The Amy Biehl Foundation
Upon reflecting on their daughter's life, Linda
and Peter Biehl concluded that the most significant way they could
commemorate Amy's dedication to ensuring human rights and racial
justice in South Africa was to continue her work of empowering
disadvantaged communities. The Biehls soon established the Amy
Biehl Foundation (ABF) in the United States and the Amy Biehl
Foundation Trust (ABFT) in South Africa. ABFT's work with and
for disadvantaged black and colored communities exemplifies the
Biehls' mission of weaving a barrier against violence.
In 1997, Peter and Linda Biehl decided to travel
to South Africa to participate in the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission (TRC) process, chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
The TRC was established after the end of apartheid to address
gross violations of human rights and to make public the truth
about those past injustices in order for the nation to help heal
the wounds of racial oppression. The TRC maintained the power
to grant amnesty to citizens who confessed to politically motivated
crimes during the apartheid era.
Due to their daughter's belief in the importance
of restorative justice, the Biehls supported amnesty for the perpetrators
of Amy's murder. Two of the young men granted amnesty for their
crime now work as employees of the Community Baking Trust in Cape
Town, delivering loaves of Amy's Bread: The Bread of Hope and
Peace.
ABFT administers community-based and primarily youth-oriented
programs in 6 areas: education; health and safety; employment
skills and microenterprise development; environment; arts and
music; and recreation. ABFT believes that providing consistent
access to activities and training in the above sectors will contribute
towards positive youth development and a decreased juvenile crime
rate. ABFT programming has increasingly expanded to serve adults,
under the principle that healthy youth entails healthy families
and communities. It currently manages some 20 programs.
The trust is funded by a 4-year $1.9 million grant
from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID);
private donations from the United States and South Africa; and
South African corporate sponsorship. ABFT also coordinates with
South African governmental agencies and other non-profit organizations
to maximize the positive impact of its programs. The trust's many
partnerships allow the organization to carry on what many employees
refer to as "Amy's magic," the linkages that support community
revitalization and allow citizens to fulfil South Africa's promise
as an emerging democracy.
The Amy Biehl
Foundation - www.amybiehl.org
