KHULA Education

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KHULA Education

Supporting quality education and economic opportunity for rural children and youth in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

KHULA Education works with 21 schools in a deeply rural and under-resourced area of KwaZulu-Natal. They run pre-schools, offer "top-up" teaching programmes with a particular focus on Maths and English, provide educator development and mentoring support, and have a life skills and job-readiness programme - allowing them to support over 6,000 students and 200 educators from their first contact with

education, through to a student's consideration of what's next. The work of KHULA Education began over 15 years ago when David and Nicky Rattray, owners of Fugitive’s Drift Lodge, saw a need to support the local community of Rorke’s Drift in KwaZulu-Natal. These efforts have grown considerably over the years and today, KHULA Education works alongside 21 rural schools in Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana bolstering the efforts of principals and teachers, to help children and youth reach their full potential. KHULA is a local isiZulu name, meaning “to grow”. We believe that with a quality education we can bring lasting change to this community. The Local Traditional Council and the Department of Education have recognised KHULA Education as a valuable support partner in the District, leveraging sustainable improvements within an otherwise often-challenged and under resourced South African government school system.

18/06/2026

What does KHULA's Supplementary Teaching Programme actually look like?

It means that every learner in our partner government schools is guaranteed at least two hours of additional Maths support and two hours of additional English support every week, delivered by specialist KHULA educators working alongside school staff.

Today, that support reaches almost 4,000 learners across 11 rural schools.

Why does it matter?

Because many children in rural South Africa are trying to learn in overcrowded classrooms with limited resources. Even the most dedicated educators can struggle to provide every learner with the attention they need.

We work alongside the government education system, providing additional teaching time, strengthening literacy and numeracy skills, identifying learners who need extra support and helping ensure that no child falls through the cracks.

Over the course of a school year our support adds up to hundreds of additional hours of learning. And that can make all the difference. 🧡

16/06/2026

There is a lot of discussion at the moment about screen time, and rightly so. Too much can be detrimental, particularly for young children.

But there is another side to the conversation.

In many of the communities where KHULA works, children arrive at preschool having never held an iPad, used a digital learning tool or had access to technology that many take for granted. Yet these same children will one day enter a world where digital skills are increasingly essential for employment and everyday life.

The answer is certainly not unlimited screen time. It is thoughtful, purposeful access.

That is why digital learning forms part of our ECD programme. Guided by trained educators, children use carefully selected learning tools that support language, numeracy and cognitive development while building familiarity with technology in a safe and age-appropriate way.

It is essential that rural children are not left behind in a rapidly changing world. 🧡

15/06/2026

We’re halfway through 2026, and it feels like a good moment to pause and reflect on what has already been achieved.

Across our programmes, more than 600 educators from 228 schools have participated in KHULA workshops, helping strengthen teaching and learning across the wider district. Our supplementary teaching teams continue to support almost 4,000 learners each week, with encouraging improvements in both Maths and English results. Our Community-Led ECD Programme now reaches more than 600 young children, while our preschools continue to deliver exceptional school readiness outcomes.

Beyond the classroom, 1,700 learners attended Careers Day, young people are progressing through coding, entrepreneurship and work readiness programmes, and graduates continue to move into university, internships and employment. We have also welcomed new partnerships, expanded our digital learning offer and continued exploring how AI can support education in rural communities.

Thank you to every educator, learner, parent, partner, donor and supporter who has been part of the journey so far this year.

Here's to the second half of 2026. 🧡

12/06/2026

Apparently it's National Loving Day, and while we'll leave the grand declarations to everyone else, it does feel like a good excuse to say thank you.

Thank you to the children and young people who inspire us every day. Thank you to our team, partners, trustees, donors and supporters around the world.

At the heart of KHULA is a community of people who believe rural children deserve every opportunity to succeed.

None of what we do would be possible without you, and today feels like a good day to say we're very glad you're part of the journey. 🧡

11/06/2026

☕ Join the KHULA Coffee Club

For the price of just one coffee a month, you can become part of a community investing in the future of rural South Africa.

Together, Coffee Club members are now funding more than 29,000 meals every year for children attending KHULA's preschools.

Help us grow that impact even further. Join the Coffee Club today and turn one coffee into something extraordinary. 🧡

https://khula-education.org/get-involved/coffee-club/

09/06/2026

One of the things that best illustrates KHULA's approach is our Community-Led ECD Programme.

We saw a need. Hundreds of young children were attending community creches with very limited access to educational resources. So we asked a simple question: how could we strengthen what already existed?

Today, the programme supports more than 600 children across 18 centres through weekly visits from our ECD Champions, who provide learning resources, educational toys, books, mentoring and practical support for practitioners.

We know that the early years matter. The language skills, confidence, curiosity and foundations for learning developed during this period can shape a child's entire educational journey.

Not every solution requires building something new. Sometimes the greatest impact comes from investing in the people already serving their communities and giving them the tools to do even more. 🧡

08/06/2026

We’d like to share some really exciting impact from our Educator Development Programme.

KHULA is now supporting 600 educators across 230 schools through professional development workshops, in-class mentorship and educator communities of practice. Every one of those educators reaches hundreds of children each year. The ripple effect is enormous.

Thank you to every educator who continues to engage and and invest in their own growth. Together, we are building stronger classrooms across rural KZN.

06/06/2026

Today is Higher Education Day, and honestly, we don’t need much of an excuse to share these photos again 🧡

Today we’re celebrating all of our recent graduates, including one of the newest members of the group, Khethelo Sithole, who recently graduated with a Bachelor in Business Administration from Rosebank College. Khethelo is currently working as an intern at KHULA’s Sigubudu Skills & Employment Hub, where he is already giving back to the next generation of young people following in his footsteps.

Alongside Khethelo, we have recently celebrated graduates in engineering, computer science, psychology, education, biochemistry, microbiology and emergency medical care. Each graduate represents years of hard work, determination and perseverance.

Behind every graduation photo is a young person who refused to let circumstance define their future.

On Higher Education Day, we celebrate every one of our graduates and the example they are setting for younger students across rural uMzinyathi. We are incredibly proud of you all.

05/06/2026

This World Environment Day, we’re reflecting on how closely education and the environment are connected across rural KwaZulu-Natal.

Our children are growing up surrounded by extraordinary natural beauty, and we believe environmental awareness should begin from the earliest years of learning. Across KHULA’s ECD programme, environmental learning is integrated into everyday preschool life in practical, age-appropriate ways that connect directly to the children’s lived environment.

Attached to our preschools are food gardens that form part of both nutrition and learning. Children are introduced to where food comes from, how things grow, the importance of water, caring for the soil and the shared responsibility of looking after the spaces around them.

The gardens also support KHULA’s nutrition programme. Across our preschools, we provide two cooked meals a day to more than 330 children, equating to over 132,000 meals every year. In communities where food insecurity remains a daily reality for many families, that support matters enormously.

Wishing everyone a meaningful World Environment Day. 🌍

04/06/2026

A huge thank you to Ashling McCarthy for writing and donating copies of Down at Jika Jika Tavern to KHULA Education.

We are so excited to begin rolling the book out across our partner schools and already the response from learners has been fantastic. Last week, students began engaging with the story in classrooms, bringing new conversations, laughter and energy into lessons.

Ashling also spent time training our team on how to deliver and explore the book with learners, which made the partnership feel even more meaningful. There is something incredibly special about seeing young people connect with stories that feel relevant to their own lives.

Access to books and reading materials remains a huge challenge in many rural communities, which is why partnerships like this matter so much.

Thank you, Ashling, for your generosity and belief in the young people we serve.

Address

C/o Fugitives' Drift Lodge, P O Rorke's Drift
Rorke's Drift
3016

Telephone

+27716242257

Website

http://www.khula-education.org/

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