Khula Education: welcome to the GIFT Portfolio

We are thrilled to announce our 11th and newest addition to the GIFT portfolio: Khula Education.

Khula (the operating name of the David Rattray Foundation) is a South African non-profit working to lift rural communities out of poverty through the power of education. Founded in 2007, Khula supports children and young people from their earliest years through to their first steps into employment, and beyond.

Based in the uMzinyathi District of KwaZulu-Natal, one of South Africa's most underserved regions where child poverty rates sit between 75 and 80%, Khula works in close partnership with schools, communities, and education officials. Through their cluster model, they support 22 schools, offering continuity, care, and connection at every stage of the learning journey.

And when Khula says they are there for the entire journey, they mean it.

What Khula does

Khula delivers long-term, holistic, community-led support through four core programmes:

• Early Childhood Development — 350+ children enrolled across four preschools

• Supplementary Teaching — 4,300 learners receiving additional English and Maths support

• Educator Development — 12,000+ children reached indirectly through teacher training

• Skills and Employment — 2,000 young people trained, 350 placed in employment

In total, Khula directly supported over 6,700 children and young people and 12,000 more indirectly via the teachers training.

Why Khula fits the GIFT portfolio

What drew us to Khula is not just the breadth of their programmes, but the depth of their commitment. Six core principles guide everything they do:

1. Invest in the whole educational journey — from preschool to matriculation and beyond

2. Be sustainable — programmes are designed to be maintained over time, not as short-term interventions

3. Be additive, not competitive — Khula works with the government school system, supplementing rather than replacing

4. Drive towards outcomes — guided by impact, not activity

5. Work with and for the community — deeply rooted in the local context

6. Work through partnerships — maximising impact through collaboration

   
   

This is exactly the kind of organisation GIFT exists to support: locally led, long-term in its vision, and focused on lasting change. Khula is not parachuting in with quick fixes. They are embedded in their community, walking alongside young people every step of the way.

They are also bridging the digital divide, integrating technology across all programme areas to ensure students and educators are equipped for a fast-changing world.

Looking ahead

As Khula themselves put it: they are just getting started. We could not be more excited to welcome them into the GIFT family and to support their extraordinary work in the years ahead.

Welcome aboard, Khula.