The Call of South Africa Adopt-a-Student Program

The Call of South Africa Adopt-A-Student Program is one of several service projects being developed with our community partners in South Africa. The program pairs a child at the Ekukhanyisweni Primary School in Alexandra, South Africa, with a sponsor in the United States who agrees to help fund the child’s education for one year.

‘Ekukhanyisweni’ is the Zulu word for “place of light” and the school lives up to its name. Although the new facility opened in January 2007, the twenty-five teachers do their best to work amidst the severe overcrowding in their classrooms, with each often serving more than forty students. As one can imagine, resources are strained and it is a challenge to meet the overwhelming needs of the more than 1,000 students who call the school home and truly make this a “place of light.”

Through the Adopt-A-Student Program, each sponsor’s pledge will be used to support the education of a deserving student. It takes US $40 to help send a child to the Ekukhanyisweni Primary School for one whole year! That’s approximately Rand 280. The price includes the R100 school fees for the year, school supplies, the school sports uniform (t-shirt, jeans, and white sneakers) of R40 and a regular school uniform. Working with the principal and teachers at the school, students who show academic promise, whose families are experiencing financial difficulties, and students in the higher grades will be given priority. Currently, the school educates our equivalent of pre-k through junior high.

To make a contribution, complete the Sponsor/Child Profile form available at http://facstaff.elon.edu/playne/Adopt-a-Student.pdf 

After the funds are converted to the local currency, students enrolled in the South Africa winter term program will work to match a sponsor with a child, provide sponsors with a photo and profile of their ‘adopted’ child, and account for how the funds have been spent. Please email the Sponsor/Child Profile to playne@elon.edu or send a hard copy to Elon University, The Adopt-A-Student Program, 2338 Campus Box, Elon, NC 27244 with your check/money order made payable to Elon University/AAASE. Arrangements can be made for cash payments.
If you are interested in helping or learning more about the Call of South Africa’s other service projects, please call (336) 278-5618 or visit the program’s blog at http://idd.elon.edu/sasa for more details.