The SCDF is an article 21 association in South Africa and has a general committee and an executive committee. I am Neelke Bastiaanssen, member of the executive committee and coordinator of the Sefapane Community Development Fund (SCDF). The moment I landed at Phalaborwa airport in 2004 I fell in love! I fell in love with the country, the people, the culture and the nature. What they say is true: ‘You can leave Africa, but Africa will never leave you’. Back then I worked for the physiotherapy project ‘Pfula Mahlo’, one of the first projects of Sefapane Lodge and Safaris. This project had such a big impact on me that I decided, two years after finishing my studies, to come back to Phalaborwa and work for the SCDF. I arrived in August 2006 and I am still enjoying myself very much!

Email Address: neelke@sefapanefund.com