Change a child’s future through education
Back to School is changing the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children in some of the most impoverished rural communities and slums. You can be part of this story by giving just £7 / $10 / R100 a month to help a precious child to complete school, thrive and look to the future with hope in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Ready to sign up? Please fill in our back to school form and we will send you details of the community you will be supporting and how to donate.
Discover more about Back to School and meet Gloria who graduated from university thanks to support from E3.
More about Back to School
Although local schools are free, the children must have uniform and shoes. Their elderly grandparents or foster parents cannot afford these so the children either cannot attend or wear broken shoes and old ripped uniforms, which harms their confidence and self-esteem.
All of them have a very difficult home life and live in poor conditions. Those who care for them are usually uneducated themselves so they cannot provide the encouragement needed to succeed at school. That’s why as well as giving children school supplies, your support also helps them cope with their situation, develop emotionally and make wise choices in life through ongoing support, counselling and life skills workshops. We also provide sanitary pads to the girls so they don’t have to miss school. Once children join Back to School, support is available to them each year until they finish school.
A gift of just £7 / $10 / R100 a month can support one child in South Africa to attend school and complete their education.
You will be supporting a child in a specific community and we would love for you to commit to give and pray regularly. You may like to support more than one child in that community. Giving annually minimises administration costs.
How your support helps
Your monthly or annual donation will provide the following to a child each school year:
Uniform
School shoes and socks
Life Skills classes
Sanitary pads for girls
Plus, they will also know that people they have never met care enough to support them. It means such a lot to the children.
In return, we will send you two reports each year by email about how Back to School is changing lives in the community you are supporting. We are committed to managing all funds and the administration of the project with integrity and transparency.
Children’s lives are already changing for the better
From refugee to head boy to university scholarship
When Ibrahim David (back right) first joined Back to School he was a refugee, unschooled and just learning English. He came to South Africa with his grandparents. Within a few years he became Head Boy. In 2018, he finished his Matric (equivalent of A Levels) with a grade average of 75%. Now, he is tutoring other refugee children in Maths and Science to help them achieve their potential and escape the cycle of poverty. Ibrahim has also secured a scholarship to go to America and study Neuroscience. What an amazing achievement! Receiving support through Back to School is about holistic support – the gift of uniform and shoes, Life Skills classes, Support Groups, counselling and mentoring all contribute to rewriting a child’s story. We can’t wait to hear about how he does at university!
Get involved
Please fill in our Back to School form. We will then send information about a community that needs your support and details of how to give. Thank you so much for helping change a child’s future through education. Please note that if you can give your support annually this minimises administration costs.
For more info, download the Back to School brochure here
Enabling Back to School children to study further
As Back to School children come to the end of their schooling, E3 will enable them to go on to university or training so they can escape the cycle of poverty, achieve their career dreams and support their families. Most children who complete school in rural communities stay at home after high school because they do not have access to information about universities and colleges in the city and have no idea where to begin.
E3, in partnership with the University of KwaZulu Natal access programme, started an initiative to bring university lecturers to rural schools to explain applications, bursaries and why it is important to continue education. The first workshop at Ndabende Primary School in Mdutshini rural community was attended by 382 young people, including those who completed school a few years ago. We had four lecturers from two universities (University of KwaZulu-Natal and University of South Africa). The universities are happy to work with us on this in the coming years.
You can also give a one-off donation to help a child through Back to School:
If you are in the UK, visit
If you are in the US
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If you are in South Africa
