IT ALWAYS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE UNTIL IT IS DONE

NELSON MANDELA

WELCOME TO SUMBANDILA

In Venda – the language of the majority of our Sumbandila students –“ Sumbandila” means “show the way.” Since 2008, the staff and students at Sumbandila have dedicated themselves to doing just that –“ showing the way.”

WHO WE ARE

Sumbandila is an educational non-profit. We operate predominantly in rural Limpopo, South Africa and we believe in the transformative power of education.

WHAT WE DO

We select extraordinary children from backgrounds of extreme poverty and offer them a world-class education alongside a strong mentorship program. Our ultimate goal is to help build future leaders who will make significant contributions to their

communities and country.

HOW WE RAISE FUNDS

We have three entities supporting our program: Sumbandila Scholarship Trust, a South African NPO (080-267-NPO); a U.S.-based non-profit, Sumbandila (501(c)3, EIN 82-0977543); and The UK Friends of Sumbandila Scholarship Trust (Charity No. 1190936). We gratefully accept donations worldwide.

LOOKING BACK

OUR GALLERY

"A good head and a good heart
are always a formidable combination.
But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen,
then you have something very special"
Nelson Mandela

WHAT WE DO

Sumbandila aims to find intelligent and determined children from extremely deprived rural backgrounds and take them on an eight-year educational journey, with the long-term goal of creating leaders and entrepreneurs who can effect much-needed change in our society and economy.

Sumbandila places a high emphasis on much-needed skills like mathematics, science, and technology but also recognizes the importance of literacy, arts, and humanities.

We do this via three distinct programs

Full residential scholarships at Ridgeway College

Saturday and holiday schools (our “Exceptionals”)

University admission and support.