The Durbanville Schools Foundation is a registered charitable trust whose mission is to improve the standard of education among 11 underprivileged primary schools in the Foundation. These schools are predominantly farm schools.
Like most rural schools, these schools are behind their city counterparts in many aspects. The Foundation caters for the farm children in the rural areas in the outlying areas of Durbanville, including the informal settlements along the way to Malmesbury, Paarl, and Stellenbosch.
When the Foundation was formed just over a decade ago, most rural children never reached matric (Grade 12), with some not even proceeding to secondary school (Grade 8 and upwards). The Foundation’s stated objective is “to increase the number of pupils that go on to matriculate from these Primary schools and to improve the standard of their matric passes”.
Through the efforts of the Foundation and its sponsors, these communities have improved dramatically, but there is a long way to go. The Foundation’s projects cover a range of areas close to the learners and their communities. Projects range from, but are not limited to, teachers’ compensation (governing body posts), classrooms and school facilities, infrastructure, bursaries, educational programmes and materials.
