• Poverty is trauma, reduces mental bandwidth to think about the future and impedes cognitive function. 
  • Through good quality education we can permanently help people lift themselves out of poverty and sustainable self-suficiency

“Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that the child of a farm worker can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separate one person from another… It is beyond our power to create a world in which all children have access to good education. Those who do not believe this have small imaginations.” 

– Saint Mandela –

What is the crisis challenge?

Children attending school fare poorly on almost every metric and are ill-prepared for the world after school. More tragically those who suffer the most from poor schooling are disproportionately black children.

  • More children entering grade 1 are unlikely to matriculate.
  • Less than 3% will complete grade 12 with good marks in STEM subjects. Only 21%  and 29 % of learners pass math and science at 50%+.
  • In terms of literacy, of the 50 countries tested (PIRLS), SA performed the worst. Some 78% of grade 4 learners could not reach the minimum reading benchmark, compared to 4% globally.
  • Absent fathers (70 % of black kids), poor parents and present single parents (mothers) with no post-schooling education. Learners with parents with some post schooling education scores 11% – 17% higher.
  • Black boys perform far worse in all measures.
  • Majority of black schools with no infrastructure: Toilets, libraries, technology & science labs, smart devices, internet connectivity etc. Pupils with better infrastructure score 40-50% higher than those infrastructure disadvantaged.
  • Out of 49 countries who participated in the TIMSS test, SA grade 5-9 learners for math were found to be the second worst and in science South Africa came last.
  • Out of 76 OECD countries, South Africa has the 75th worst education system
  • More than 65% black youth unemployment (broad definition).
  • Less than 10% black students graduate with a degree, majority drop out. 
  • 25% of white students proceed to earn a bachelor’s degree after matric, compared to 15% Indians and 5% Black Africans and Coloureds.

African Men Care Solution

“Seek first Education (not just certification), meritocracy (competency) and strong values (respect) and all else shall be added unto a nation”

Using grounded community wisdom, coming from community social workers, teachers, concerned parents, elders in the villages and townships. AMC partners with the community pillars to identify learners in need and through detailed assessments, assess learner barriers to self-sufficiently and completing school. AMC’s role is to help remove barriers to an education opportunity through offering a holistic quality wrap around the intervention.