Recreating education outcomes for communities in South Africa
The staff at the Zolile Malindi Centre, Mfuleni are committed to embedding lasting change for young people in the wider locality, according to Carole Day, Afrika Tikkun’s UK CEO. "We are not an island here. We want to be a part of the community."
I joined a group of Stonehage Fleming visitors on a bright sunny morning to visit the Afrika Tikkun centre, which sits at the centre of a spawling township, and aims to rewrite the possibilities open to the young people in the local area.
We sat in on a welcome session at the Bambanani Early Childhood Development Centre. The foundation of Afrika Tikkun’s Cradle‑to‑Career 360° model, Bambanani nurtures the most critical learning years (0-6) provided a space of safety, care, and structured early education.
“Their enthusiasm is infectious,” says Carole. “You can’t spend a day here without leaving inspired and renewed.”
Walking through the wider centre reveals spaces designed with intention. There are therapeutic areas where, says Carole, children can "open up and be themselves"; a kitchen producing fresh meals four times a day; a technology hub, a bicycle shed with 65 bicycles maintained with religious precision; and gardens where young children learn mathematics through harvesting crops.
“There are many organisations that offer education,” centre manager, Lizo tells me. “But there are few that try to take care of everything.”
The community hub began as a soup kitchen in 2009, since when it has grown to be a model of integrated youth development. The transformation began when community leaders made a bold decision: to shift from feeding adults to investing in the futures of children. With seed funding connected to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the centre built its first facilities in October 2011 and opened classrooms by May 2012. Today, it operates six classrooms serving 3–6-year-olds and comprehensive after-school programs for students through grade 12.
“You cannot underestimate the brightness of the young people coming through these doors,” explains Lizo. “All they need is opportunity.”
That much is evident from their dedication to following a robust curriculum. The organisation received support in the development of the Bamba App—a multilingual, assessment-driven learning platform designed specifically for South African curricula but signed off by the Finnish government. Rather than viewing each child's struggle as individual failure, the system identifies classroom-wide challenges, allowing teachers to adjust instruction collectively.
Outreach from external organisations has been instrumental in keeping things going. Capitec has supported Afrika Tikkun towards their Early Childhood Development centres in the community. Their contributions have meant that Afrika Tikkun has the capacity to help local schools with infrastructure development and teacher training.
“Our work goes beyond the children,” says Lizo. “It is about enriching the community as a whole.”
It is no wonder the centre maintains high retention rates. Yet the centre struggles with accessibility with many programmes operating at near-capacity, creating waiting lists. Leadership is exploring sustainability through white-labelled apps, partnerships with private schools, and social enterprise models.
The question of sustaining their impact is a question many non-profits continue to wrestle with. At the Zolile Malindi Centre, the answer appears rooted not only in scaling, but in deepening relationships, community trust, and belief that every child deserves to belong.
“Partnerships and supporter visits to our centres play a crucial role in strengthening our organisation through shared learning and collaboration.” Says Carole “It creates an ongoing dialogue and enables us to review the work we do and forward plan. We are deeply grateful to our partners for taking the time to visit, engage with our teams, and gain a true understanding of the impact we strive to make.”
Stonehage Fleming is a long-term supporter of Afrika Tikkun in South Africa, who engage with young people in disadvantaged communities, empowering them to learn and grow through non-formal education and learning. For more information, visit the website here: https://afrikatikkun.org/