Today’s Students.
Tomorrow’s Leaders.
Inkululeko in Depth
Our Organization
We believe in the transformative power of education.
It’s not just a tagline for us; it’s a fundamental part of our identity.
In a nation just over two decades into democracy, we know that the success of the next two decades relies on equipping capable, educated agents of change.
Those agents of tomorrow?
They’re in our classroom today.
Inkululeko’s mission is to provide South African township youth with the skills, support and guidance necessary to apply, attend and succeed in university; to challenge the bigotry of low expectations for township youth; and to provide sustainable, positive change; student-by-student, generation-by-generation.
The organization is structured to be heavily woven into the local community it serves. Inkululeko works with the Makhanda community to identify challenges and opportunities in education and works within existing frameworks and systems to address those challenges and capitalize upon those opportunities. Qualified staff with knowledge of the local culture are hired from the township to help lead key Inkululeko initiatives. The Board of Directors is made up of citizens from a wide variety of backgrounds from both the USA and South Africa.
Inkululeko enjoys robust collaborations with Rhodes University Office of Community Engagement and Social Development to obtain high-quality tutors to work one-on-one with Inkululeko youth. It is also collaborating with other non-profit entities in Makhanda that work with children to share ideas, resources and insight.
Inkululeko has also collaborated extensively with Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, New Jersey, Oxford University in the United Kingdom as well as student and faculty volunteers working in Makhanda.
Our Values and Guiding Principles
Inkululeko recognizes that every person has the right to pursue a high-quality education that prepares them for university, or to enter a career field of their choice.
Inkululeko recognizes that socio-economic disparities are entrenched as a result of the aftermath of apartheid. These socio-economic disparities can be combated with education and the opportunity it brings by allowing youth—born in a new, democratic South Africa—to pursue their dreams of higher education and provide for themselves and their families.
Inkululeko believes that impoverished people are impoverished—not inherently unable to succeed. Providing opportunities, support and praise for people to pursue their education can have a monumental impact on how people view themselves, and in turn, how they view what is possible in their own lives.
Social Enterprise
The Inkululeko social enterprise unit in Makhanda, South Africa launched in early 2016, thanks to seed funding from the John Ben Snow Memorial Trust. The Rotary Club of Makhanda and Ntsika Secondary also supported the unit by donating a large storage container we’re repurposing as a home base for a portion of our social enterprise work. Since that time, the unit has been supported by The Learning Trust as well as the Dewan Family Foundation.
The idea for this social enterprise unit came out of a collaborative entrepreneurship course with the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.
Common Ground Café
Over the last several years,we have been excited to expand our social enterprise. Prior to the opening of Common Ground, there were very limited opportunities for young people to engage, positively, in the environment they live in.
While there are many bars, there are no playgrounds. While there are many liquor stores, there are few cafés.
The township community we operate in is laden with untapped potential. Having a safe, inviting space for young people – and created by young people – to come, have (sober and drug free) fun while playing a board game, participating in a soccer tournament, or going online are badly needed in the community we operate in.
Common Ground is designed to:
Build community
Increase opportunities for healthy, outdoor activities
Contribute to a more equitable Makhanda
Create a space to build business skills
Make our organization sustainable