uBambiswano ‘A place of hope’. “One of the ways that we measure the success of uBambiswano’s Saturday School programme is by tracking the progress of our alumni. We are delighted to hear from past students. They often contact us years after they were in the programme to tell us about their successes and progress.

uBambiswano would not have such a long-lasting impact on people’s lives if it were not for its partnerships and relationships with schools and organisations. It is these partnerships that make it possible for us to guide our students towards the education and outcomes that they deserve.

One of our most important partnerships is the one we enjoy with our sister school, St Andrew’s School for Girls. We do not only use their facilities for our Saturday School activities. St Andrew’s also offers scholarship opportunities to qualifying uBambiswano students. The recipients of these scholarships are awarded entry to this world-class girls’ school, helping these girls reach for the stars and follow their dreams.

Amukelani Manda

Amukelani Manda, who was a student at uBambiswano from 2014 to 2017, is only one example. She joined St Andrew’s School for Girls in Grade 10, matriculating in 2020 with outstanding results. Her results allowed her to enrol for a BSc at the University of Pretoria, where, after completing her first semester with superb results, she converted to Medicine. Amukelani is now doing her second year of Medicine.

Another alumnus, Gugulethu Mashego, entered St Andrew’s in 2018, after four years in the uBambiswano programme. Five years later, Gugulethu continues to shine academically and has grown into a kind young woman. She has stayed involved with uBambiswano, working with students voluntarily on Saturdays. Gugulethu has been accepted to a BSc programme in Biological Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand.

These are just two examples of how uBambiswano and St Andrew’s School for Girls work together to help our alumni succeed. We are proud of our exceptional students and grateful to our sister school, St Andrew’s, for partnering with us to help them realise their full potential.

Our students call uBambiswano a place of hope. They think that we are giving them hope. They don’t realise that they are the ones giving us hope.”

Siphiwe Vilakazi

Head of School: uBambiswano

Note: uBambiswano is a well-respected Saturday School programme serving Black South African students from disadvantaged communities in Daveyton and Etwatwa. We currently reach 105 young people from Grades 6 to 9. Our educational approach is holistic: we work to improve the students’ literacy and numeracy, and we also provide opportunities for students to engage in sporting and cultural activities.