The Good Work Foundation

01/06/2026

What does it mean to be a man, a father, a leader, and a contributor to your community?

The GWF Men’s Forum began in 2020 as a safe space for the young men of our organisation to talk openly about mental health.

Six years on, it has grown into a movement: men gathering to reflect on what it means to be a father, a leader and a force for good in their communities.

From vision boarding sessions to soccer matches with the local police, from painting crèches to hosting the Father’s Matter Workshop, these are men showing up for themselves, for one another, and for the young people who look up to them.

“There are many young people that we interact with that may not be biologically our children. We look at ourselves as social fathers,” says Fumani Mathumbu, who leads the initiative.

Read more here: https://www.goodworkfoundation.org/our-why/our-stories/the-gwf-mens-forum-building-brotherhood-purpose-and-positive-masculinity-at-good-work-foundation

28/05/2026

Yesterday afternoon one of our OVC groups took part in a yoga session at our Hazyview Digital Learning Campus.

Yoga is part of our ‘Citizenship’ curriculum stream, one of the 'Four C's' of the Open Learning Academy (Conservation, Coding & Robotics, Creative Arts and Citizenship).

Alongside digital literacy and creative thinking, we are committed to developing the whole child: their sense of agency, their awareness of self and community, and their belief that they have a place in this world.

That is what citizenship is for. And sometimes, it looks like a child finding stillness on a yoga mat.

We understand that when curiosity is unlocked, a passion for lifelong learning is created. We aim to inspire all learners to believe that anything is possible with the right mindset.



Read more about OLA and the full curiculum here:
https://www.goodworkfoundation.org/our-work/programmes/open-learning-academy

27/05/2026

Every journey at Good Work Foundation begins with a foundation of its own.

On Friday, we welcomed our newest staff members and interns at our official 2026 induction.

Over the course of the day, they were introduced to who we are, how we work, and what it means to be part of this organisation. The values that guide us. The communities we serve. The responsibility we carry together.

It was a day of learning, of questions, and of beginnings.

Welcome to the Pink Family.

26/05/2026

For many young people, the step from learning into working is the one that carries the most weight. The Youth Employment Service (Y.E.S.) is one of the ways we walk that step alongside our graduates.

Through 12-month employment contracts, our graduates build on their studies with paid, practical experience, the chance to sharpen their skills and confidence, and a genuine foothold in the world of work.

In 2025, 43 GWF graduates entered YES placements. They served as Grade 3 Reading Programme Facilitators in our partner schools, supported the daily running of our campuses, and worked in hospitality roles at Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve.

Thanks to partners like Investec, who provided 26 placements, many have already secured permanent positions.

This April, 65 graduates began their YES year.

Read the full blog here: https://www.goodworkfoundation.org/our-why/our-stories/a-year-of-working-a-year-of-becoming-y-e-s-internships-at-good-work-foundation

25/05/2026

Happy Africa Day.

Africa Day is a moment to acknowledge the progress we have made on our continent, and to reflect honestly on the challenges we still face together.

It is also a moment to celebrate one of the most powerful things this continent holds: its young
people. Africa has the youngest population in the world. Around 70% of sub-Saharan Africa is
under the age of 30.

We choose to see this clearly for what it is: an extraordinary opportunity. A generation full of
energy, ideas and potential, ready to grow the economies, the innovation and the communities
of tomorrow. That future rests on something simple and vital: that young people are given real opportunities to learn, to work and to innovate.

This belief sits at the heart of Good Work Foundation. Our why is to address unemployment by
empowering young people with the tools to enter the job market of the future. We are pioneering
a digital education revolution in rural South Africa, challenging how we learn, what we learn, and
who has access to learning.

By 2030, we aim to empower tens of thousands of young South Africans who will step into a
world we cannot yet fully imagine, carrying the tools to shape it themselves.

To the youth of Africa, and of this country: the future is yours to build, and we are honoured to
walk alongside you.

21/05/2026

It takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to build one of our campuses.

Read the full article here.

The Good Work Foundation will be building a new campus in the village of Dixie in the remote Manyeleti region of northern Mpumalanga.

13/05/2026

On Saturday, the world celebrated World Migratory Bird Day, and our Conservation Academy students were ready. In this clip, one of them shares what they've come to know about a bird that travels thousands of kilometres to be part of our seasons.

Meet the Diederik Cuckoo, fondly known as the "Christmas bird" for the way it arrives with the rains and fills the bush with its unmistakable call.

Last week, Sir David Attenborough turned 100. His words still echo:

"If children don't grow up knowing about nature and appreciating it, they will not understand it. And if they don't understand it, they won't protect it. And if they don't protect it, who will?"

This is exactly why practical, hands-on learning sits at the heart of our Conservation Academy. Our students spend real time in the field, binoculars in hand, ears tuned to the bush. They learn the names, the calls, the stories. They build the kind of knowing that becomes caring, and the caring that becomes protecting.

The future of our wild places lives in young people who walk the land and listen to its birds.

08/05/2026

Screen time is bad for children, right? Artificial intelligence is killing critical thinking, correct?

Our founder and CEO, Kate Groch, begs to differ.

In a new piece, Kate reflects on what 20 years of working in rural education has taught her about technology. In the villages where we work, children are not over-saturated with smart gadgets. They walk kilometres to school, do household chores, and play soccer and netball in their spare time. So when a Grade 4 learner sits down to spell, code or solve a maths problem on a tablet, that screen time is a novelty. It opens up new worlds.

"Tech is an enabler of opportunity, not a barrier. Without it, rural youth run the risk of double exclusion: being located far from urban innovation hubs and being displaced by the AI-driven economy of the future."

Read the full article on our website. https://www.goodworkfoundation.org/our-why/our-stories/when-screen-time-for-kids-is-a-bridge-to-learning-not-a-barrier

Screen time is bad for children, right? Artificial intelligence is killing critical thinking, correct? I beg to differ. In the rural areas where I’ve…

05/05/2026

Meet our amazing IT Academy facilitators, Cosby and Sindiswa!

As we know, the world of tech never stands still! That’s why we need to ensure our facilitators, coordinators and students remain on the cutting edge of technology, through continuous upskilling.

We spoke to two IT Academy facilitators, Cosby Mokoena and Sindiswa Mhlongo, about their recent training.

“What excites me most is that IT is always changing, so there is always something new to learn.” - Sindiswa

Read more here: https://www.goodworkfoundation.org/our-why/our-stories/meet-our-amazing-it-academy-facilitators-cosby-and-sindiswa

01/05/2026

This Workers’ Day, we celebrate the people who keep Good Work Foundation moving forward every day.

From our facilitators and campus teams to our support staff and partners, your care, commitment, and consistency make this work possible.

Thank you for everything you do.