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.

05/09/2026

It’s International Day of Charity 🧡

If you’ve ever thought, “I really want to donate to KHULA…” well, today has very kindly provided the perfect excuse!

Whether it’s a few pounds, a few rand, or something more, every donation helps us reach more children and young people across rural KwaZulu-Natal with education, skills and opportunities for the future.

So, if today’s the day, we’d be very grateful to have you with us. And if you already support KHULA, thank you. You’re helping make all of this possible.

👉 Donate here: https://khula-education.org/donate/

04/09/2026

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of welcoming Injini and the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellows to rural KwaZulu-Natal, and this wonderful video captures a little of what happened.

👉 https://youtu.be/2ZJOpyx55DM

For a week, our schools and communities became a place to share ideas and explore what EdTech can look like in a rural classroom. Our teachers, students and team worked alongside the Fellows, testing ideas and sharing the realities of teaching and learning in uMzinyathi.

For KHULA, it was a valuable opportunity to make sure rural voices are part of the conversation about the future of education in Africa.

A huge thank you to Injini and the Mastercard Foundation for choosing KHULA for the Engagement Week, and to every Fellow who made the journey to spend time with us.

We loved having you here. Come back soon! 🧡

03/09/2026

A little creativity at KHULA! 🎨

We loved opening up one of our spaces to students from Oscarsberg Primary as they worked on their latest Creative Arts project.

Education comes in many forms, and sometimes you just need some time and permission to get creative. We’re always happy when our centres can become places where local students can learn and try something different.

10/10 from us. No notes. 👏

02/09/2026

Happy Global Talent Acquisition Day!

A little message to companies across South Africa from rural KwaZulu-Natal: talent is everywhere. Opportunity isn’t.

We work with brilliant, ambitious young people who are ready to learn, ready to work and super ready to prove what they can do! What many of them need is that first employer willing to look beyond the usual recruitment routes and give them their first YES!

So, to all the talent acquisition teams out there, hire rural. We hear there’s some pretty great talent here...
..And if you’re wondering where to start, you know where to find us. 😉

01/09/2026

We’d like to say a huge congratulations to our university scholars on another fantastic set of results.

Academic excellence is, of course, at the heart of a scholarship. We expect our scholars to work hard, and they continue to make us incredibly proud. But we also know that succeeding at university is about so much more than marks on a page.

For first-generation university students, it can mean adjusting to life far from home, finding your feet in a completely new environment and learning to cope with the pressures that come with university life. That’s why our support continues throughout their studies, with regular workshops and a network of fellow scholars who understand the journey.

So today we’re celebrating the results and we’re also celebrating everything it took to achieve them. We are enormously proud of you all.

And a heartfelt thank you to the Madrinha Trust and Coca-Cola Foundation, whose support helps make these scholarships, and everything that surrounds them, possible.

31/08/2026

What a month it has been at KHULA.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen our classrooms busy on Saturdays and Sundays, with Grade 5 and 6 learners asking for extra English and Maths lessons and our Matrics turning up in force for weekend revision.

We’ve continued pushing digital inclusion too, from young people getting hands-on with AI to educators exploring how EdTech can work better in rural classrooms. It was a privilege to welcome the Injini x Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship to uMzinyathi, bringing educators and partners together to learn from what is happening here.

Our university scholars came home during their break, reflected on their own journeys and then went back into a local school to show younger learners what is possible. We shared stories of local teachers like Mzwandile, young people like Anele and Nomfundo embracing new technology, and celebrated the ambition we see around us every day.

And we’re ending the month with a big one: 225 young people from our communities beginning their journey with NYS 5.0.

August, you’ve been busy. We wouldn’t have it any other way. 🧡

28/08/2026

Learning at KHULA has never been Monday to Friday. Our team regularly gives up evenings and weekends to provide extra support when learners need it most, and our Matrics are equally willing to show up.

Last weekend, Shiyane Matrics had a focused Euclidean Geometry revision session with 100% attendance, followed by more Matric revision with Siyanda on Sunday.

As our Head of Maths, Chris, puts it: “Learning Mathematics by doing Mathematics.”

When learners are willing to put in the extra hours, we’ll be there with them.

27/08/2026

Meet Hlengiswa, a 20-year-old from the Shiyane area who had a dream of starting her own perfume business, but no idea where to begin.

After struggling to secure a place at university or college, Hlengiswa joined KHULA’s Skills & Employment Programme. She is now completing a Business Administration learnership, while using our Skills Hub to access WiFi, complete applications and build her digital skills.

Then came KHULA’s Start Up School.

Hlengiswa took her idea for a perfume business and learnt how to turn it into a plan. She completed the programme with an Entrepreneurship Development Certificate and used it to apply for funding from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). Her application was successful.

Today, at just 20 years old, Hlengiswa is building her own perfume business while continuing her training and working towards her longer-term dream of becoming an Intermediate Phase teacher. Her journey is a great example of why our Skills & Employment Programme provides different routes forward. University may be one pathway, but it cannot be the only one.

As Hlengiswa puts it: “Even though some of us don't find space in varsities, there's always going to be an opportunity from KHULA Education to gain skills and experience.”

We’re incredibly proud of what she has already achieved! 🧡

26/08/2026

This is a BIG deal for young people in our communities.

This week, 225 young people began their two-week induction with KHULA as the National Youth Service (NYS) 5.0 cohort gets underway.

In a district where youth unemployment is over 80%, 225 young people stepping into a programme designed to build experience and pathways towards what comes next is something worth getting very excited about.

Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing much more about their journey, but today is about the beginning. 225 young people from our communities. We cannot wait to see where this opportunity takes them! 🧡

25/08/2026

Imagine being 10 or 11 years old and asking for more school on a Saturday!

That was the scene at Ncepheni this weekend, where Grade 5 and 6 learners joined KHULA for extra English and Maths lessons.....not because they had to, but because they wanted to!

That enthusiasm for learning is something we never take for granted. These young people are giving up part of their weekend because they want to improve, and our team is very happy to meet them there.

A lovely Saturday at Ncepheni and a reminder of just how much our learners want to learn. 🧡

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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