Introducing The Kusasa Project

The Kusasa Project was founded as a non-profit in 2006 by friends Dave Riordan and Doug Gurr in the Franschhoek Valley of the Cape Winelands of South Africa, to address the systemic deficiencies in the areas of literacy, nutrition and sport for disadvantaged children. One of the greatest contributors to the recurring cycle of poverty is the lack of access to consistent, high quality, early childhood education (ECE) – precisely that most critical of stages in education which has the greatest impact on future human development. Therefore, in 2010 we decided to directly address the issue of recurring poverty at its roots by the establishment of an independent primary school serving disadvantaged children: The Kusasa Academy. Today our school provides a critical educational foundation to underprivileged children of colour – girls and boys from the shacks, farms and disadvantaged communities – giving them the chance of a much brighter future.

We invite you to be part of our exciting journey and to help us keep this dream alive. Click on the “donate” button (above right) to find out how you can change the future for a deserving child in South Africa!

Our Mission

The Kusasa Academy seeks to create leaders and outstanding citizens for the future through excellent educational engagement, enhancing the children’s social, emotional and cognitive development through our unique teaching approach. We look to raise the quality of education in the community in order to develop literate, compassionate, respectful, communicative, imaginative, multi-lingual students who are well prepared to make a positive impact in the future. Using a “whole-child” approach, our teachers begin with the understanding that each child deserves to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged to reach their potential. With this as the basis of all we do, we ensure that we will be preparing our children to be broad thinking and confident individuals capable of dealing constructively with the challenges of the future. In committing ourselves to this holistic approach we utilise every moment to the fullest, treating the present as a unique and precious opportunity to build a better future.

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