Teach with Africa
Founded in 2007, Teach with Africa (TWA) seeks to respond to the dire educational crisis in South Africa by recruiting and deploying multidisciplinary teaching teams to South Africa's LEAP Schools. The organization’s mission is to break down social and economic barriers to education in Africa through an international exchange of teaching and learning .
About You
Location
Project Street Address
809 Marina Blvd.
Project City
San Francisco
Project Province/State
CA
Project Postal/Zip Code
94123
Project Country
United States
Your idea
Country your work focuses on:
South Africa.
Website URL
What stage is your project in?
Operating for 1-5 years
YouTube Upload
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
<$100
Name Your Project
Teach with Africa
Describe Your Idea
Founded in 2007, Teach with Africa (TWA) seeks to respond to the dire educational crisis in South Africa by recruiting and deploying multidisciplinary teaching teams to South Africa's LEAP Schools. The organization’s mission is to break down social and economic barriers to education in Africa through an international exchange of teaching and learning .
Innovation
Describe your idea in fewer than 50 words.
Founded in 2007, Teach with Africa (TWA) seeks to respond to the dire educational crisis in South Africa by recruiting and deploying multidisciplinary teaching teams to South Africa's LEAP Schools. The organization’s mission is to break down social and economic barriers to education in Africa through an international exchange of teaching and learning .
What makes your idea unique?
TWA is unique in that it fully funds educators to travel to South Africa and share their knowledge and expertise with their international counterparts. While other organizations, such as World Teach, send teachers to disadvantaged countries, they require educators to pay their own way, severely limiting participation. Furthermore, TWA’s focus on reciprocal learning offers unique opportunities for an educational exchange that benefits students both in the United States and abroad.
What is your area of work? (Please check as many as apply.)
Children & Youth , At risk youth , Education , Education reform , Mentorship , Youth development , Youth leadership , Environment & Sustainability , Health education , HIV/AIDS , Racial equality .
What impact have you had?
In 2008, TWA sent its first team of 12 educators to Cape Town, South Africa. Their work in partnership with LEAP School teachers, students, and community members at two LEAP School sites included teacher training through workshops and one-on-one professional development, addressing instructional methodology, multiple intelligences, lesson planning, assessment, technology integration, and more; workshops with adults in the community tackling entrepreneurial tools, skills, and vocabulary for building sustainable community enterprises; facilitation of potential partnerships with other African organizations; and much more. As a result of TWA's work, along with the commitment and innovations of the LEAP School (also an applicant), 100% of LEAP School graduates passed the national exit exam.
Describe the primary problem(s) that your project is addressing.
In 2003, one year before the LEAP Schools were founded, only 1% of all South African high school students passed the national exit exam necessary for entrance into higher education. Without a passing score on this exam, students are barred from universities and even technical schools; effectively, these students are thus also barred from earning a sustainable, living wage. TWA has begun to address these appalling conditions through its partnership with the LEAP Schools, providing the resources and knowledge to enhance and expand LEAP’s successful model.
Describe the steps that your organization is taking to make your project successful.
TWA works in close partnership with South Africa's LEAP Schools to ensure that the teaching teams deployed are meeting the needs of teachers, students, and community members in order to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged South African students. Ongoing partnership development regionally also ensures the engagement of highly qualified teaching fellows and funding to sustain and grow TWA activities. Evidence of the project's success can be seen in the fact that in 2008, 100% of LEAP School seniors (40 students) passed the national exit exam.
Impact
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Success in Year 1:
In the upcoming year, TWA will grow its cohort of teaching fellows from 12 to 18-20; expand to a third LEAP School site; create a new HIV/AIDS education component of its work with the LEAP Schools; and pursue developing local (U.S.) education programming based on LEAP's innovative Life Orientation course. These activities will impact approximately 400 students, 60 faculty, and 30+ local entrepreneurs.
Success in Year 2:
In Year 2, TWA will continue to sustain its successful work at the LEAP Schools; grow its fundraising model by pursuing increased grants and individual donations to support activities in South Africa and in the U.S.; and enhance the "reciprocity" component of its mission by implementing innovative educational techniques learned from LEAP sites at home in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Success in Year 3:
In Year 3, TWA will look to expand its model to other countries in Africa. To date, requests for partnership have already been received from Tanzania, Malawi, and Sudan. Replication of the TWA model will move the organization further towards its larger goal of sustainable transformation of individuals and communities through educational access and opportunity.
Do you have a business plan or strategic plan? (yes/no)
Yes.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization? STEP 1:
One of Teach with Africa's top three priorities is building the capacity of the organization so that program goals can be sustained year over year. Capacity building includes leadership/board development; human resources and staff development to scale; and systems/operations development including infrastructure, database and website.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization? STEP 2:
A second of the top three actions is resource development, including fundraising (through events, a comprehensive individual donors program, online/social networking sites, and grants), donor relations, partner relations, and volunteer development.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization? STEP 3:
The third of our top priorities is ongoing strategic planning, including mapping program/projects to mission and goals, messaging fine-tuning, and metrics/measurement.
Describe the expected results of these actions.
*Continued academic and personal success of LEAP students.
*Ongoing support of the LEAP Schools in their vision for expansion and growth of new LEAP sites.
*Program model replication within South Africa and beyond.
*Sustainable funding from year to year.
*Continued movement towards TWA's mission of breaking down educational barriers for disadvantaged students and the transformation of individuals and communities.
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
At age 55, psychotherapist Marjorie Schlenoff discovered that she had life-threatening breast cancer, leading her to uncover a profound desire to make a greater impact with her life. During a subsequent trip to South Africa, Ms. Schlenoff was deeply moved by both the country’s new model of equality and its ongoing struggle to education its children. She decided to launch TWA to improve the quality of education for the country’s most disadvantaged youth.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
TWA founder and board president Marjorie Schlenoff has been a psychotherapist for 35 years. Her work in this field has led to a deep commitment to a whole-person approach to education, through which youth are able to develop academic achievement, emotional well-being, and physical health as a platform for success throughout their lives. Ms. Schlenoff single-handedly created and launched TWA, engaging an executive director and 200 volunteers; raising $130,000 in the first half of 2009 alone to support TWA activities; and developing partnerships with regional and international organizations to further her vision of educational equity.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
TWA heard about Changemakers through a contact of Marjorie Schlenoff.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
What would prevent your project from being a success?
TWA could potentially be hindered by lack of consistent funds, challenges with maintaining educational partners, and insufficient infrastructure to support the expansion of the organization's programs.
Financing source
If yes, provide organization name.
Yes, Teach with Africa is an established organization.
How long has this organization been operating? (i.e. less than a year; 1-5 years; more than 5 years)
TWA was founded in 2007 and has been operating for almost 2 years.
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes, TWA has a Board of Directors and an Advisory Board.
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs? (yes/no)
No.
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses? (yes/no)
No.
The Story
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government? (yes/no)
No.
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
Not applicable.
How many people will your project serve annually?
In 2009, TWA will serve approximately 400 students, 60 faculty, and 30+ local entrepreneurs
What is the total number of employees and total number of volunteers at your organization?
One employee and 200 volunteers.
What is your organization's business classification?
Non-profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Have you received funding from any of the following groups? (Please check as many as apply.)
None of the above.
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