Elevate Embizweni High School in South Africa
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Embizweni High School is located in Umlazi, the fourth largest township in South Africa. At Embizweni, there are two consistent after-school activities: Soulful Queens and Elevate Embizweni.
Elevate Embizweni is a leadership and enrichment club that is attended three times each week by 90 learners from grades 8-11. The name Elevate Embizweni was created and chosen by the students. To them, this name represents their passion for learning, hope in the power of education, and a determination to rise up together in the face of adversity.
At Embizweni High School, you'll often hear the "Soulful Queens" chant. Soulful Queens is an empowerment and educational group for young women. This group is full of strong, fearless, and incredible young women who gather to have crucial conversations about topics ranging from equality to body image to sexual health.
Elevate Embizweni and Soulful Queens aim to inspire today’s learners to be the leaders of tomorrow. By donating to this fundraiser, you will be able to contribute to this goal.
Your donations will help to:
> Provide materials and supplies for after school clubs
> Offer everyday supplies to the learners, including pens, pencils, notebooks, snacks, etc.
> Continue to fund tickets to events like plays, science expositions, museums, conferences, presentations and speech
competitions.
> Continue to bring community members, such as muralists, yoga instructors, and activists, to school.
> Supply a ChemStart mobile science laboratory with chemistry and physics experiments for Grades 10-12.
Please let us know if you would like your donation to go to a specific initiative or item.
We are grateful for any contribution you are able to make. For your reference:
> $8 buys a library book
> $15 provides tickets, transportation, and food for a student to go on a field trip
> $20 covers materials from the ChemStart kit for a student for the year
> $50 sponsors a guest speaker or instructor to come to the school
ABOUT EMBIZWENI
Embizweni High School is located in the Umlazi Township, just outside Durban. Unofficial segregation and the residual impact of apartheid policies still shape how resources are distributed in government funded schools. As a non-fee paying, Quintile 3 school, Embizweni is not afforded the same resources and supplies as other schools in the Durban area.
Serving students from grade 8 through grade 12, the school is committed to giving its students the best education possible, no matter their backgrounds. We have seen this mission play out time and time again at Embizweni. It is typical for learners to live with only one parent, aunts, uncles, grandparents, or older siblings. Umlazi has been heavily impacted by public health challenges, particularly HIV/AIDS, and environmental injustices. Rates of poverty, unemployment, rape, and teenage pregnancy are disproportionately high compared to surrounding areas.
Embizweni High School acts as a consistent and reliable community for the 1,006 enrolled students, as many navigate difficult home lives. In addition to getting an education, students are fed two meals each day and teachers and administrations offer guidance and counsel for students who seek support. This sense of community and support was very clear during the Durban floods in April 2019. Embizweni’s teachers organized donations of food, clothing, and bedding for students whose families were impacted. The Embizweni community deeply cares about the learners and will do anything to offer them a brighter future.
ABOUT US
We have been living and working in Durban since January 2019 as Fulbright English Teaching Assistants . Through this partnership program between the U.S. Department of State and the South African Department of Education, we are placed at Embizweni Secondary School. We wear many hats at the school: we are teachers, mentors, cheerleaders, and friends. Mainly, our role at the school is to offer extracurricular learning opportunities for students and to connect the school to long term partners and resources. Our work extends far beyond teaching English, as the ETA title suggests. As the mission statement for our Elevate Embizweni group states, our goal is to “empower today’s learners to become tomorrow’s leaders.”
Our learners inspire us every day. They are kind, smart, and energetic. they have taught us new things, introduced us to new experiences, and challenged us to rewrite our own perceptions about education in South Africa. Many of our learners have high hopes and big dreams, but they need direction, information, and education to achieve their goals. We are so grateful to be here and to be backed by such a wonderful community of learners and educators.
Thank you for your support of this extremely deserving community. Please direct and questions to Angie and Bridget at [email redacted].
Note: This is not an official Department of State fundraiser, and the views and information presented are our own and do not represent the Fulbright Program of the U.S. Department of State.
Elevate Embizweni is a leadership and enrichment club that is attended three times each week by 90 learners from grades 8-11. The name Elevate Embizweni was created and chosen by the students. To them, this name represents their passion for learning, hope in the power of education, and a determination to rise up together in the face of adversity.
At Embizweni High School, you'll often hear the "Soulful Queens" chant. Soulful Queens is an empowerment and educational group for young women. This group is full of strong, fearless, and incredible young women who gather to have crucial conversations about topics ranging from equality to body image to sexual health.
Elevate Embizweni and Soulful Queens aim to inspire today’s learners to be the leaders of tomorrow. By donating to this fundraiser, you will be able to contribute to this goal.
Your donations will help to:
> Provide materials and supplies for after school clubs
> Offer everyday supplies to the learners, including pens, pencils, notebooks, snacks, etc.
> Continue to fund tickets to events like plays, science expositions, museums, conferences, presentations and speech
competitions.
> Continue to bring community members, such as muralists, yoga instructors, and activists, to school.
> Supply a ChemStart mobile science laboratory with chemistry and physics experiments for Grades 10-12.
Please let us know if you would like your donation to go to a specific initiative or item.
We are grateful for any contribution you are able to make. For your reference:
> $8 buys a library book
> $15 provides tickets, transportation, and food for a student to go on a field trip
> $20 covers materials from the ChemStart kit for a student for the year
> $50 sponsors a guest speaker or instructor to come to the school
ABOUT EMBIZWENI
Embizweni High School is located in the Umlazi Township, just outside Durban. Unofficial segregation and the residual impact of apartheid policies still shape how resources are distributed in government funded schools. As a non-fee paying, Quintile 3 school, Embizweni is not afforded the same resources and supplies as other schools in the Durban area.
Serving students from grade 8 through grade 12, the school is committed to giving its students the best education possible, no matter their backgrounds. We have seen this mission play out time and time again at Embizweni. It is typical for learners to live with only one parent, aunts, uncles, grandparents, or older siblings. Umlazi has been heavily impacted by public health challenges, particularly HIV/AIDS, and environmental injustices. Rates of poverty, unemployment, rape, and teenage pregnancy are disproportionately high compared to surrounding areas.
Embizweni High School acts as a consistent and reliable community for the 1,006 enrolled students, as many navigate difficult home lives. In addition to getting an education, students are fed two meals each day and teachers and administrations offer guidance and counsel for students who seek support. This sense of community and support was very clear during the Durban floods in April 2019. Embizweni’s teachers organized donations of food, clothing, and bedding for students whose families were impacted. The Embizweni community deeply cares about the learners and will do anything to offer them a brighter future.
ABOUT US
We have been living and working in Durban since January 2019 as Fulbright English Teaching Assistants . Through this partnership program between the U.S. Department of State and the South African Department of Education, we are placed at Embizweni Secondary School. We wear many hats at the school: we are teachers, mentors, cheerleaders, and friends. Mainly, our role at the school is to offer extracurricular learning opportunities for students and to connect the school to long term partners and resources. Our work extends far beyond teaching English, as the ETA title suggests. As the mission statement for our Elevate Embizweni group states, our goal is to “empower today’s learners to become tomorrow’s leaders.”
Our learners inspire us every day. They are kind, smart, and energetic. they have taught us new things, introduced us to new experiences, and challenged us to rewrite our own perceptions about education in South Africa. Many of our learners have high hopes and big dreams, but they need direction, information, and education to achieve their goals. We are so grateful to be here and to be backed by such a wonderful community of learners and educators.
Thank you for your support of this extremely deserving community. Please direct and questions to Angie and Bridget at [email redacted].
Note: This is not an official Department of State fundraiser, and the views and information presented are our own and do not represent the Fulbright Program of the U.S. Department of State.
Organizer
Bridget Scott and Angie Pati
Organizer
Media, PA
