Based in South Africa

Molo Mhlaba NPC

A Non-profit

How This Works

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Organization Details

Molo Mhlaba Schools is a registered public benefit non-profit organisation that supports young girls with STEAM (science, technology, engineering and maths) education, early literacy development, physical health education and outreach programmes for children in the Khayelitsha community. The Molo Mhlaba Schools is a philanthropic venture that will establish and manage a network of low-fee, independent private schools in underserved urban communities across South Africa. Currently, Molo Mhlaba manages the first girls-only and STEAM-focused primary school with the construction of a second campus underway. Molo Mhlaba’s vision 2030 is to operate a network of 10 micro STEAM primary schools for girls in underserved communities across South Africa.

Impact Story

Our mission is to provide safe, affordable, quality education for girls in their communities.

We achieve our mission in the following ways:

  1. Extended school day: The school day is from 7:30am to 4pm.Molo Mhlaba’s curriculum is based on Montessori teaching while aligned with the Government CAPS policy.
  2. Nutritious meals: Learners are served two hot meals (breakfast and lunch) and two snacks to ensure healthy minds and bodies. 
  3. Highly qualified teachers: with a teacher-to-learner ratio of 1:25 meaning that we have smaller classrooms that make for better learning environments and a manageable workload for teachers and their assistants. 
  4. Located in the same communities as the children: By housing schools in the same communities as the children, we reduce the travel time required between getting to and from schools, save parents money on additional transport costs and positively impact the mental health and identity of learners by showcasing what is POSSIBLE in their communities. 
  5. Leadership training for children and teachers: We invest in active leadership training programmes for both teachers and learners at the Molo Mhlaba Schools. 
  6. Molo Mhlaba Outreach: Molo Mhlaba operates afterschool clubs for girls attending public schools in the vicinity of the Molo Mhlaba campus. 
  7. STEM Clubs: The children participate in robotics and coding markers clubs. We use LEGO for education and Kano computing, SCRATCH from MIT and Google CS for coding.
  8. Astronomy clubs: Molo Mhlaba operates an extensive astronomy program that started with an introduction to astronomy and has grown to a full-scale curriculum that we are measuring and tracking. 
  9. Health and Wellness: This new venture offers psychosocial support to young children and their parents. 

Since opening in 2018, we operate two campusses reaching 150 girls with a third under construction. We have created 25 employment opportunities for women and youth and are launching Molo Mhlaba Institute, a Montessori teacher training centre.