Founded in 2001, Christel House South Africa is dedicated to preparing graduates and communities to achieve upward economic mobility. Offering no-fee education and support services to students from some of Cape Town’s most underserved communities, Christel House provides not only academic excellence but also a lifeline to a brighter future.
We opened our doors in 2002 at Bamford Avenue in Athlone, and as demand grew for our transformative education, we expanded to a second campus at Denver Road in Lansdowne a few years later. In 2009, our school moved to Ottery where we now serve over 840 students from Grade RR to 12, along with 220 post-Matric students, while positively impacting more than 4,000 parents and community members.
We are proud to announce a major milestone in our expansion efforts, driven by the urgent need for educational equity in the Western Cape and beyond. Our proven model has consistently delivered outstanding results, and we are now poised to extend our impact to more communities in need.
Our first expansion project will be the launch of a new high school at our Ottery campus, set to open in 2025. It will address the critical shortage of high schools in the region, offering students from under-resourced neighbourhoods the opportunity to continue their education in a supportive, holistic environment. And this is just the beginning.
With a strategic vision to establish three new schools over the next five years, we are committed to ensuring that the Christel House model reaches more students in both existing and new geographies.
Achieving our ambitious expansion goals requires collaboration with like-minded partners. By joining us on this journey, you can help create lasting change for thousands of children and their communities.
For more information on how you can contribute or get involved, please contact Adri Marais, Chief Executive Officer, at 021 704 9410 or amarais@sa.christelhouse.org.
For seven consecutive years, Christel House South Africa has been designated as a Microsoft Showcase School. This prestigious recognition places us among a global elite of educational institutions that are reshaping the future of learning.
We are leading the charge in equipping students with future-ready skills—particularly in ICT, where over 60% of the world’s new jobs are expected to emerge by 2030. As a Microsoft Showcase School, we will continue to pioneer educational innovation, foster a growth mindset and thought leadership, sharing best practices and creating pathways to success for every student.
Christel House South Africa is proud to have been in the Top 10 shortlist for the 2024 World’s Best School Prizes in the category ‘Overcoming Adversity’. This prestigious recognition, awarded by T4 Education in collaboration with Accenture, American Express, and the Lemann Foundation, celebrates schools that are transforming lives and communities through innovative education.
“Trailblazing South African schools like Christel House South Africa, which have cultivated a strong culture and aren’t afraid to innovate, show the difference that can be made to so many lives,” said Vikas Pota, founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes, “Schools everywhere can now learn from their solutions, and it’s time governments do so as well.”
Launched in 2022, the Youth Bridge programme empowers unemployed youth aged 18 to 35 by helping them discover their potential and navigate the path to meaningful, sustainable employment. Built on Christel House South Africa’s proven 23-year track record, this programme leverages a unique character-based, career-focused model that addresses the multifaceted barriers to stable employment.
Youth Bridge takes participants on a pivotal six-month journey, beginning with six weeks of intensive contact sessions, followed by eighteen weeks of sustained support, mentoring and guidance. The programme’s core focuses include:
Building character, mapping personal journeys, and offering psychometric assessments and counselling to unlock self-awareness and purpose.
Providing experiential learning and vocational exposure, financial literacy, ICT skills, and service orientation to prepare participants for the demands of the modern workplace.
Equipping participants with job-seeking strategies, networking techniques, and connections to open doors to employment opportunities.
Training participants in customer interaction and workplace readiness, ensuring they enter the workforce with the skills to excel from day one.
By partnering with corporates, government agencies, and other organisations, Youth Bridge secures placements, internships, and industry-specific learning opportunities, leading to meaningful, wage-earning employment.
Youth Bridge has achieved a remarkable 71% success rate, a testament to the programme’s high-touch interaction and commitment to long-term success. This initiative operates in communities in Cape Town and Durban and seeks to extend its reach to the rest of South Africa. For more information, please email 10x@sa.christelhouse.org.
In partnership with the Julius Baer Foundation’s Wealth Inequality Initiative, the Simunye project has united students from five schools across Cape Town’s economic spectrum: Christel House, Die Duine Primary, Mzamomtsha Primary, Rondebosch Boys Preparatory, and St Cyprian’s School. Over the past four years, this initiative has brought together learners from vastly different backgrounds, creating opportunities for them to share experiences, learn from one another, and build lasting connections.
The most enduring value of Simunye is how it reinforces key elements in building social capital. Over 90% of participants have said that they feel more confident, and their relationship-building skills have improved in multicultural settings.
In April 2024, we hosted the Simunye Indaba, gathering education leaders from across Cape Town to explore innovative ways of ‘building social capital in an unequal society.’ This event marked a pivotal moment in our journey, fostering critical conversations about how education can foster social cohesion and empower young people to thrive, regardless of their backgrounds.
Years of research, collaboration, and insight culminated in the creation of the Simunye Manual: ‘Small Steps, Big Impact,’ a comprehensive guide designed to help educational institutions develop their own social capital projects. This powerful resource explores the complexities of wealth inequality in South Africa and highlights the successes and lessons learned from Simunye.
We are getting ready for the next phase to take this inspiring project forward. If you are interested in learning more about Simunye 2.0, reach out to us at simunye@sa.christehouse.org. Together, we can continue to break barriers and expand opportunities for all.
