Education South Africa Project #74919

Bursary Initiative: Bursaries for deaf learners

by Eduplex NPC

Bursary Initiative: Bursaries for deaf learners

Project Report | Oct 7, 2026
Bursary Initiative: Bursaries for deaf learners

By Liesel Basson | Head: Marketing & Fundraising

Head Boy of Eduplex

GlobalGiving Project Report

Eduplex Empowerment & Bursary Initiative: Bursaries for Deaf Learners

Reporting period: June – September 2026

Organisation: Eduplex NPC
Project: Eduplex Empowerment & Bursary Initiative

1. Project Overview

The Eduplex Empowerment & Bursary Initiative provides comprehensive educational, therapeutic and technological support to deaf learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. The programme was established in response to the significant barriers faced by deaf children in South Africa, including limited access to quality education, specialised support services, appropriate hearing technology and healthcare.

The project aims to ensure that deaf learners are able to participate meaningfully in an inclusive mainstream educational environment alongside their hearing peers.

The bursary programme is designed to provide 40 deaf learners with the support they require to develop academically, socially and personally, while bui lding the listening and spoken-language skills necessary for greater independence and future opportunities.

2. Support Provided During the Reporting Period

During the reporting period, the project continued to provide full educational support to the participating bursary learners, together with specialised therapeutic and audiological services.

Support included:

School tuition costs;
Aftercare support;
Registration Fees;
Nutritious meals;
Speech therapy and Auditory-Verbal Therapy (AVT);
Parent guidance and support;
Audiological services;
Maintenance and support of hearing aids and cochlear implants;
Hearing assessments and hearing-aid verification;
Earmolds and hearing-aid batteries where required; and
Cochlear-implant-related support and mapping as needed.

3. Beneficiaries Reached

During the reporting period:

Indicator Result

Bursary learners supported 40

Learners receiving full educational support 40

Learners receiving speech therapy / AVT 40

Learners receiving audiological services 40

The 40 deaf bursary learners supported are beneficiaries of the programme. The program is intended to enable deaf children to learn alongside hearing peers while developing the communication, academic and social skills required for greater independence.

4. Progress and Impact

A major area of progress during this reporting period was the continued provision of specialised speech and language intervention.

Speech therapy services were provided consistently throughout the four-month period, with individual learners receiving sessions.

The project also continued to address practical educational and technology-related needs. These expenses included occupational therapy, educational support, examination-related costs, hearing-device components and maintenance, additional learner assistance, catering and transport-related support.

This integrated approach is important because the barriers experienced by deaf learners are not limited to hearing loss itself. Access to appropriate technology, therapy, education, nutrition and family support all contribute to a learner's ability to participate fully in school.

5. Financial Summary

The Audiology expenditure recorded for the period is presented below:

Expenditure category (Audiology Services)

June July August September Total

Speech therapy $1,402.33 $1,488.18 $3,663.22 $3,119.46 $9,673.20

Other educational expenses $ 263.90 $386.51 $1,590.01 $2,309.04 $4,549.45

Total based on monthly entries $1,666.22 $1.874.69 $5,253.23 $5,425.50 $14,222.65

The Education expenditure recorded for the period is presented below:

Expenditure category (Education Services)

Pre-School Primary School High School Total

Registration Fees (Once Off) $815,83

School Fees (Annually) $27,333.00 $121,100.00 $76,000.00 $224,433

After Care Fees (Annually) $3,528.00 $18,667.00 $0 $22,195

Total $30,861.00 $139,767.00 $76,000.00 $247,443.83

6. Significant Achievements

Several important achievements were recorded during the reporting period:

Continued access to specialised education for 40 deaf learners

All 40 bursary learners continued to receive full educational support, reducing the financial barriers that might otherwise prevent them from accessing quality inclusive education.

Continued access to speech and language intervention

Fourty learners received speech therapy/AVT. This is particularly significant within the Eduplex model, which places strong emphasis on listening and spoken-language development.

Continued audiological support

Fourty received audiological services, helping to ensure that hearing technology and related interventions remain aligned with individual learner needs.

Provision of essential educational and technology-related support

Additional expenditure supported learners with educational, therapeutic and hearing-related needs, including technology components, occupational therapy, additional assistance and other educational requirements.

Strengthening inclusion and learner independence

The programme continued to support deaf learners within an inclusive mainstream educational environment. The long-term objective is not simply school attendance, but enabling learners to develop the communication, academic and social skills necessary to become increasingly independent.

7. Challenges

The need for comprehensive support remains significant. Deaf learners from disadvantaged backgrounds can face multiple barriers simultaneously, including the cost of specialised education, hearing technology, therapy and other support services. Many bursary families have limited financial resources, making continued donor support essential to maintaining the full package of services required by each learner.

8. Conclusion

The Eduplex Empowerment & Bursary Initiative continues to make a direct and meaningful difference in the lives of deaf learners who might otherwise face significant barriers to quality education and specialised support.

The continued partnership and support of GlobalGiving donors enables Eduplex to provide more than access to a school place. It enables deaf children to receive the education, therapy, technology and support they need to participate fully, develop confidence and work towards independent and fulfilling futures.

Bursary Deaf Learners - Primary School

Links:

Attachments:

Project Report document (PDF)

3 Attachments

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Jun 15, 2026
Eduplex is transforming Lives for Deaf Learners

By Liesel Basson | Head: Marketing & Fundraising

300 Deaf Learners whose lives were changed

Thanks to the generosity of our GlobalGiving donors, 40 deaf learners from disadvantaged communities continue to receive comprehensive bursary support through the Eduplex Empowerment & Bursary Initiative. Your contributions are enabling these children to access an inclusive mainstream education that would otherwise be beyond their families' financial reach.

Each bursary provides far more than school fees. During this reporting period, your support covered:

Specialized education,
Auditory-verbal therapy,
Speech therapy,
Hearing aid and cochlear implant maintenance,
Annual hearing assessments,
Batteries and earmolds,
School uniforms,
Aftercare & extracurricular activities &educational outings
Two nutritious meals each school day. For many of our learners, who begin travellingto school as early as 04:30 each morning.

Throughout the reporting period, all 40 bursary recipients participated fully in classroom learning alongside their hearing peers within Eduplex's internationally recognized model of inclusion. By learning in an environment where deaf and hearing children thrive together, our learners continue to build confidence, independence, strong communication skills, and meaningful friendships.

One learner, whom we will call Thabo to protect his privacy, illustrates the impact of your support. When he first arrived at Eduplex, communication challenges affected both his confidence and academic participation. Through consistent auditory-verbal therapy, access to well-maintained hearing technology, individualized classroom support, and encouragement from teachers and classmates, Thabo has made remarkable progress. Today he actively participates in classroom discussions, confidently presents projects to his peers, and has become an enthusiastic member of group learning activities. His journey demonstrates how early intervention, specialized support, and true inclusion can transform a child's future.

Beyond supporting learners in the classroom, your generosity has strengthened families as well. Parents and caregivers continued to receive ongoing guidance and coaching from our therapy team, equipping them with practical strategies to reinforce listening and spoken language development at home. This partnership between school and family extends learning beyond the classroom and helps ensure lasting progress.

Every contribution made through GlobalGiving is helping remove barriers that often prevent deaf children in South Africa from accessing quality education. Together, you are providing children with the opportunity to achieve academically, develop independence, prepare for meaningful employment, and participate fully in their communities.

Your generosity has provided much more than financial support, it has opened doors to education, communication, confidence, and independence for 40 deaf children. Your continued partnership is changing lives, one learner, one family, and one future at a time.

On behalf of our learners, families, teachers, and therapists, thank you for being part of this journey and you for believing in the potential of every deaf child.

Together, we are transforming lives through inclusive education.

With sincere gratitude,

Eduplex NPC

Links:

Attachments:

Project Report document (PDF)

2 Attachments

Permalink

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