Fund Life-Changing Education for 201 African Kids

Hello Friends, Supporters from around the world!

Can you believe it’s already been three months since my last update? Time really does fly, and in that time so much has been happening here at our little school in Cape Town. I’m so grateful to share this journey with you as you’re part of every single milestone we reach.

One of the most amazing things lately has been seeing our women’s empowerment team using the school space. Suddenly, our classrooms aren’t just for children they’ve become a space where women in the community come to learn, grow, and support one another. This has always been part of our vision: not just to be a school, but a true community hub. To see it finally happening has been a dream come true.

At the same time, our children are hard at work. Right now, we’re running a big stationery and supplies drive and we're buying everything from pencils and exercise books to art materials and science kits for the rest of 2025. It’s a huge expense of 52,000 ZAR (about $2,800 USD), which works out to around 370 ZAR ($20 USD) per child ( I love to break it down like this as I feel we can do it when you look at it this way! )

And then, of course, there’s our Grade 7s, our original “OGs.” They were the very first group of little ones who walked into our Grade R class all those years ago. Now, they’re preparing for exams and getting ready to graduate at the end of this year. Our first-ever class to move on to secondary school! It’s emotional, exciting, and honestly a little overwhelming for all of us. Their success is proof that this dream of affordable, quality education in the township is working.

We’re still battling, though. Each month we face a $3,300 shortfall just to keep the doors open, and while we’ve had some amazing donations over the last few months, the worry never quite goes away. The big hope is that by May 2026, our government registration will come through, and from that point on, the school will be 100% financially stable. That day, when we can finally say “we did it,” is what keeps us pushing through the tough moments and a smle on our face.

Of course, we’ve also had challenges with security. We know upgrades are needed, but right now we’re pouring everything into education and salaries. Security improvements will come when we can afford them. It's a tough decision as we really understand how important it is to keep everyone safe however we can't fail now and so we must prioritise our tasks ahead. 

And now, as summer approaches, there’s something that has the children absolutely buzzing as we’ve invited national rugby players and a rugby foundation to our school on 27th November to launch our very first mixed rugby team! We don’t yet have the resources to add sport to the curriculum, but we’re working on raising $200 a month to hire a coach and $600 for equipment to get started and so far we're raised 35% of this.

After that, the big dream is to raise enough for a school bus so the children can actually travel to play games. I can already imagine the pride on their faces when they put on their kit and step onto the field as a team.

So, that’s where we are right now: celebrating the wins, working hard on today’s challenges, and holding tight to some big, beautiful dreams for tomorrow. None of this would be possible without you. Every single smile, every achievement, every hopeful dream, they’re all thanks to your kindness and belief in us.

We hope you enjoyed our little update and remember if you ever in Cape Town do come and visit us and I really hope our update puts a smile on your face as we couldn't do it without you! 

Thank You,

Tyrone

Dear Friends,

We are excited to share the progress at our Primary School as we work towards creating a safe, supportive, and impactful learning environment for our children. With your generous support, we’ve been able to accomplish a great deal over the years, but there is still much to be done to ensure that we continue to grow sustainably and meet the needs of our students.

Key Updates and Developments:

1. Expansion of Community Programs:
   In addition to our core mission of providing quality education, We're now offers a space for community programs focused on women’s empowerment. In partnership with another program and Action Change we're started offering sewing classes to help local women gain skills and earn a livelihood, further contributing to the development of the surrounding community.

2. Grade 7 Class Opening:
   A generous donation allowed us to build and open a new Grade 7 classroom, which welcomed its first cohort of students in January 2025 under the leadership of Ms. Jacobs. This marks a huge milestone for the school, as we are now a fully functioning primary school, providing education from Grade R through Grade 7 - it's finally offical! We started with these grade 7's back in the early days when they joined our first ever Grade R class and by adding a class each year these original students moved up they have begain their last year of primary school education - we did it with your help!!!

3. Improvements to School Grounds:
   Our students have been actively involved in the beautification of the school grounds by planting plants and working to make their environment more welcoming. This effort is not only about aesthetics but also about instilling a sense of ownership and pride in their school.

4. Financial Sustainability and Shortfall:
   Through careful budgeting and forecasting, we’ve identified a monthly funding shortfall of 65,000 ZAR (approximately $3,300 USD). This gap is challenging, but we’re committed to finding ways to raise the necessary funds to ensure the school’s continued operation and success and we're planning to reach out to corporates, alumni, grant opportunities and look at running some exciting fudraisers. We actually did our first local quiz night that was a great success.

5. Urgent Need for School Security:
   A critical priority for us is raising 1.1 million ZAR (approximately $56,000 USD) to build a secure perimeter wall around the entire school. Over the past few years, the school has experienced break-ins and gang-related incidents, and the safety of both our students and staff is a top concern. The wall will provide essential protection for the school and give everyone peace of mind, we know it's not the most exciting thing to donate too but it is really important to us.

6. Plans for Classroom Expansion:
   We are also planning to build two new classrooms over the next 2-3 years to accommodate the growing number of students. The estimated cost for this project is 2 million ZAR (approximately $100,000 USD), and we are actively seeking funding to make this a reality.

7. Re-Zoning for Government Recognition:
   Another exciting development is that Bhongolethu Primary is working to become officially recognized by the government as a full primary school. To do so, we need to re-zone the property, which involves preparing land plans and completing a lengthy process that will take 12-18 months and cost approximately 300,000 ZAR (around $15,000 USD). This step is crucial as it will allow us to access government funding, which will help alleviate our financial shortfall.

Looking Ahead:
As we continue our work, the next steps for Bhongolethu Primary School will focus on:

• Raising funds to fill the monthly shortfall and ensuring the continued operation of the school.

• Prioritizing the security wall to safeguard our students and staff.

• Funding Breakfast for all our students daily to help them stay alert and active to learn

• Expanding our classroom space to accommodate future growth and ensure every child has access to a safe and quality learning environment.

• Completing the re-zoning process so that we can access government funding to support our programs and infrastructure.

We remain incredibly grateful for your continued support and believe that with your help, we can achieve these goals. Together, we are creating a brighter future for the children of our Primary School and the community as a whole.

Thank you for your dedication and generosity. With your help, we will continue to make a lasting impact.

Sincerely,

Ty