2. Inkululeko's mission is to provide South African township
youth with the skills, support and guidance necessary to
apply, attend and succeed in university; to challenge the
bigotry of low expectations for township youth; and to
provide sustainable, positive change – student-by-student,
generation-by-generation.
WEBSITE: www.inkululeko.org
TWITTER: @Inkululeko1
3. 2015 Annual Report | 5
06
07
08
08
10
12
14
16
16
17
18
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
THE YEAR AT A GLANCE
NOTES FROM LEADERSHIP
DOMINIQUE SCHAFER
MATT KELLEN
JASON TORREANO
WHAT'S NEXT
EVENTS
PHOTOVOICE 2015
THE SWEET END TO SUMMER
SU COLLABORATION CONTINUES
CONTENTS
19
20
20
21
22
22
23
25
26
26
27
28
FINANCIALS
SOUTH AFRICAN COLLEAGUES
BONGISANI SOXUJWA
ZUKISANI LAMANI
INKULULEKO LEARNERS
THEMBISILE MANGELE
NOMTHANDAZO DUDE
SA EDUCATION FACTS
SWOT 2015
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES & THREATS
At Inkululeko, we believe
YOU MUST LEARN
TOBE STILL IN THE
MIDST OF ACTIVITY AND
INRESPONSE.
Indira Gandhi
TO BE VIBRANTLYALIVE
4. 6 | Inkululeko 2015 Annual Report | 7
THE YEAR AT A GLANCE
Inkululeko has grown and adapted to a rapidly
changing landscape in the past year. With 23
learners on our roster, the organization is poised
to have another year of growth as it refines its
curriculum, expands its collaborations around the
world and increases its capacity.
We continue our work with Syracuse University and
have expanded our collaborations stateside with
the university. We've also grown our relationship
with Rhodes University in South Africa.
Inkululeko's Board of Directors created a strategic
plan to leverage strengths of board members and
to make the governing structure more cohesive.
Our members are located in upstate New York,
New York City, East London, Grahamstown,
Johannesburg and Doha.
2014's Three Areas of Focus for Learners Included:
- creative math reasoning and problem solving through games and activities
- improving learners' ability to express themselves logically, create an argument
and defend their thinking
- increasing learners confidence to engage in autonomous learning.
Content: Brittany Evans & Stephanie White
Design: Kelli Mosher & CiCi Huang
Dominique Schafer
Chair
Judy Naylor
Vice Chair
Bernadette King
Secretary
Kristin Toellner, CPA
Treasurer
Sanele Ntshingana
Head of Advisory Board
Imranul Haque
Member
Bronwyn Jacobs
Member
Saint-Francis Tohlang
Member
Kristi Eck
Member
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
5. 8 | Inkululeko 2015 Annual Report | 9
A NOTE FROM BOARD CHAIR,
DOMINIQUE SCHAFER
It has been an exciting year for Inkululeko. As the
organization continues to grow and develop, the
activities of the Board of Directors have gained
momentum. As a young organization, with a Board
situated across two continents, it has taken time
for us to settle into an established and effective
means of operating. This year, the addition of new
members, combined with the experience of our
initial members has resulted in a dynamic and
dedicated Board of Directors, willing to lead the
organization to new heights. The adoption of a
strategic plan and individual financial pledges are
testament to their level of commitment.
Board activities this year have included South
African and American fundraising initiatives, the
initiation of learner progress evaluations, and
a focus on ensuring Inkululeko's policies and
procedures are up to date and compliant. We
registered as a Non Profit Company in South Africa
and have recently received recognition as a Non-
Profit Organisation through the Department of
Social Development. Plans going forward include
attaining tax-exempt status in South Africa, a
continued focus on achieving sustainablity.
We are lucky to have a Board comprising diverse
individuals with a wide skill set and a range of
experience. I feel privileged to be part of Inkululeko
and am constantly inspired by the commitment
of Inkululeko's passionate staff, dedicated board
members and enthusiastic learners. I have no doubt
that Inkululeko is ready for the challenges and
achievements that the next year will bring.
Dominique Schafer
Board Chair
6. 10 | Inkululeko 2015 Annual Report | 11
difficult question "Does freedom mean leaving the
township in which you live?" It is a big question,
forcing us to wrestle with undefined answers.
Wednesdays are project days that require learners
to get out into the community and start being the
spark for change in their community taking personal
responsibility of what is happening around them.
Even from grade 9 and 10 it is important that
learners be guided toward the true freedom
of being able to listen attentively, value new
experience, ask questions, and find a direction that
fits with where they intend to go. At Inkululeko the
current aim is to develop learner confidence to be
able to do and achieve with less and less support so
that when it becomes time to step out off the ledge
and fly, they will be ready and unafraid.
Matt Kellen
Deputy Director
A NOTE FROM DEPUTY
DIRECTOR, MATT KELLEN
This year at Inkululeko has been a truly existential
dialogue and internal struggle. What does freedom
mean, personally, as a community, in the township,
as a country? It is a nuanced word such as love,
hope, and success. What does freedom look
like for a high school student in a Grahamstown
location? One can attend a public school, attend
a well resourced after school club, begin to have
a tangible sense of hope for a future, and do fun
activities, but does that really mean freedom?
Freedom is not something that can be achieved
once and left unattended. It does not mean
reaching the end of high school still standing
(although it is a brave and courageous feat).
Freedom is tied to personal responsibility.
Inkululeko has been well nurtured over the past
two years. This year we are in a space where it is
essential that our learners test their wings, and
begin taking ownership of their education, and their
time at Inkululeko. This has not come without its
stumbling and grumbling, but it is understandable
in that the education system and sometimes
home situations work against a learner's ability to
creatively solve problems and justify their thinking.
On Mondays, we work these essential problem
solving muscles through mathematics, setting
tasks and projects that require learners to work
as a group to come up with a solution or create
something new.
On Tuesdays, we spend time focusing on language
through existential conversations where learners
must be able to justify muscles share opinions and
be able to explain why they believe it is so. Our
current theme on Tuesdays revolves around the
7. 12 | Inkululeko 2015 Annual Report | 13
A NOTE FROM EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR, JASON TORREANO
Inkululeko has come a long way since its humble
beginnings just a few short years ago. What began
as an abstract thought germinated and sprouted
and, through worldwide collaboration, has grown
into an organization that serves motivated students,
providing opportunity and leveling the playing field
for some of Grahamstown, South Africa's brightest,
most resilient learners.
Over the past few years, we've seen the magic
that happens when hard work, dedication and
opportunity intersect. We've seen the potential that
is unlocked when communities join together, pull in
the same direction and create spaces where inquiry
is encouraged.
As Inkululeko moves forward, we are ruthlessly
focused on examining what we're doing and refining
our approach. We're never complacent. While we've
had tremendous successes (that we've celebrated),
we also have big challenges ahead. We believe in
transparency - which is why for the past two years
we've publicly shared our SWOT analysis. We're
not perfect, but we're dedicated to perfecting our
model. As you read through this report, I hope you'll
consider joining our organization and supporting
our mission in whatever capacity you can.
We're dedicated to never stop improving. We're
dedicated to never stop learning. We believe in the
transformative power of education - and we hope
you'll get involved.
Jason Torreano
Executive Director
8. 14 | Inkululeko 2015 Annual Report | 15
Kellen and the team developed strategies
centered around holding students accountable
for their attendance.
Dominique Schafer, Chair of the Inkululeko Board
shared that she'd like to see the Inkululeko model
being used throughout South Africa. Dominique
added that in an ideal world, programs like
Inkululeko would not be needed, because the
school systems would be improved and the
government would be taking more responsibility
to fix current problems. Looking ahead at the
program level, Dominique believes more work
needs to be done for the organization and the
board to be independently sustainable.
As the organization looks to next year, it is
continualy refining its focus and creating spaces
for learners to excel in and outside of the
classroom. Bernadette King, Secretary of the
Inkululeko Board and Industrial Psychologist,
spoke about the possibility of integrating individual
and group counseling into the services offered to
learners in Inkululeko.
King is working on creating an assessment that
can be used to measure learners' progress
throughout their involvement with the program.
She also spoke about providing support for
learners in the areas of college readiness and
career development.
Executive Director Jason Torreano spoke about
how the organization seeks to leverage its 501(c)
(3) status in the USA, its NPO status in South
Africa, and to continue to embrace earned income
strategies for sustainability. He also spoke about
the need to retain talented staff. "We are so lucky
to have people who are passionate and who love
Inkululeko," said Torreano. "Our challenge is to
continually provide more opportunities in terms
of training and development and compensation to
retain our colleagues.”
Matt Kellen, Deputy Director and Curriculum
Advisor also shared how he is establishing and
adjusting routines for the learners that include the
learners working together to manage classroom
responsibilities like attendance and clean up.
WHAT'S NEXT
9. 16 | Inkululeko 2015 Annual Report | 17
"The Sweet End to Summer" took
placein Syracuse, New York on August
15, 2014 at Art Rage. The intimate
venue was the ideal setting for
mingling over a variety of bite sized
desserts. Guests were encouraged to
participate in a silent auction, bidding
on arts and crafts from South Africa
as well as a number of donated prizes
from local businesses. Thanks to the
generosity of the guests, Inkululeko
was able to raise several hundred
dollars.
THE SWEET END
TO SUMMER
PHOTOVOICE
2015
Syracuse University students visited
Inkululeko in May and June as part
of a credit-bearing course. This
is the fourth year Inkululeko has
hosted SU visitors. This year’s project
had learners working in groups to
take photos of agencies in their
community, interview the agency
members, and write stories about
what they observed and learned.
Dr. Mary Ann Middlemiss, the
professor who led the course to South
Africa emphasized the importance
of the participatory approach, which
involves allowing learners to be
actively engaged in the learning
and change process. Inkululeko
learners were active in the planning
and execution of the project as they
worked alongside students from
Syracuse University.
Dr. Middlemiss and Mr. Kellen hoped
that by focusing on community
strengths and how the learners could
be involved in positive ways in their
community, that some would be
encouraged to volunteer and become
involved in these community assets.
EVENTS
10. 18 | Inkululeko
Income
Donations 16,781.97
Fundraising Income 1,820.01
Travel Income 2,355.00
Total Income 20,956.98
Expense
Accounting and Legal 750.00
Bank Fees 398.75
Fundraising Item Expense 163.00
Office Supplies 45.48
Program Costs – Services 12,034.65
Program Costs – Supplies 1,654.13
Travel 1,117.36
Total Expense 16,163.37
Net Income 4,793.61
FINANCIALS
July 2014 through June 2015
SU COLLABORATION
CONTINUES
Syracuse University students visited Inkululeko in
May and June as part of a credit-bearing course. This
is the fourth year Inkululeko has hosted SU visitors.
Last year's photovoice project had Inkululeko
learners taking pictures and writing stories about
healthy and unhealthy elements of the community.
This year's project had learners working in groups
to take photos of agencies in their community,
interview agency members, and write stories about
what they observed and learned.
Dr. Mary Ann Middlemiss, the professor who led the
course to South Africa emphasized the importance
of the participatory approach, which involves
allowing learners to be actively engaged in the
learning and change process. Inkululeko learners
were active in the planning and execution of the
project as they worked alongside students from
Syracuse University.
Dr. Middlemiss and Mr. Kellen hoped that by
focusing on community strengths and how
the learners could be involved in positive ways
in community, that some learners would be
encouraged to volunteer and become involved in
these community assets.
11. 20 | Inkululeko 2015 Annual Report | 21
Zukisani Lamani has been with
Inkululeko since the program began to
take shape in 2011. Zukisani describes
how he learned of the program from
Jason Torreano, who had tutored
Zukisani in History and English.
Zukisani first began his involvement
with Inkululeko as a volunteer Zukisani
reflects, "Since I couldn't make it to
university I want to see other students
succeed and improve in their lives."
He continued "I love seeing future
leaders getting uplifted by working
hard on their studies after hours."
Zukisani discussed how he would enjoy
being a mentor for students, talking
to learners about why it is important
to stay in school and focus on one's
studies. Zukisani reflects on how
he sees other communities in which
children struggle and need Inkululeko,
such as in rural areas where children
need and want education.
ZUKISANI LAMANI
SCHOOL & COMMUNITY
LIASON
Bongisani Soxujwa has been involved
with Inkululeko for three years. He
knew many of the students prior
to the start of the organization and
was excited by the opportunity to ue
working with them on a regular basis.
He says Inkululeko is full of "a lot of
great students" and enjoys being a part
of their lives. He appreciates the bonds
he has created with his colleagues
as well as the students. He describes
Inkululeko as being full of trust and
mutual respect for one another. Each
day he looks forward to seeing the
students working amicably with one
another and engaging in their studies.
Bongisani hopes that Inkululeko is
able to continue building a strong
relationship with Rhodes University.
He sees this collaborative relationship
as being invaluable to the Inkululeko
learners. From his perspective,
exposing learners to the university will
motivate them to continue working
hard as they strive for a brighter
future, whether that future includes
post-secondary education or a career.
BONGISANI
SOXUJWA
TEACHING ASSISTANT
MEET OUR SOUTH AFRICAN COLLEAGUES
12. 22 | Inkululeko 2015 Annual Report | 23
Nomthandazo Dude is 16-years-
old and currently in Grade 10. This
marks her third year as a learner at
Inkululeko. Nomthandazo's favorite
subjects are Xhosa and English. She
hopes to become a social worker
Nomthandazo wants to see more
children coming to the program
and more children working hard.
Nomthandazo said that Inkululeko
benefits her because she is given a
place to work on her studies and make
people proud. Upon reflecting on what
changes Nomthandazo would like to
see in her own life, she responded
that, "I want to make the people that
take care of me proud of me and
make programs in the community that
help others like what is happening at
Inkululeko.”
NOMTHANDAZO
DUDE
Thembisile is a sixteen-year-old
Inkululeko learner in grade 10. He has
been with the program since its initial
kick off three years ago. Thembisile
enjoys working with Matt Kellen, the
Deputy Director, and other Inkululeko
learners. Among his peers, he is known
for his love of music, his ability to
freestyle and his talent with imitating
foreign accents.
Thembisile intends to remain with
Inkululeko for years to come as he
continues to complete high school. He
describes the organization as being
a place of opportunity and exposure
as it provides access to materials
and knowledge he otherwise would
not have been able to experience.
According to Thembisile, it is because
of Inkululeko that he has learned
about "places [he] has never been in,"
and would someday like to explore.
Ultimately, Thembisile hopes to attend
university after high school and join
Doctors Without Borders.
THEMBISILE
MANGELE
MEET OUR LEARNERS
13. 24 | Inkululeko 2015 Annual Report | 25
Source: Statistics South Africa (2015). Statistical release P0318: General household survey 2014.
http://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=2566
I LOVE THIS PROGRAM A LOT.
INKULULEKO IS PLAYING A VITAL ROLE IN
CHANGING OUR COMMUNITY
ZUKISANI LAMANI
ITCHANGEDMY LIFE
SOUTH AFRICA EDUCATION FACTS
1IN3
Children in the Eastern
Cape specifically and
South Africa in general at
Grade 3 level is literate.
"In 2011, two-thirds of those who had
no education were living in poverty.
This decreased to 60% for those who
had some primary, and 55% for those
who had completed primary school. The
level dropped to 44% for those who had
some secondary schooling, and dropped
even further to 23.6% for those who had
completed matric. Only 1 in 20 people
who had some form of higher education
were living in poverty in 2011.”
"A better education clearly opens the
door to better economic prospects. A
matric certificate is the only recognised
school leaving qualification in South
Africa and is a pre-requisite for further
study and acceptance into organisations
such as the Defense Force or the South
African Police Services."
66% 60% 55% 44% 23.6%
NO EDUCATION SOME PRIMARY
EDUCATION
COMPLETED
PRIMARY
EDUCATION
SOME
SECONDARY
EDUCATION
COMPLETED
MATRIC
AND IT CONTINUES TO CHANGE
OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES.
14. 26 | Inkululeko 2015 Annual Report | 27
• Inconsistent assessments occurring in schools,
difficult to monitor individual learner progress
and benefit from program.
• Inkululeko needs its own assessment protocol,
which it is currently working on.
• Unreliable transportation poses a challenge
and limits the learners that the program can
reach out to.
• High student to staff ratio. Inkululeko needs
more assistants and tutors that can offer
consistent and sustainable support.
• The program could benefit from having a wider
variety of tutors from various areas of learning
to expose the learners to a multitude of new
interests and learning opportunities.
• The program is overwhelmingly operated and
run by men. The female students do not have a
strong female at Inkululeko.
• The program must improve how it evaluates
staff and their roles, playing on individuals'
natural strengths and how they can contribute
to the program.
• The program's current NPC status in South
Africa limits the grants and funding it can apply
for.
• Program needs more funding and from a wider
variety of resources to be more sustainable.
WEAKNESSES
INKULULEKO SWOT 2015
• There exists a huge need for the organization
due to the positive impact of having
educational programs in place for motivated
learners who come from under-resourced
schools.
• Inkululeko is a long-term, holistic intervention
allowing us to monitor progress and adapt
approaches along the way to suit the learners.
• The program has invested and motivated
learners who have grown in maturity and in
personal accountability.
• The Advisory Board and Board of Directors are
representative of the community that it serves.
• The program benefits from having community
members who engage the community in a
culturally competent manner.
• The program is consistently considering what it
can improve upon.
• Increased input from the Rhodes Community
Engagement office full stop
• The program has fostered a close relationship
with Rhodes University and more specifically,
the Allan Grey Center for Leadership and
Ethics.
• Improvement in quality and quantity of
fundraising and grant applications.
• Unlike many NGOs in South Africa, Inkululeko
has the ability to receive funding from the USA
because of its 501(c)(3) status.
STRENGTHS
15. 28 | Inkululeko
• Establishing routines that facilitate
independence and growth in staff and learners.
• The program's location provides opportunities
to tap into the community and its resources.
• Further building on a collaborative relationship
with Rhodes and the Community Engagement
Office, Syracuse University and other entities
around the world.
• Looking at the possibility of offering group and
individual counseling to Inkululeko learners to
provide emotional as well as academic support.
• Other opportunities include other grant
applications and funding events in the United
States and in South Africa.
• Achieving NPO status in South Africa, to
increase funding opportunities within South
Africa.
INKULULEKO SWOT 2015
• The organization is overly reliant on a small
group of people.
• The program needs to be sure that it is
budgeting correctly and using its limited
resources in a way that is valuable and
appropriate to program goals.
• Personal and environmental factors at play
in the lives of the Inkululeko learners create
barriers to service.
• Ntsika Secondary provides space, but if
that ceased, there would be no foreseeable
alternative.
• Funding is a big limitation for Inkululeko's
growth. The program doesn't receive any
government funding and functions on a
very limited budget brought about through
fundraising and generous donations.
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
At Inkululeko, we believe
THE BEST TIME
TO PLANT A TREE WAS 20 YEARS AGO.
THE SECOND BEST TIME
ISNOW.
Chinese Proverb
