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Nation-building project unites schools across the wealth divide on Heritage Day

Youth who attend schools from various ends of the wealth spectrum in Cape Town came together on Heritage Day (Saturday, 24 September) for an annual Derby Day event, hosted by our school.

The event, now in its third year, saw 350 students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 from various socio-economic backgrounds, participate in fun, interactive bonding activities and cultural exchanges, including a gumboot dancing workshop, a potjiekos competition, art, and learning through playing indigenous games. The Derby Day forms part of the Simunye (we are one) project, which is a partnership between five schools in Cape Town that aims to nurture long-lasting relationships between South African youth from various ends of the wealth spectrum. The participating schools include Christel House SA, Die Duine Primary, Rondebosch Boys Prep, Mzamomtsha Primary and St Cyprians Girls School.

South Africans are encouraged to celebrate and embrace our rich, vibrant, and diverse cultures on Heritage Day. The Simunye project does exactly this, whilst simultaneously uniting the youth by breaking unconscious bias and building relationships. Adri Marais, Chief Executive Officer of Christel House SA explains, “This project is about empowering our country’s greatest asset, our youth, to truly connect with each other through fun, yet meaningful exchanges. By building understanding and relationships now, our students have the potential to develop their networks (social capital) in the future and create opportunities for themselves and others.”

The project forms part of a global partnership, called the Wealth Inequality Initiative (WII) that sheds light on the global challenge of wealth inequality.


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