Christel House South Africa

Haleon donation supporting our female students

Last week, we were grateful to welcome Shirley Meyer, Transformation Manager at Haleon, who visited our school to deliver a generous donation of sanitary products for our female students.

The products were handed over to our school clinic, where they will be distributed to female students who need them.

For girls growing up in under-resourced communities, access to menstrual products isn't always guaranteed. Period poverty is about more than access to sanitary products, it can also mean limited access to safe sanitation, clean water and proper education about menstruation.

At Christel House South Africa, removing barriers to learning means supporting the whole child. We want our girls to have access to the products they need, but we also want them to feel comfortable talking about menstruation, understanding their bodies and knowing that periods are normal and nothing to be ashamed of.

No girl should have to miss out on her education or feel embarrassed because of her period.

A heartfelt thank you to Haleon and Shirley for helping us support the health, dignity and confidence of our girls.

Youth Bridge participants building workplace skills

Last week, we visited our Youth Bridge cohort in Langa, where 39 participants attended a session to help them develop one of the most important skills for succeeding in the workplace: effective communication.

The session was facilitated by Ms Zukhanye Ngetu, Continuity Programming Senior Producer at GOOD HOPE FM, who brought valuable real-world insights into professional communication. She explored different types of workplace communication, from understanding what is appropriate in a professional environment to communicating clearly, respectfully and confidently with colleagues and managers.

Youth Bridge, our youth unemployment programme, is designed to empower unemployed youth aged 18 to 35 by helping them discover their potential and navigate the path towards meaningful, sustainable employment. Participants embark on a six-week journey that combines intensive job-readiness training with ongoing mentoring, guidance and support, building both the practical and personal skills needed to enter and thrive in the world of work.

A heartfelt thank you to Alexforbes for sponsoring our Langa Youth Bridge cohort and believing in the potential of South Africa's young people. This support helps us remove some of the practical barriers young people face when preparing for employment and enables Youth Bridge to give participants the best possible opportunity to develop their skills, build their confidence and take meaningful steps towards sustainable employment.

Attending the Youth in Action Expo

Last week, our Grade 9 and 11 students, accompanied by our Career Development Department, attended the Youth in Action Expo at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), giving them the opportunity to explore the many tertiary education, skills development and career pathways available to them.

For our Grade 9s, the timing couldn't be better. As they prepare to choose the subjects they will take from Grade 10 to Grade 12, exposure to different careers helps them better understand how the choices they make at school can connect to their interests, strengths and future aspirations.

At Christel House South Africa, career preparation starts long before Matric. Through our Career Development programme, we help students explore what's possible, make informed decisions and begin building a pathway towards life after school.

The experience left our students feeling inspired and excited about all the possibilities ahead!

Celebrating our girls on the field

Our Girls Soccer Team is showing plenty of heart on the field this season!

The team recently celebrated an impressive 5–1 victory against Reddam House Atlantic Seaboard, as they continue to grow and develop under the guidance of High School teacher and coach Ms Carlyn Heuvel.

As a relatively new team, the girls are still building their chemistry, but their determination, resilience and willingness to support one another have been clear throughout their matches.

Coach Carlyn says the goal is to continue developing as a cohesive team, improve their consistency and build their confidence both on and off the field.

We’re proud of the progress our girls are making and, most importantly, love seeing them enjoying the game and growing together as a team.

Keep going, girls! We’re cheering you on for the rest of the season.

Celebrating the women who make a difference

Today, we celebrate the incredible women who lead, inspire, nurture, and create opportunities every day.

To the mothers, grandmothers, educators, mentors, staff, donors, partners, and young women in our Christel House South Africa community, thank you for the strength, compassion, and resilience you bring to the world.

Here's to empowering girls to dream boldly, supporting women to lead confidently, and building a future where every woman has the opportunity to thrive.

Happy Women's Day!

Congratulations to our CEO, Adri Marais

As we celebrate Women's Month and look ahead to Women's Day this Sunday, we're proud to recognise an inspiring leader whose vision has helped shape Christel House South Africa.

Our Chief Executive Officer, Adri Marais will take on a new role in January 2027 as Chief Global Advancement Officer for Christel House International.

Under Adri's leadership, our organisation has expanded its impact, strengthened its holistic model, achieved exceptional educational outcomes, launched our new High School, grown our reach to more children and families, and earned recognition both nationally and internationally for innovation and long-term impact.

In her new role, Adri will help lead Christel House's global fundraising and expansion strategy, building sustainable partnerships that will enable even more children and young people around the world to access the life-changing opportunities that Christel House provides.

While we will certainly miss Adri as our CEO, we are incredibly proud that her leadership will continue to make an impact across the global Christel House network.

Also, ahead of Women's Day...

Today, Mail & Guardian published Adri Marais' latest opinion piece, Purpose, Lead, Drive; Caveat for Career Women. Drawing on her own experiences, Adri reflects on the realities of balancing career ambition with the people and moments that give life meaning, offering an honest message to the next generation of women leaders: build a successful career, but don't lose yourself along the way.

Read Adri's Mail & Guardian article: https://mg.co.za/thought-leader/2026-08-06-purpose-lead-drive-caveat-for-career-women/

Happy Women's Month to all the incredible women who continue to lead, inspire, and create opportunities for others.

Before a child can learn, they first have to get to school

Every school day, Christel House South Africa transports 1,006 learners from 30 communities across the Cape Flats to our campus in Ottery. These daily journeys make it possible for our learners to access quality education, nutritious meals, healthcare, social support, and the opportunities they need to build brighter futures.

Behind every trip is a dedicated team of drivers and conductors who safely transport our learners to and from school, helping us achieve a remarkable 98% learner attendance rate. Led by Transport and Facilities Manager, Siyabulela Ndyamara and Transport Supervisor, Chris Adams, the team has spent years navigating daily commutes and, at times, volatile situations in the communities our students call home. "Two years ago, when we had taxi strikes, we stayed late with the teachers to keep the students safe at school and we couldnt return the children during normal dismissal times. It was too dangerous. We had to take small groups of students into our areas at night and sneak in through back roads to make sure our students were safe. It was quite scary but we did it. We kept our students safe," says Ndyamara.

Our new donate page allows donors to select one of our essential Programmes and Services, like transport and make a once-off or monthly donation.

See more here: https://sa.christelhouse.org/donate/

We are grateful to to People's Post, NovaNews and Good Things Guy for recently featuring our need for donations towards our transport programme.

Celebrating friendship and new possibilities for Simunye

At Christel House South Africa, we know that some of life's most valuable lessons are learnt through the friendships we build.

This International Friendship Day, we're celebrating the incredible connections formed through our Simunye Programme, where students from different schools come together to learn from one another, challenge perspectives and build friendships with the aim of building social capital across the wealth divide.

This past Saturday also marked the final Simunye Node 1 and Node 2 close-out event, following the successful Node 3 programme. Students spent the day at the Homecoming Centre, District Six Museum, and the Museum of Illusions Cape Town, reflecting on South Africa's history while celebrating the relationships they have built throughout their Simunye journey.

The programme is also entering an exciting new chapter. Our CEO, Adri Marais, Chief Academic Officer, Dr Ronald Fortune, and Programme Manager, Heidi Alexander, recently met with Dr Ismail Teladia, WCED Senior Curriculum Planner for Life Orientation, to further explore the inclusion of Social Capital within the Life Orientation national curriculum.

By strengthening young people's ability to build meaningful relationships, develop empathy, collaborate across differences, and create supportive networks, Social Capital has the potential to equip learners with skills that extend far beyond the classroom.

We're excited about what lies ahead and look forward to seeing the impact of these important conversations.

Happy International Friendship Day!

Pinelands North Primary School Nal'uxolo Primary school Rosmead Central Primary School Die Duine Primary School Rondebosch Boys' Preparatory School Holy Cross RC Primary School

Where creativity meets technology

During the school holidays, 10 of our Grade 7 students had the exciting opportunity to participate in a Sneaker Design Workshop hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Throughout the workshop, our learners explored the complete sneaker design process, from developing an initial idea to designing and presenting their final artwork. One of the highlights of the day was discovering how artificial intelligence can be used as a creative tool to generate and refine design ideas, giving our students a first-hand look at how technology is shaping the future of design.

The learning doesn't stop there! Our students will soon put their new skills to the test in an upcoming sneaker design competition, where they'll continue to develop their creativity, innovation, and problem-solving abilities.

We're also excited to partner with AWS once again for the Coding for Africa Tournament, which will be hosted at Christel House South Africa on 17 August. Students from Grades 4 to 7 will take on coding challenges that build computational thinking, logical reasoning, and problem-solving skills while learning how technology can be used to protect wildlife.

A huge thank you to Amazon Web Services for creating opportunities that inspire our students to think creatively, embrace innovation, and explore the exciting possibilities of technology.

Tangible Games