School Changed Everything for Michael Nzuza

School changed everything for Michael Nzuza. A young cow herder in South Africa’s rural KwaZulu-Natal, he was 15 years old when he started kindergarten. This was due to the lasting effects of apartheid. Desperate, he believed education was his pathway out of poverty. He was right. He later became a construction manager for our local partner, the same organization that built the schools from which Michael graduated – at age 25. The classrooms he attended, then helped construct, propel the life trajectories of youth like him. We build classrooms in rural South Africa for learners like Michael.

Without our classrooms, students are overcrowded in limited structures and/or taught under trees with limited resources, unable to learn at all during rainy seasons. Classrooms allow their learning to fully flourish. No one should need to go to school outdoors in the rain or cold. Our classrooms help kids stay in school, providing education and opportunity for a successful life ahead.

Classrooms are the heart of the community – some are used at night for adult learning and some used as makeshift dormitories for girls in areas where the exceptionally long walk home can be dangerous. During the Covid-19 pandemic, communities chose to have students quarantine at school so their learning would not be disrupted. Education is not taken for granted.

Thanks in part to the generosity of federal employees, we have helped 37,000 students by building 119 classrooms. 100+ classrooms remain on our waiting list. Your consideration for our determined kids is deeply appreciated! Thank you… we literally couldn’t do this without you!