. The Auction with Heart, in aid of Heart’s flagship social enterprise – Wines with Heart, was held at the stunning beach side venue, Summerville Restaurant in Camps Bay last Thursday 2nd April.

For residents of Gympie Street, Woodstock, life is not as promising as it is to many of us. The community in this down-trodden area faces severe issues like starvation, poverty, gangsterism and drugs on a daily basis. As this street is notorious for being the epicenter of crime in Woodstock and Cape Town, many people are reluctant to give any kind of assistance in an area like this.

The recent Leaders of Promise conference played host to one of the most prestigious award ceremonies in Southern Africa. The Southern African Social Entrepreneurship Awards (or SASE’s as they are affectionately known) was presented by Ashoka, international leaders in social entrepreneurship support, in partnership with the Colloquium for Social Entrepreneurship at GIBS.