Fund Great Schools For Low Income Kids Worldwide

In March 2014, EdVillage expanded its work with Vuleka Schools, a growing network of primary and secondary schools that serve low-income children from townships in Johannesburg, South Africa. Working closely with Vuleka’s Managing Director, Mrs. Melanie Sharland, our team led a two-day school leadership workshop for her principals, offered a teacher development module for 50 educators (inspired by the work of Doug Lemov in Teach Like A Champion), conducted a full school review of Vuleka St. Michaels, and met with the central office’s fundraising team. These four activities are aspects of our EdImprovement work in South Africa.

A member of the Vuleka team wrote in an email to EdVillage CEO, Allison Rouse, “We have been so blessed to have you and your team at our Vuleka Schools over the last two weeks.  You have given us inspiration and new techniques to work with.”

Vuleka Schools began as a project in 1989 enrolling 59 black South African children. It was created as “a response to the crisis in black education during the apartheid years.” Vuleka was designed to prepare previously disadvantaged children for the rigors of selective private schools that were historically for white students only. Since its founding 25 year ago, Vuleka has grown from 4 classrooms to a network of 9 schools ranging from Early Childhood Centers to a nationally recognized High School enrolling over 1,000 students between the ages of 3 and 19. You can learn more about Vuleka Schools at: www.vuleka.co.za.

Our EdImprovement work is focused on helping Vuleka Schools, 1) improve the quality of the outstanding education they already provide and, 2) scale their impact by serving more students and creating new schools. We leverage the expertise of our staff, consultants, and volunteer instructional leaders from South Africa, the United States, and around the world to accomplish our goals.

A new EdVillage team member, Dr. Joanna Paul wrote, “This multi-faceted trip to South Africa was one of the most rewarding professional experiences that I have had in recent years. Our focus on conducting school reviews, training local review teams and delivering school improvement workshops provided me with the opportunity to learn new skills and practice or hone familiar skills in a new context with a new team.”

EdVillage is excited about our work with Vuleka Schools. In 2014, we plan to support a greater number of public schools through partnerships with districts, the national department of education, and corporate foundations. Stay tuned for more updates!

And, thank you for your interest and support.