Christel House South Africa

Investing in young talent through Jazz

This past Saturday, our Jazz Band had the exciting opportunity to perform at the Artscape Youth Jazz Series 2026, sharing the stage with talented young musicians from across the Western Cape.

The Youth Jazz Series gives young performers the chance to grow their skills, build confidence, and celebrate South Africa's rich jazz heritage through music.

A big thank you to Artscape and the Youth Jazz Series organisers for making this opportunity possible. We are incredibly proud of our Jazz Band for representing Christel House South Africa so beautifully!

Read more about this event and one of our musicians on our new page: https://www.facebook.com/ChristelHouseSouthAfrica

Youth Day Spotlight: Thandokazi’s Journey

As South Africa marks Youth Day, youth unemployment continues to affect millions... but stories like Thandokazi’s show the impact of opportunity and support.

After facing financial hardship, personal loss and periods of unemployment, Thandokazi moved to Cape Town to start over. Without a support system, she was navigating life and work opportunities on her own when she came across a Facebook post about our Youth Bridge programme.

Through the programme, she received job-readiness training, mentorship, and practical support like transport and interview preparation, helping her rebuild confidence and re-enter the job market.

Her perseverance paid off in December 2025 when she secured a permanent role at Nu Metro Cinemas, starting as a cleaner and later being promoted to bartender.

“Don’t just follow what everyone else is doing. Focus on your own journey and trust yourself,” she says.

Read the full story here: Youth Day Spotlight: Thandokazi’s Journey from Struggle to Employment

As South Africa marks Youth Day, youth unemployment continues to affect millions... but stories like Thandokazi’s show the impact of opportunity and support.

After facing financial hardship, personal loss and periods of unemployment, Thandokazi moved to Cape Town to start over. Without a support system, she was navigating life and work opportunities on her own when she came across a Facebook post about our Youth Bridge programme.

Through the programme, she received job-readiness training, mentorship, and practical support like transport and interview preparation, helping her rebuild confidence and re-enter the job market.

Her perseverance paid off in December 2025 when she secured a permanent role at Nu Metro Cinemas, starting as a cleaner and later being promoted to bartender.

“Don’t just follow what everyone else is doing. Focus on your own journey and trust yourself,” she says.

Read the full story here: https://sa.christelhouse.org/youth-bridge-graduate-thandokazi-shares-a-story-of-hope-amid-south-africas-youth-unemployment-crisis/

Christel House International officially releases new documentary, From Classrooms to Life

Created in partnership with Moirai Films, the film tells the powerful story of Christel House through the voices of students, graduates, staff, and communities across the globe. It goes beyond education to show the long-term, holistic support that enables young people to achieve real socio-economic mobility and create lasting change for themselves, their families, and future generations.

As Christel House South Africa celebrates 25 years of impact, this documentary is a meaningful reminder of the work happening locally and across our global network.

We are especially proud that our teachers, leaders, and learners are featured in the film, helping bring our story to life on an international stage.
Watch the documentary here:
https://christelhouse.org/watch-the-film/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

We encourage you to watch, reflect, and share with your networks as we continue to celebrate the impact of our students and school community ahead of Youth Day.

Christel House International

From Classrooms to Life – Watch the Documentary | Christel House Since 1998, Christel House has provided free, holistic education to children in underserved communities across the globe. Watch the documentary and discover the impact.

Admissions update - Grade RR and Grade 8 2027

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who applied for admission to Christel House South Africa for 2027. We received over 1600 applications for both Grade RR and Grade 8, and we are incredibly grateful for the trust that so many families have placed in our school.

We also want to thank our applicants and families for their patience and understanding as our Admissions Team works diligently through each application to ensure that every family receives fair and careful consideration.

To stay up to date with the latest admissions updates and important announcements, please follow our new page: https://www.facebook.com/ChristelHouseSouthAfrica

Thank you once again for your interest in Christel House South Africa and for your continued support of our Admissions Team during this exceptionally busy period. We wish all applicants and their families the very best.

Helping children thrive in a digital world

Technology is a powerful tool that helps our children learn, create, and stay connected. However, in an increasingly digital world, helping young people develop healthy habits around screen time has never been more important.

This month our Social Services' parent workbook explores how screen time can impact focus, sleep, study habits, and overall wellbeing at different stages of a child's development. Most importantly, it offers practical guidance for parents and caregivers on how to support children in building healthy, balanced relationships with technology.

Parents and guardians, we'd love for you to head over to our new page to explore the full set of tips, advice, and strategies from our Social Services team. Whether your child is just starting their school journey or preparing for life after matric, these insights can help your family navigate the digital world with confidence.

Click on the below link to follow our new page for more helpful parenting content designed to support our students both in and beyond the classroom.
Follow here: https://www.facebook.com/ChristelHouseSouthAfrica

We're moving! Follow our new official page

As we celebrate 25 years of impact and continue to grow through new programmes and campus expansion, we're launching an updated Facebook presence to better connect with our incredible families, alumni, donors, partners and wider community.

We invite you to follow our new official page and continue this journey with us as we share:
• Inspiring student and alumni stories
• Highlights from our classrooms and co-curricular programmes
• Updates on our expansion journey
• Initiatives and community impact
• Opportunities to get involved and make a difference

Please click "Follow" on our new page here: https://www.facebook.com/ChristelHouseSouthAfrica

Over the next few weeks, our current page will gradually be phased out as our new page becomes our primary home on Facebook. We don't want you to miss any of the stories, milestones, and celebrations still to come.

Thank you for being part of the Christel House South Africa family.

From classrooms to competitive gaming

We are incredibly proud of our students who recently achieved outstanding success in both competitive gaming and esports competitions.

Earlier this month, ten Christel House South Africa students represented our school at the Toyota Gaming Engine EAFC 26 Tournament at Comic Con Cape Town 2026, competing against learners from other schools. Our Grade 7 student Liam O. emerged as the overall tournament champion. His incredible performance earned him the Comic Con title as well as a Takealot voucher.

Liam, who lives in Manenberg with his mother and siblings, is involved in esports at our school and enjoys gaming with his cousins at home. Reflecting on his passion for esports, Liam shared: “I enjoy e-sports because it’s competitive, fun and gives me a chance to challenge myself and constantly improve.”

Beyond gaming, Liam hopes to one day become an engineer because of his passion for problem-solving and figuring out how things work.

Joining Liam among the top performers were:
• Abdudayaan B. – 2nd place
• Carlyle A. – 3rd place
• Sibu K. – 4th place

Our students also recently competed at the Regional esports event at Curro Durbanville, where all four teams made it to the semi-finals, with our High School Minecraft Build Battle Team winning the competition and qualifying for the National Event in Gauteng later this year.

These achievements highlight the exciting ways esports can help students build confidence, teamwork, creativity, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills.

A special thank you to our High School Head of ICT, Mr Cedric, and Junior School Head of ICT, Maths and Robotics teacher, Ms Beverley, whose dedication, guidance, and coaching played such an important role in supporting and developing our teams.

We would like to thank ACGL and The Toyota Gaming Engine for inviting our students to be part of this exciting experience.

Congratulations to all our students for representing Christel House South Africa with such passion and excellence!

Our Jazz Band performs at the Baxter Theatre

This past weekend was an unforgettable moment for our school Jazz Band as our talented student musicians performed live at the Baxter Theatre Centre as part of the CHISA Community Outreach Project, held on the Saturday afternoon of the Cape Town Big Band Jazz Festival.

The CHISA Community Outreach Project is an inspiring annual youth initiative that creates opportunities for young people from disadvantaged and at-risk communities to experience the magic of live jazz music and performance.

Over the years, our students have attended this inspiring event as audience members, but this year was extra special as our Jazz Band had the opportunity to perform on stage for the very first time!

For our students, this experience was about so much more than music. It was an opportunity to grow in confidence, showcase their talent, and experience performing in a professional theatre environment. The excitement, pride, and joy throughout the day made it clear just how meaningful this opportunity was for them.

We are incredibly grateful to the organisers of the CHISA Community Outreach Project and the Cape Town Big Band Jazz Festival for creating platforms that uplift and inspire young musicians from our communities. Thank you as well to the Baxter Theatre Centre for providing such an incredible space for our students to shine.

We are so proud of our Jazz Band for representing Christel House South Africa so beautifully.