On 11 May, I’ll be running the Copenhagen Marathon for Christel House South Africa — an incredible no-fee school in Cape Town. Every penny raised will go towards building their new high school - offering 300 new students each year a path out of poverty.

Why Christel House?

In South Africa, more than 13 million children live in poverty, and only 20% of public schools are considered functioning properly, with a 55% secondary education graduation rate, one of the lowest globally.

Christel House South Africa provides education, nutrition, healthcare and career guidance to children from 4 to 23. 99% of children graduate, and an astonishing 94% pursue further education.

Thousands of alumni have left Christel House South Africa, transforming their lives from growing up in townships with little prospects to becoming engineers, doctors and teachers.

During my two months working as a teacher at the school, I was simply amazed at the quality of education Christel House provides, as well as the key role the school plays in the surrounding community.

The Urgent Need for a New High School

Building on it's success, Christel House is building a second high school on its campus to address the severe shortage of high schools in Cape Town.

Alarmingly, there is only one high school for every four primary schools —a lasting impact of Apartheid, limiting secondary education access only to white South Africans.

The new high school will accommodate 300 additional learners per year and include 11 new classrooms, including a Technology Lab, Career Hub, Media Library and Mental Health Hub

Construction is set to finish by December 2025, but urgent funding is still needed to complete the project.

How You Can Help

Every donation, big or small, makes an enormous difference,

For more information about Christel House, visit www.sa.christelhouse.org and watch the following clip see the school’s impact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t-mx1BO-Uc.