The late Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
At Zulufadder we believe this is the key to our children’s futures and we strive to give them opportunities to gain a good all round schooling, basic skills if they have finished school and, in some special cases, a university education.
It is no secret that an educated child will grow up with a better chance of securing a job, earning a living and gaining respect.
Furthermore, having experienced the benefits of education, these children will work hard for their own families and ensure that they receive the same opportunities.
No other investment has the same lasting effect as the education of children and youth.
We have found that these children enjoy better health, are more confident and have a greater potential to realize their dreams, in fact, in the greater scheme of things we believe that educated children will, in future, tilt the balance from poverty to progress.
On the subject of health, we also find that education has become the most effective “vaccine” against HIV and Aids as education replaces ignorance and superstition with knowledge and practical thought. HIV and AIDS are the primary reason that Zulufadder exists as the epidemic has all but destroyed the parent’s generations leaving these young children in the care of grandparents, great grandparents, relatives and friends.
In order to provide for this work, Zulufadder has created a unique education fund as we want to give as many children as possible an opportunity to achieve a better future.
Sadly, many schools in the rural areas do not give children the opportunities they deserve and there is little chance of them being able to attend main stream schools. This is why we have established our own Zulufadder school, Gratton, where our children have a chance to work hard to break out of their cycle of poverty and underachievement and make their mark in the world.
At present we have around 400 children at Gratton, including boarders and day students, in classes from preschool to grade 12. The school is fortunate to have lovely surroundings on a disused showground site and a highly qualified staff of dedicated teachers but it is a costly exercise as there is little government support and we are in need of additional facilities and financial support for our children.
But the Zulufadder responsibility does not end at school level. Some our children are doing well enough to gain university entrance passes and, while students can apply for grants and loans, often they do not qualify as there are no salary earners at home to guarantee them.
So the Zulufadder Education Fund is and will remain a priority as we cannot support our children in their formative years only to abandon them as they get into their teens and adulthood.
If you would like to support us in this worthwhile work there are many ways to help such as the creation of an endowment or a direct donation.
