We are deeply saddened by First Sentier Group’s recent announcement regarding the transition of the majority of Stewart Investors’ investment responsibilities to another investment team within the group.

As our founder, Stewart Investors has been the Maitri Trust’s sole donor for nearly twenty years.  Inevitably, this transition has significant implications for our future income and, in turn, our long-term plans.  In light of this, we are taking time to fully consider what this means for Maitri’s future, and the role we want to play in the years ahead.

What this means for our partners in the short term

We understand the importance of stability for our grantees and co-funders.  Our immediate priority is understanding the implications for our programme work and communicating those clearly to our partners over the coming weeks and months.  We ask that you please bear with us as we work through some of those questions with our trustees.  We will continue to liaise directly with our partners as soon as we are able to provide more clarity.

A note of thanks

We are deeply grateful to our Stewart Investors family for almost two decades of support.  Their generosity has extended far beyond funding, through the time, guidance and care offered by trustees, colleagues and friends.  Their commitment to giving back to communities all those years ago has led to considerable social impact, first through a wide range of global projects, and latterly through our focused work to improve education for millions of children in India and South Africa.  We are so proud of all that has been – and continues to be – achieved through their unwavering commitment to Maitri and our partners.

We also want to thank our partners and wider community for their patience and understanding as we navigate the road ahead.  We are committed to working through this period with care, and to keeping our community informed.

Luke Aspinall, CEO