South Africa: New Scholarship Brings Hope to Struggling Soweto Schools

  • The Happy Khumalo Scholarship Fund was launched at Hoërnle Primary in Soweto to honour the 1976 youth and support neglected schools.
  • The Nyatee Foundation aims to raise R250-million in three years to help more than 300 schools with books, uniforms, tech and repairs.

As Youth Month is celebrated across South Africa, the Nyatee Foundation has turned the memory of the 1976 student uprisings into action by launching a new scholarship fund.

The Happy Khumalo Scholarship Fund was introduced at Hoërnle Primary School in Rockville, Soweto. It forms part of the foundation's School Adoption Programme and is meant to support poor and struggling schools in the township.

Nyatee Foundation chief executive Tumi Huma said the project hopes to raise R250-million over the next three years.

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The aim is to help over 300 schools by upgrading their facilities, providing digital tools and skills development, and making sure learners have what they need to succeed.

At Hoërnle Primary, the work has already begun. The library has been renovated, and the school has received new uniforms, books, building repairs and cleaning help.

The scholarship is named after Happy Khumalo, who visited her former school earlier this year. She was shocked to see learners sitting on cold concrete floors in a hall with cracked walls. Some classrooms had broken windows, and roofs were falling apart.

The foundation said it wants to do more for schools like Hoërnle. Huma added that they hope to bring in celebrities and well-known figures to help grow the project and reach more schools in need.

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