In rural KwaZulu Natal, young children face major barriers to succeeding in school:

- High levels of poverty mean that many families do not have enough food, affecting their children's ability to concentrate, learn and develop.

- Most families speak little or no English, and yet from the age of 9, the curriculum is taught almost exclusively in English. For children who have previously had no exposure to the language, they quickly fall behind.

- Distances to school are long, and without transport, young children may have to walk more than 10km just to reach school, meaning they are exhausted by the time they arrive.

Khula education is addressing these challenges through our three Preschools. In an area which previously had none, we provide quality, preschool education to over 200 3 and 4 year olds, making sure when the time comes, they are Big School Ready!

All our preschoolers receive two meals a day and lessons are taught in English, meaning children are healthy and energised and graduate from preschool with good English. Additionally, our preschools are all situated within government-run primary schools, meaning children can use existing buses to get to school.

The local community has seen the transformational impact our preschools have had for young learners. As a result, our existing preschools are over-subscribed. This Christmas, your support could help us not only fund the 3 existing preschools, including through the provision of meals and teaching salaries, but also to reach more children in 2023 with the construction of a new school.

This Christmas, help young learners in KwaZulu-Natal get Big School Ready!