Education South Africa Project #61336

Prepare South African Teens to Succeed in School

by Infinite Family

Prepare South African Teens to Succeed in School

Project Report | Mar 10, 2025
2024 Impact Statement

By Amy Stokes | Founder, President and CEO

Net Buddy's first mentoring session, January 2025

As always, the most important metrics of Infinite Family's success - in preparing teens to succeed in school, work, and life – are indicated in: the number of Net Buddies that choose to stay in high school to the end of 12^th Grade; the academic results they achieve; and the opportunities they lead to afterwards. Your support in 2024 made sure our Net Buddies finished last year strong and knew where to come to keep their education on track when school started this January.

Your generous support strengthened 243 teens in Alexandra, Khayelitsha, and Soweto townships, and positively influenced more than 900 of their friends and family members when they shared skills they learned at Infinite Family. Among our 12^th graders, 9 out of 13 qualified for university studies; two will start at vocational tech colleges, and two will take the opportunity to rewrite some of their exams to improve their scores. These are more impressive results than many better-resourced state schools in affluent parts of the country!

In addition, you provided:

4,300 mentoring sessions;

7,300 learning activities that improved English, education and employment skills; and

4,245 hours of tech-supported homework and research.

For a quick summary of the impact your time and money are having on young lives, click here.

Given the terribly underinvested states of South African government schools, the boost you give to our teens makes a very real difference in their ability to succeed in high school and beyond!

You know by now how essential every one of your generous donations are to Infinite Family. Without you, there could be:

No mentorship program to let our teens know they are not alone in their personal and academic struggles and that their futures matter.

No LaunchPads to provide a safe space for conscientious youngsters to access the internet and study in peace.

Little prospect of staying in school and doing well enough to win a prized place at university and build a brighter, financially independent future for themselves and their families.

You are, quite literally, our lifeblood and our heartfelt gratitude is not enough to convey how thankful we are to have you in our Infinite Family. Click here for a full list of our 2024 Donors and Sponsors.

I hope this update reminds you of the vital role you play in young African lives every single day and how deeply grateful I am for your help building a future where all teens can prepare to succeed, thank you.

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Nov 26, 2024
Thankful to be Mad for Math(s)

By Amy Stokes | Founder, President and CEO

Success in Math

November is the most nerve-wracking time of the year for Infinite Family's Net Buddies as they wrap up their year-end exams. It is also when we begin to reflect on the progress our teens have made during the school year. With thanks in our hearts, we know it is the generous support of our precious donors and sponsors that carries them through, with strength and smiles.

Picture the scene last week when 15-year old Lwando* bounded excitedly into our Alexandra LaunchPad after his year-end Grade 9 Math exam. He’s new to our Infinite Family program, only joining in January this year, and when Program Director Zoleka Petse got him to calm down enough to speak clearly, he beamed that the test was ‘good’ and ‘he was sure he’d done well’.

Click here to let him tell you all about it.

While Lwando’s success was no surprise to us, it is a very new feeling for him. This is a critical time in his high school journey as Grade 9 is an exit point for many teens, who are allowed (and often pressured by their families) to drop out of school after these final exams. An astonishing 60% take that option in order to find work and support their families.

In communities where the majority of adults are un- or under-employed, ‘alternative’ means of making money are rife. When students are not in school, they must constantly navigate the temptations of streetside gambling (impromptu dice tables are on every corner), inducements to join a gang, and other situations that can pull on the insecurities of bored teens. Click here to see a slice of township life that highlights exactly why your support for Infinite Family's LaunchPads is so important. With negative influences at every turn, it takes all of us to keep our teens on track toward the stability and security that a job provides.

Thanks to the support and encouragement from his weekly video calls with Jeremy, his mentor in New York, Lwando will be back in January to start Grade 10 and to continue building a better future for himself. He currently sees himself pursuing a career in IT just like Jeremy!

Stats show that students who stay in school until the end of Grade 12 have 5 times more earning power than those who drop out earlier. We are deeply grateful for your commitment to our Infinite Family that keeps our teens in school and prepares them to succeed!

* Note: Photos and quotes are all real Infinite Family Net Buddies. For their safety, we change the names and images to protect the identities of minor-aged teens.

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Jul 26, 2024
Making a Daily Difference

By Amy Stokes | Founder, President and CEO

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