Operating since 1996, CLEF provides bursaries along with psycho-social support to rural youth from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Kenya. It was born out of recognition by Community Leaders, that to truly break the cycle of poverty in rural Africa, the youth had to access tertiary level education in order to gain the skills to increase their employability.
The programme assists young people who have displayed leadership potential to acquire education and skills that would not otherwise be available to them. We invest in youth from our partner communities, with the intent that they realize their potential, become “beacons of hope”, support the ongoing sustainable development of their communities and in some cases bring these specific skills back into their communities (e.g. nursing, teaching, engineering). This not only changes the lives of the graduates substantially, but the lives of their immediate and wider family, through the ripple effect felt by income generation within a family. Our Vision 2030 goal is for 5% of school leavers in our partner communities to receive tertiary support with 80% of these students finding employment within 3 years.