Sometimes on our selection trips it feels like we are tilting at windmills. In a dusty, windblown stretch of the Eastern Cape a giant wind farm rises from the scrubland as you round the corner of a mountain pass. Five of our 114 Scholars will come from this region of
Dear Raise the Children My name is Khotatso Muhadi, and I am 23 years old. I grew up in Soshanguve, Pretoria, where I still spend the holidays with my mom, siblings, and grandparents. Growing up in a community affected by unemployment, poverty, and limited access to basic services was not
My name is Lucia Mlotshwa, and I'm in Grade 8. My father died when I was 5 months old and I was raised by a single mother. My mom works on a farm so that she can provide for me, my brother and my big sister and makes
2025 has been marked by rising economic and geopolitical uncertainty. Despite advances in artificial intelligence, modelling, and algorithms, human behaviour remains fickle and the future hard to predict. Uncertainty breeds fear, which in turn leads to isolation, depression, aggression and paralysis. In the midst of the chaos, one thing remains
One of the joys of being Raise the Children’s (RTC) board chair is having the opportunity to engage with our Scholars. Time and again, interacting with them leaves me feeling motivated and energized. I am always impressed and heartened by their commitment to learning and the characteristic resiliency that
My name is Nolo*. I’m 14 years old, and joined Raise the Children in Grade 8 at Collegiate Girls’ High School in Gqeberha. I was born and raised in a very small town called Ilinge that’s an hour away from Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. Ilinge is a
Thando* Background: Thando's household is headed by her grandmother. She stays in the Emlambo area of Kwa-Zulu Natal past the end of the road. Her mother passed on when she was very young. Some of her family members have completed high school but none have studied further. Her
2025 has been marked by rising economic and geopolitical uncertainty. Despite advances in artificial intelligence, modelling, and algorithms, human behaviour remains fickle and the future hard to predict. Uncertainty breeds fear, which in turn leads to isolation, depression, aggression and paralysis. In the midst of the chaos, one thing remains
One of the joys of being Raise the Children’s (RTC) board chair is having the opportunity to engage with our Scholars. Time and again, interacting with them leaves me feeling motivated and energized. I am always impressed and heartened by their commitment to learning and the characteristic resiliency that
My name is Nolo*. I’m 14 years old, and joined Raise the Children in Grade 8 at Collegiate Girls’ High School in Gqeberha. I was born and raised in a very small town called Ilinge that’s an hour away from Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. Ilinge is a
Raise the Children's stories of the journey from surviving to thriving
At Raise the Children we accompany our Scholars on a journey from surviving to thriving. Tataisa (tah-tie-ee-sah) in Setswana means "to help each other move forward." In this context, we feel that Tataisa is a fitting name for Raise the Children's new digital newsletter. Rather than
Editor's Note: This article will be read by many people outside of South Africa who may have had no experience of rugby, cricket, or fully understand some colloquial South Africanisms. Some contextual explanation has been added in italics to assist with understanding. When you first meet Themba** you
Global research has shown that children who grow up with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are twice as likely to die from associated health conditions, and are more likely to be clinically depressed, unemployed, and resort to substance abuse than their peers. All of our Raise the Children Scholars have lost
One of the most rewarding aspects of my role as executive director at a private charitable foundation is partnering with wonderful organisations and people that, while focused on different challenges, ultimately share the same goal: to make our world a better place. Raise the Children (RTC) is one such organisation,
Thando* lives in at the base of a mountain in remote Kwa Zulu Natal. Her home is headed by her eldest sister who is 24, still trying to finish Grade 12 and has a 6-year old child. Thando's elder brother also stays at home. He did not finish
Jessica* | Hoerskool Jan van Riebeeck, Cape Town New 2024 Scholar | Age: 14 | Grade: 8 Background Jessica lives with her mother who is an alcoholic and two sisters who move in and out of the house often to live with new boyfriends. Her father was a floor manager at a factory,
My name is Tshepiso*. I am a 15-year-old, grade 9 nine girl from a small rural village in Taung called Matsheng. I grew up in a small loving family with my 2 brothers, 2 sisters, my grandparents and my mother. It was not easy because we lived off social grants
Leticia Ingle | Teacher Fellow at Penryn College, Mbombela What is the most rewarding part of being a Teacher Fellow? The bursaries team regularly schedules individual meetings with each of the scholars to check in on them. I usually send a text message to the scholar to notify them about their
Kamogelo Merementsi | Class of 2022, Tiger Kloof Combined School Background: Kamogelo started living with her grandmother when she was 6 years old because her mother had to go work. Her mother unfortunately passed on in 2012 leaving her in the full care of her grandmother since she did not have