ACT is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the upliftment of disadvantaged and underprivileged children, founded by Mike Nunn and Preston Haskell as a focused vehicle for their combined charitable endeavours in Africa.

Board of Trustees

Mike Nunn (co-founder and Chairman of Board of Trustees)

Mike is a South African mining entrepreneur who is Founder and Chairman of the Amari Group, which is a holding company with investments focused in sub-Saharan Africa through Amari Resources and Amari Land. Amari Resources is a venture capital exploration and mine development business with investments in base metals, precious metals, energy and mining services throughout Southern Africa. Amari Land is a large-scale land development business with investments in major ‘city’ type projects adjoining international airports in both South Africa and the DRC.

Amongst previous achievements in the resources sector, Mike is recognised as the pioneer of the global tanzanite industry. As the founder and former CEO of TanzaniteOne Ltd he developed a grassroots tanzanite exploration project into the world’s leading miner and marketer of tanzanite. Through various marketing initiatives he evolved tanzanite from a relatively unknown esoteric gemstone to mainstream in prime markets such as the USA. Mike moved on from the tanzanite industry in early 2006 to concentrate his time on the development of the Amari Group. 

Until the formation of ACT Mike’s charitable efforts were primarily focused around assisting the Maasai community, specifically their children, in the areas surrounding the tanzanite mining areas. This was done through the Tanzanite Foundation, which Mike founded as the tanzanite industry’s charitable organisation responsible for social upliftment and development, as well as assuring tanzanite’s ethical route to market.

Mike founded ACT together with his friend and business partner Preston Haskell, with the objective of creating a single organised and focused channel for their combined charitable endeavours in Africa.

Preston Haskell (co-founder and member of Board of Trustees)

Preston is a Moscow based investor who is the founder and major shareholder of Colliers International with offices throughout the former USSR (Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, Latvia and Estonia). He is a partner with Forum Properties, one of Moscow’s most successful office developers, and has developed over 150,000 sq m of prime office space in downtown Moscow, retaining a large portfolio of commercial properties including several award winning developments.
 
Preston serves as a member of the Board of Fleming Family and Partners Real Estate Development Fund and is a partner of the management company FF&P Real Estate Advisory Holdings. He is the Founder and Non Executive Chairman of Office Solutions Group, CEO of Central Asia Gold, a Swedish listed mining company focused on gold production in Eastern Siberia and Mongolia, Co Founder and Chairman of AMARI Land International and is a shareholder and member of the Board of Directors of Amari Resources.

Preston has long supported charities such as Down Side Up, Operation Smile, The Maggi Foundation; Mercy Corps and the Gorbacheva Foundation. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Happy Hearts Fund. Preston has a long association with Africa, particularly South Africa where he owns Monate Game Lodge and Haskell Vinyards.

Preston, who co-founded ACT with his friend and business partner Mike Nunn, is committed to supporting and developing ACT into a meaningful and powerful charitable organisation that will positively touch the lives of many African children.

Directors

Sarah Cort

Sarah was the Managing Director of the Tanzanite Foundation from 2002 until mid-2009. The Tanzanite Foundation is a non-profit, industry-supported organisation that was established with the aim of placing social responsibility at the heart of all its industry practices, encouraging an ethical route to market and the development of a tanzanite industry free from exploitation, as well as ensuring that local Tanzanian communities share in the rewards that the tanzanite industry earns.

Projects that Sarah championed included the building of the Nasinyai Primary School, which educates 420 children; the Nasinyai Secondary School which educates 250 learners; staff accommodation; the construction of a medi-clinic and a much valued community centre. Also, the daily provision of fresh water supply for 2000 villagers and 4500 heads of cattle. Sarah’s environmental rehabilitation projects have encouraged the return of flora, fauna and prolific bird and wildlife to former mining areas.

Sarah is a Director and Project Manager for ACT, is involved in projects in the DRC and is spearheading its activities in Zimbabwe. Sarah’s passion for Africa and love of children propelled her to join ACT.

Daleen van Wyk

Daleen started her career at Eskom as a Graduate-in-Training, later to become the Senior Trading Risk Advisor for the Treasury Department. Since then she has occupied other senior positions including that of Project Manager for the AIETES Trust, Management Accountant for AST, Accountant for Paarl Valley Bottling as well as member of the Senior Management team.

Daleen is passionate about making a real difference and has offered her time and effort tirelessly to ACT.

Daleen is a Director and Project Manager for ACT and has been involved with projects in the DRC and Cradle City. A loving mother of three boys, Daleen has found ACT to be the vehicle through which she is able to fulfil her desires to assist disadvantaged children in Africa.