Kim Feinberg
Encyclopedia
Kim Feinberg is a community organizer and philanthropic worker. She is best known as the founder of Tomorrow Trust, an organization that educates children in South Africa
who have been orphaned by AIDS
, apartheid, and poverty. In 2003 she was elected a Fellow by Ashoka: Innovators for the Public
.
. She was raised in a Jewish
household. In 1993 she attended a showing of the seminal movie Schindler's List
, which deeply moved her and motivated her to begin an oral-history project
to capture personal histories of Holocaust survivors and witnesses for the Shoah Foundation
. Inspired by her work, she started the Foundation for Education Tolerance, which spreads awareness of global atrocities to young people.
Her volunteer work led her to the Topsy Foundation, a South African organization which works to combat the deleterious effects of HIV/AIDS. Many of that disease's victims are children, which caused Feinberg to tell herself, "I must do something. I'd been part of the biggest oral history project in the world and yet no one had heard the voices of these kids." Her decision was to create the Tomorrow Publication. She gathered the stories of several orphans and collated them into a book, which drew upon the talents of several of the children in writing and drawing portions of the book. Most of the profits raised by sales of the book went into the Tomorrow Trust.
Feinberg has two children, a son and a daughter.
Tomorrow Trust is funded by corporations invested in producing quality graduates. Students who complete the program score higher on competency tests than the general public. They are required to pay back 10% of their salary for two years after graduation.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
who have been orphaned by AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, apartheid, and poverty. In 2003 she was elected a Fellow by Ashoka: Innovators for the Public
Ashoka: Innovators for the Public
Ashoka: Innovators for the Public is a nonprofit organization based in Arlington, VA, supporting the field of social entrepreneurship. Ashoka was founded by Bill Drayton in 1981 to identify and support leading social entrepreneurs through a Social Venture Capital approach with the goal of...
.
Early life
Feinberg grew up in a broken home of limited financial means in apartheid South Africa, gaining a background in the performing artsPerforming arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
. She was raised in a Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
household. In 1993 she attended a showing of the seminal movie Schindler's List
Schindler's List
Schindler's List is a 1993 American film about Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg, and based on the novel Schindler's Ark...
, which deeply moved her and motivated her to begin an oral-history project
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
to capture personal histories of Holocaust survivors and witnesses for the Shoah Foundation
Shoah Foundation
Shoah foundations are organizations that are formed to further the remembrance of the Holocaust of World War II. There are currently two major foundations that are internationally active.-Major Shoah Foundations:...
. Inspired by her work, she started the Foundation for Education Tolerance, which spreads awareness of global atrocities to young people.
Her volunteer work led her to the Topsy Foundation, a South African organization which works to combat the deleterious effects of HIV/AIDS. Many of that disease's victims are children, which caused Feinberg to tell herself, "I must do something. I'd been part of the biggest oral history project in the world and yet no one had heard the voices of these kids." Her decision was to create the Tomorrow Publication. She gathered the stories of several orphans and collated them into a book, which drew upon the talents of several of the children in writing and drawing portions of the book. Most of the profits raised by sales of the book went into the Tomorrow Trust.
Feinberg has two children, a son and a daughter.
Tomorrow Trust
In 2005 Feinberg started the Tomorrow Trust, which promotes "hand-ups" rather than hand-outs. Rather than simply helping orphans survive, the trust focuses on integrating them into society. Feinberg's approach is considered innovative for its simplicity and applicability. She designed it intending for it to be replicable anywhere in the world. The approach is three-tiered, involving an oral history awareness campaign, private schooling during holiday periods, and connections with secondary education and training programs. The private schooling period includes education, nutritious food, comfortable housing, and classes on budgeting, critical-thinking, and team-building.Tomorrow Trust is funded by corporations invested in producing quality graduates. Students who complete the program score higher on competency tests than the general public. They are required to pay back 10% of their salary for two years after graduation.
Published work
- A Mother's Legacy, a photographic journal describing the experiences of mothers with HIV. 70% of the book's profits are donated to Tomorrow Trust.
- The Tomorrow Publication, an illustrated journal describing the experiences of orphans affected by HIV/AIDS. 75% of the book's profits are donated to Tomorrow Trust.