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R1 million  support for Christel House South Africa by Dell

Dell South Africa continues empowering new possibilities for youth at Christel House SA with a donation of R1 000 000.00

Stewart van Graan, General Manager of Dell Africa, addressed the students of Christel House South Africa during a handover event at Christel House SA. The main aim of Christel House SA is to break the cycle of poverty by equipping learners with tools to build a life of dignity, success and self-sufficiency.

Stewart van Graan, GM of Dell Africa, addressed the students of Christel House South Africa about the donation Dell South Africa provided and mentioned that Dell South Africa is focused on developing literate and connected communities centred on quality education.

This is the third year that Dell is partnering with Christel House by investing a further R1 000 000.00 to its cause. By providing access to technology, the Christel House learners, who with the help of the school are being shaped to become leaders in our country, Dell believes that it is achieving this objective.

According to Stewart van Graan, General Manager of Dell Africa: “Our initiatives to support learning aim to provide new possibilities for our youth by bridging the gap between the technology haves and the have-nots. Dell hopes to take learning and technology to the next level at Christel House South Africa by enabling, inspiring and preparing the students to connect, learn, and grow with their peers.”

This initiative forms an integral part of Dells “Powering the Possible” programme and initiatives, aimed at addressing the existing need to equip young adults with both life and educational skills through a combination of Dell donated technology, expertise and employee volunteerism. It provides the opportunities for young people to discover new possibilities, change their lives, and unleash their true potential, giving them a future to look forward to. Dell is a proud supported of Christel House SA.

Christel House South Africa Matrics 2012

Christel House South Africa (CHSA), a Cape Town-based school for disadvantaged children, leads the way with a matric pass rate more than 20 percent above the national average, thanks to its holistic approach to teaching Christel House South Africa, is trouncing national averages with its matric results and proving that poverty does not have to be an obstacle for South Africa’s children.
Our  CHSA students come from below the poverty line, turned in a near perfect pass rate of 97 percent, 21 percent above the national average - they also achieved an 84 percent pass rate for mathematics, an area that continues to struggle nationally, as the 54 percent pass rate shows.

CHSA will achieve a 100 percent matric pass rate overall if one of their students pass a supplementary examination in February 2013.

Ronald Fortune, Principal of Christel House, says the 2012 results vindicate the school’s philosophy that it is possible to break the cycle of poverty through properly managed education which focuses on developing children rather than just teaching them a curriculum.

“The majority of South African children to some degree grow up facing a lack of opportunity, a lack of dignity, of good health and of positive role models which all play their role in keeping young people from achieving success.

Against this backdrop, Christel House owes its continued success to its unique take on education.”

“By realising and accommodating for the fact that social problems in students’ backgrounds are a significant feature in the hindrance of positive school results, Christel House endeavours to empower children through longitudinal work that requires tremendous commitment and long-term involvement by dedicated professionals,” Ronald Fortune Principal of CHSA High School.

Top achiever, Precious Mlonyeni, who plans to enrol at the University of the Western Cape to study her BSc, says that being raised by a single mother who works as a domestic worker to support both her and her brother, means that without Christel House it is unlikely she would have been able to obtain the level of success that she has.

“Teachers at Christel House in particular make a huge difference. For them it’s not about just doing the hours and them going home, they truly go the extra mile to help students achieve their goals – they go beyond the call of duty to ensure we have the support to achieve our potential,” Mlonyeni says.

At Christel House learners are in a safe and nurturing environment, and the school provides them everything from three meals a day to art therapy and nature walks, HIV awareness, life skills and community service initiatives (in addition to the usual curriculum).

Kristen Kimberley Matthews fencing coach trainee

I grew up in Manenberg, Cape Town and live with my parents and two brothers and my little sister was just born when I had started school at St. Theresa's Primary school. At the time my mother was working a full time job starting at 6H00 -17H00, my father was unemployed at the time and my oldest brother dropped out of school to help get some money into the house for us to survive.

My younger brother and I juggled going to school and looking after our baby sister. After 3 years of school, I was introduced to a man named Melvin King, the then Principal of Christel House, a school for underprivileged children. I was the perfect fit and soon learnt and achieved very well. 

At Christel House SA Mr Randall Daniels introduced me to fencing and I took to it like a duck to water. It felt like fencing was in my blood and I achieved very well in fencing competitions and also participated nationally and internationally. Today I am training to be the first African Coach in fencing in Dakar, Senegal.

I will be the first qualified fencing coach in the whole of Africa and this will be my chance to give back to others in a very big way while I will be a self sufficient young person. All this was made possible by Christel House South Africa and their wonderful teachers. Thank you so much Christel House for this great opportunity and for helping me to help others.