Sibaya Community Trust invests R1 million in Imbeleko Digital Academy

“If we are to see our country thrive, we must work together to empower and support community-based organisations to fulfil their mandate of uplifting their communities through social programs,” said Vivian Reddy, Chairman of the Sibaya Community Trust, which invested R1 million in building the academy.

The academy aims to empower vulnerable children in rural communities in and around the Valley of a 1 000 Hills.

“In rural Valley of a 1 000 Hills communities, deep-rooted inequality and under-development has weighed families down in a vicious cycle of poverty,” said Imbeleko Foundation co-founder and CEO Sbusisiwe Myeni. “Our goal is to inspire and empower rural children and youth to experience new opportunities and become advocates for self-sufficiency for youth throughout South Africa through education, workplace experience, and entrepreneurship. This academy is a huge step towards achieving our vision, and we can’t thank Sibaya Community Trust enough.”  

The Imbeleko model is a unique development in the area, offering a digitised training space to empower the community for generations to come.

Six facilities built

Working with co-sponsors EOH, Defy, McKinsey, Advantage Learn, and Bank of America Securities, in partnership with iSchoolAfrica, the Sibaya Community Trust built six facilities in the Academy:

Three digital classrooms, where learners will access iPads with various online learning platforms and coding and robotics. The classrooms will also be used as a training space to teach tech skills to entrepreneurs and financial literacy to local youth and female entrepreneurs, with plans to expand the infrastructure into a digital marketplace that will give them access to local and international markets.

A kitchen to provide nutritional meals to 300 children who attend maths, science, and English classes.

Planter boxes as an extension to the vegetable garden that will supply the kitchen.

A courtyard to create more working space for learners to have homework discussions, read, share a meal, and engage in extramural activities. 

Ablution facilities, which will include a paraplegic toilet.

Reddy said the trust’s work was all geared towards establishing meaningful community legacies. “This project is one of our initiatives that displays the true ethos and values that underpin the work of our trust. It further reinforces that we are passionate and deeply rooted around practical initiatives that will leave lasting and meaningful legacies within local communities.”

The trust has spent over R230 million on projects, including the R14 million MADI project to upgrade classrooms and digital study facilities and provide bursaries to learners with excellent pass rates in science and maths.

They have also built and renovated classrooms at schools around KwaZulu-Natal.

“Our skills centre in KwaDukuza has seen more than 1 400 graduate, attaining great results in plumbing, bricklaying, plastering, welding, and administrative skills,” Reddy added. “Our list of community upliftment projects is endless; we’ve helped more than 250 NPOs go out daily and do phenomenal work.”