We were honoured that Cherie Blair QC, President of the Loomba Trust launched the Trust at a gala dinner in Johannesburg in South Africa on 23rd October 2006. His Excellency Paul Boateng, British High Commissioner to South Africa, Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Group who is also Patron in Chief of the Loomba Trust, Founder Chairman Trustee, Raj Loomba and Trustees The Rt Hon Lord Dholakia, Mrs. Shamin Lalji and Mrs Veena Loomba graced the occasion with their presence.

On the same day, the Loomba Trust teamed up with Virgin Unite, an independent charitable arm of the Virgin Group founded by Sir Richard Branson to partner with Starfish Greathearts Foundation to run a capacity-building programme for five community-based organisations that will benefit 1,500 HIV/AIDS affected children in South Africa. The partnership was officially launched at the Masibambane Community Care and Support centre in Lawley and it was attended by 300 children as well as Sir Richard Branson, Cherie Blair QC and Raj Loomba.

With the funding by Virgin Unite and the Loomba Trust, Starfish Greatheart Foundation aims to ensure that these five CBOs have the capacity to absorb the growing numbers of orphans within their communities, by providing them with organisational capacity-building and orphaned and vulnerable child training. This methodology will not only ensure that all of the children's basic needs are met, but it will also enable Starfish to reach out to more children across the country, achieving the economies of scale which are so desperately required in South Africa.

The Loomba Trust supports young widows and youths in Kenya, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in association with Youth Business International, a charity of HRH The Prince of Wales.

The Loomba Trust started working with Youth Business International to establish a significant programme of support for young widows and youths in there three countries in March 2007. Under the programme, known as the Loomba Entrepreneur Programme, the YBI will support orphans, widows,single women and their children in starting new businesses by providing loans, one-to-one business monitoring and meeting other business related training and support needs.

Through this initiative, the Trust aims to set up businesses for over 160 entrepreneurs that will play a critical part in transforming the lives of many, who will now have a chance to succeed and fulfill their dreams. In addition to the entrepreneurs receiving loans and monitoring, many more will benefit from the jobs created by the businesses and from participating in related business awareness and training schemes that will form a part of the Loomba Entrepreneur Programme.

Following the successful launch of this programme activity, YBI and The Loomba Trust hope to establish a multi-year partnership that will enable the support of a number of YBPs around the world.