Founded in 2010, by Ian Thorpe, who is the Chief Executive, and Paul Searle, who died in a car accident in 2022, The Africa Trust built on work that Ian and Paul had already been doing together for a decade, with a strong focus on water and sanitation. Paul Searle was the managing director of a UK water cooler company AquAid and donations from his company and his own pocket allowed Ian to use his expertise on the ground to set up development projects. The Searle family have honoured Paul’s Christian commitment, with his wife Kirsten and best friend Dave Fremel, who helped Paul establish AquAid, continuing to serve as trustees throughout. Paul’s eldest son Josh also took his father’s place on the board.

The Africa Trust works through implementing partner organisations on the ground and helps these partners to grow and develop their capacity. These partner organisations employ dozens of highly qualified and committed staff who have been working with The Africa Trust since it was founded. Some key people include: Henry, who heads the entrepreneurial programme in Zimbabwe and his counterpart Tamara who heads a similar, but larger programme in Malawi and Lovemore, who leads the water and sanitation programme in Zimbabwe. Their hard work along with their colleagues has helped The Africa Trust grow to have a hugely positive impact on the lives of millions of people, lifting them out of poverty.