Helping students overcome the extreme challenges of under-resourced communities
Christel House South Africa, an independent kindergarten through secondary school in Cape Town, South Africa, provides free character-based, career-focussed education to children from severely under-resourced communities in Cape Town.
The school’s mission is to prepare its graduates to achieve upward economic mobility, demonstrate good citizenship, and become empowered to identify and realise their goals, dreams, and human potential.
Overcoming adversity is difficult in a country with the highest Gini coefficient globally and where 55.5% of the population lives in poverty. Christel House South Africa focuses on affording children from the poorest households quality education and long-term support to ensure lasting success. It admits students who come from homes where the combined family income is no more than R1,500 ($75) per person per month. Many students first arrive at Christel House South Africa under-nourished, facing adversities and barriers to learning which often include food insecurity, overcrowding, unemployment, community discord including rampant gang violence, exposure to substance abuse, and gender-based crime.
At Christel House South Africa, these barriers to learning are removed by providing holistic quality education that includes free healthcare, daily transport, nutritious meals, school uniforms and school supplies. In addition, psychosocial and family support, ensures students are physically and emotionally prepared to succeed. These comprehensive services are crucial in creating a supportive environment where students can thrive and overcome adversity for good.
A key factor in the success of Christel House South Africa is the innovative blended learning model that integrates technology at all levels of education. Recognised as one of the five Microsoft Showcase Schools in South Africa, Christel House South Africa leverages technology to enhance teaching and learning experiences, ensuring students are equipped with future-ready skills, especially in the ICT arena where over 60% of the world's new jobs are believed to be found by 2030.
Despite the adversities faced by its students, the school boasts a 100% Grade 12 pass rate, with 97% of alumni either pursuing higher education or becoming gainfully employed. The school's success is attributed to its trauma-informed teaching practices, extensive support services to both students and their families, and strong community involvement. The school's community involvement extends to a youth unemployment initiative, called Youth Bridge. Drawing on the lessons from Christel House South Africa’s successful model, Youth Bridge boasts an impressive 71% average placement rate.
The school’s comprehensive approach includes partnerships with external organisations for physical health assessments and interventions, and active parental engagement through workshops and activities.
Should Christel House South Africa win the World's Best School Prize for Overcoming Adversity, the prize money will be used to expand its scholarship programme, further enabling access to quality education for more students from under-resourced communities. This will enhance its capacity to support students' journeys from poverty to empowerment.
