Empowering our educators
The Education Changemakers (ECM) Program seeks to provide leadership development and capacity-building opportunities to young leaders working in the education sector across East, Central and Southern Africa. The program is delivered in partnership with the Regional Leadership Center East Africa, hosted by Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya, and builds on the success of the program’s earlier work in Southern Africa at UNISA Graduate School of Business, Midrand. Through the program, young education leaders are equipped with the knowledge, skills and networks to drive meaningful change and contribute to the transformation of education systems across the continent.
The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), a United States Government initiative, commonly referred to as YALI Regional Leadership Centre for Southern Africa (YALI RLC-SA), is based at the UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership in Midrand. The ECM programme seeks to provide leadership development training to young leaders in the education sector, across Southern Africa.
Watch three of our Education Changemakers from our first cohort – Kabelo, Vera and Nombali – as they share their unique journeys from educator to innovator to entrepreneur, tackling some of Southern Africa’s most significant education challenges.
In partnership with YALI-RCLSA (Young African Leaders Initiative) and the University of South Africa, Education Changemakers aims to capacitate young leaders in the education sector with leadership skills, tools, a network of support, and resources so they can transform their schools and communities.
Watch one of our Education Changemakers from our second cohort -Clerah Sethole – as she shares her unique journey from educator to innovator to entrepreneur, tackling some of Southern Africa’s most significant education challenges.
In partnership with YALI-RCLSA (Young African Leaders Initiative) and the University of South Africa, Education Changemakers aims to capacitate young leaders in the education sector with leadership skills, tools, a network of support, and resources so they can transform their schools and communities.
Watch one of our Education Changemakers from our second cohort -Tebogo Edwini Lesoro – as he shares his unique journey from educator to innovator to entrepreneur, tackling some of Southern Africa’s most significant education challenges.
Teachers are essential drivers of a high-quality education system. They play a vital role in educating, developing, protecting, and inspiring our youth. When the youth has access to high-quality education, society prospers. Therefore, investing in teachers is an investment in our future society. Teaching is also a tough and complex job. Many are hungry for opportunities to develop in ways that encourage innovation and leadership. However, teachers often lack the resources and network needed to effect change in their classrooms and beyond.
We launched Education Changemakers in partnership with YALI-RCLSA (Young African Leaders Initiative) and the University of South Africa. The opportunity aims to capacitate young leaders in the education sector with leadership skills, tools, a network of support, and resources so they can transform their schools and communities.Â
Education Changemakers consists of four weeks of in-person leadership training followed by coaching and mentoring, small grants to support school-based initiatives, and connection to an alumni network of like-minded young leaders across the African continent.
The inaugural Education Changemakers cohort launched the program in Southern Africa, bringing together a diverse group of young leaders passionate about transforming education. The cohort laid the foundation for a growing community of changemakers committed to learning, collaboration and creating meaningful change in their communities.
Vera
Vera is a Malawian artist by trade who created the Toon Notebook. Inspired by 3D gaming and cartoons, the Toon Notebook is a captivating, fun and culturally relatable learning material for Early Childhood Development education.
Lungisa
Lungisa co-founded Sikhulekile Reading Development and Life Skills, an academic and reading initiative in the Philippi community in Cape Town. The initiative’s goal is to inspire a culture of reading in township and rural areas by transforming avid readers into inspirational young authors.
Kabelo & Bonang
Kabelo and Bonang, two teachers and social activists from South Africa, created The Marking App. This app allows teachers to spend less time on marking and administration and more time in front of the classroom. The app’s innovative features will allow for accurate corrections in a fraction of the time.
Jocelyn
Jocelyn is a secondary School Head of Department from Seychelles. She developed the IAmSafe App, which services as a safe space for students to report bullying, seek advice, or be connected to a counsellor.
Building on the foundation established by the inaugural cohort, Cohort 2 brought together another group of emerging education leaders from across Southern Africa. Participants strengthened their leadership capabilities, expanded their networks and explored innovative approaches to addressing challenges within their education systems.
Cohort 3 continued to grow the Education Changemakers community across Southern Africa, connecting young leaders with diverse experiences and perspectives. The cohort focused on strengthening leadership, collaboration and the ability to translate ideas into action for more inclusive and equitable education.
Maggie Letseka
The initiative integrates drama, games, videos, and dramatic story telling to teach ECD curriculum, particularly to learners with learning difficulties.
Lebogang Chiloane
Learners often struggle to learn a new language such as English. The initiative seeks to improve language acquisition through interactive teaching methodologies.
Thulaganyo Matlhoko
There is a need to capture data in schools and education in general. The initiative seeks to provide data capturing and processing to enable schools to share knowledge, insights, and resources.
Betty Chihota
The initiative uses detergent making as a means to teach chemistry and fundraising to finance learner exam costs giving learners access to “O” and “A” levels studies in Zimbabwe.
Matlhomola Moapola
The update of robotics and coding in schools is slow due to teachers being apprehensive about the programme. The initiative seeks to make robotics and coding accessible by using recycled material to create projects involving robotics and coding with learners.
Desiree Namachotsa
Children struggle to fully comprehend Elizabethan, Medieval, and other Western literature. The initiative seeks to empower learners through arts, drama and theatre to expose them to a deeper meaning and context of the literature for improved understanding.
Khumbulani Cele
Identifying learners with learning difficulties in public schools takes too long. This initiative seeks to shorten the process by providing assessment services through a mobile facility and placing them in schools catering to their learning disabilities.
Kgaugelo Mohlala
Mathematics is a difficult subject for many learners. It is often difficult because learners are taught mathematics as a theoretical subject. The initiative seeks to use practical real-life scenarios to teach mathematics.
Musa Nkone
The initiative uses creative arts and theatre as means to teach learners. This special way of teaching creates a more exciting environment for learning especially for those learners with talent in the arts.
Lebohang Banda
The initiative uses music as a tool to enhance learning and
knowledge acquisition for learners in schools. The use of music helps learners adopt a more positive mindset and gain more confidence.
Vera
Vera is a Malawian artist by trade who created the Toon Notebook. Inspired by 3D gaming and cartoons, the Toon Notebook is a captivating, fun and culturally relatable learning material for Early Childhood Development education.
Lungisa
Lungisa co-founded Sikhulekile Reading Development and Life Skills, an academic and reading initiative in the Philippi community in Cape Town. The initiative’s goal is to inspire a culture of reading in township and rural areas by transforming avid readers into inspirational young authors.
Kabelo & Bonang
Kabelo and Bonang, two teachers and social activists from South Africa, created The Marking App. This app allows teachers to spend less time on marking and administration and more time in front of the classroom. The app’s innovative features will allow for accurate corrections in a fraction of the time.
Jocelyn
Jocelyn is a secondary School Head of Department from Seychelles. She developed the IAmSafe App, which services as a safe space for students to report bullying, seek advice, or be connected to a counsellor.
Maggie Letseka
The initiative integrates drama, games, videos, and dramatic story telling to teach ECD curriculum, particularly to learners with learning difficulties.
Lebogang Chiloane
Learners often struggle to learn a new language such as English. The initiative seeks to improve language acquisition through interactive teaching methodologies.
Thulaganyo Matlhoko
There is a need to capture data in schools and education in general. The initiative seeks to provide data capturing and processing to enable schools to share knowledge, insights, and resources.
Betty Chihota
The initiative uses detergent making as a means to teach chemistry and fundraising to finance learner exam costs giving learners access to “O” and “A” levels studies in Zimbabwe.
Matlhomola Moapola
The update of robotics and coding in schools is slow due to teachers being apprehensive about the programme. The initiative seeks to make robotics and coding accessible by using recycled material to create projects involving robotics and coding with learners.
Desiree Namachotsa
Children struggle to fully comprehend Elizabethan, Medieval, and other Western literature. The initiative seeks to empower learners through arts, drama and theatre to expose them to a deeper meaning and context of the literature for improved understanding.
Khumbulani Cele
Identifying learners with learning difficulties in public schools takes too long. This initiative seeks to shorten the process by providing assessment services through a mobile facility and placing them in schools catering to their learning disabilities.
Kgaugelo Mohlala
Mathematics is a difficult subject for many learners. It is often difficult because learners are taught mathematics as a theoretical subject. The initiative seeks to use practical real-life scenarios to teach mathematics.
Musa Nkone
The initiative uses creative arts and theatre as means to teach learners. This special way of teaching creates a more exciting environment for learning especially for those learners with talent in the arts.
Lebohang Banda
The initiative uses music as a tool to enhance learning and
knowledge acquisition for learners in schools. The use of music helps learners adopt a more positive mindset and gain more confidence.
