Synergistic Collaboration with Qhakaza Kukhanye Foundation
Inkululeko is collaborating and knowledge-sharing with Qhakaza Kukhanye Foundation, an organization with the mission of equipping youth from underserved communities with access and opportunities so that they may realize their potential.
QKF was established in July 2020 and is currently operating in Nomagqwathekane Comp Tech High School, in Bizana, Eastern Cape. Bizana is a medium sized rural town in the Alfred Nzo District.
Take a moment to learn about QKF and their leadership in a Q&A we had with Andiswa Mjuleka, Xola Asanda Debe, and Nandile Madikizela!
What is the mission of your organization and what are your goals for the future?
Our mission is to provide youth from underserved communities with access and opportunity to realise their full potential.
Our goal is to provide youth from underserved communities with access and opportunity so that they may realise their full potential and become successful. We do this by pursuing holistic development focusing on these three key areas:
- Academic development
- Social wellness
- Leadership and economic integration
We recognise that academic excellence and professional success are not only determined by the classroom environment. Socio-economic factors, family background, motivation and access to infrastructure also contribute and these factors must be addressed.
Who are the individuals you serve?
Our learners are from Nomagwathekana Comp Tech high school, in Bizana, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
How old are the learners?
Our learners are in grades 9-11 and the age range is 14-20 years old.
Where do your learners live?
Our learners all reside in Bizana, the same region as the school.
How many learners does your organization serve?
Our organisation currently serves 24 learners
What has been your greatest accomplishment throughout the development of your organization?
Nandile: Our greatest accomplishment has to be the relationship between our learners and their tutors, it has created a perfect environment for teaching and learning which has produced the best results. It has ultimately been the underway expansion of the program to other schools other than the one we are currently at.
Andiswa: Being able to empower learners through providing resources to assist with their academic and social development. Seeing learners have hope for a different and better future despite their circumstances has been the ultimate accomplishment.
What have been the greatest challenges and how did you overcome them?
Xola: The greatest challenge we have faced as an organisation is discovering the extent of socio-economic challenges faced by learners and how these challenges affect their outcomes. Before one can see the positive impact in learner performance there is a myriad of challenges which need to be overcome prior. As an organisation, we have had to shift our focus to have a strong inclination towards social issues rather than giving a myopic focus on academic interventions and outcomes.
Andiswa: Greatest challenges include the realisation that the foundational gap in our learners academic knowledge is worse than we initially estimated and teenage pregnancy.
Addressing this challenge continues to be a work in progress as we need to balance shortcomings that were not addressed at a primary school level while also assisting these learners with secondary school concepts. Part of our solution was employing 3 educator graduates to assist with after school classes, using free educational resources to supplement what the learners are learning at school and providing stationery to learners.
Nandile: The greatest challenge has been learners skipping and not attending the extra classes offered by the organisation. We have overcome this by calling a parents’ meeting that later created a firm foundation for the program because we now have the parents' backing.
What do the day-to-day activities look like at QKF?
Nandile: The day-to-day activities begin with a morning class, followed by preparation from the tutors, remedial work and one-on-one assistance of the learners. Later in the day we teach an afternoon class. QKF assists learners in the following subjects: Geography, Isixhosa, English, Mathematics and Physics and Natural science. We are also not just limited by academics, but also venture out into mentoring the social aspect of a learners life.
What was the inspiration to begin your organization?
Xola: QKF was founded by individuals who were born and bred in Bizana. The place is characterised by poverty and poor access to opportunities and enabling facilities. As a result, learners from this region have a difficulty accessing or qualifying for higher education and entering into stable and sustainable jobs. QKF was inspired by both the need in the area and the desire to by the founders to contribute to their place of origin.
Andiswa: We observed a cycle of unemployment in areas like Bizana mainly due to lack of exposure, inequality, other socio-economic factors, and ill-resourced rural schools. With an objective of contributing towards addressing this challenge and our passion for education, we sought to build a platform that would help towards bridging the gap between rural education and high quality urban education by providing QKF learners with essential skills and knowledge, to improve their chances of being eligible for tertiary education and employment opportunities.
How has your organization changed over time?
Xola: QKF has shifted focus from just academics as a performance indicator but rather view impact as the holistic change in an individual.
How have you adapted to the changing needs of the group of people you serve.
Where do you see the organization in 10 years?
Xola: In ten years’ time the organisation will operate in a district model approach where it has a centre that can benefit learners from multiple schools. Such a centre will serve to attract high-performing learners and focus on providing them with psychosocial and academic support in order for them to realize their highest potential. For lesser performing regions which are often riddled with poverty, health and social issues, the focus will be on providing support in the form of health education, social worker referrals and linking learners to other necessary services before enrolling them in an academic support programme.
Nandile: When the organisation started the main goal was exposing learners from disadvantaged backgrounds to the possibilities outside of their immediate community and we have worked tirelessly in providing that for our kids. In 10 years I would love to see the growth in the organisation through the quality of learners produced by it, the change in the landscape of education in Bizana and a rise of individual thinkers who dare to be different. I would love to see the organisation not just having 3 tutors, but 20 in all the Alfred-ndzo region. Collaborating with as many stakeholders in the education sector and getting backing from them will allow for the growth mentioned and facilitate additional investment that will allow for greater expansion expansion.
Andiswa: A platform that provides meaningful, holistic and sustainable learning opportunities for learners in the wider district of Bizana. This will be achieved through a combination of partnering with like-minded organisations to leverage their resources; raising funding for the required resources; developing a well-resourced on-the ground team that will focus on the day-to-day activities to ensure successful implementation and monitoring of the programme; and continuously adapting the programme to ensure it remains appropriate for the beneficiaries.
How will you reach those goals?
Xola: QKF is in the process of pivoting to a district model and finding the necessary partners to support the shift in focus.
What is the best part of your job?
Xola: Connection to people I would otherwise have never met or had the opportunity to interact with.
Nandile: The best part of my job is the lives changed as a result of this organisation and, more than anything, the learners realise their potential and reach for the stars as far as their careers are concerned. The organisation for me means a change in direction of education in Bizana as a whole and a different generation that will uplift the community.
What does QKF mean to you?
Xola: QKF means hope and touching lives positively.
How do we define successful collaboration?
Xola: A successful collaboration is one that sets out an environment for collaborators to tap into their strengths and learn from one another in order to achieve a common goal.
Nandile: A successful collaboration is one that is mutually beneficial, with shared goals and vision, one that has communication and adaptability to all parties.
Andiswa: Successful collaboration is partnering with like-minded organizations/individuals by leveraging each other’s strengths and resources. This enables all the stakeholders in the partnership to achieve greater results than they would have in the absence of the partnership.
What have you been able to accomplish with the support of donors?
Nandile: The donations that we have received have helped balance the equation for both disadvantaged and advantaged learners. Learners were given all the stationary for school to better their studying.
Andiswa: Support from our donors have enable us to purchase stationery, textbooks & study guides, employ graduate educators to assist with after school tutorials, host camps for beneficiaries, and purchase learning equipment such as computers.