From Classrooms to Life - A new documentary showcasing how the Christel House South Africa model helps children break the cycle of poverty
From Classrooms to Life - A new documentary showcasing how the CHSA model helps children break the cycle of poverty
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Ottery based no-fee school, Christel House South Africa has welcomed the release of “From Classrooms to Life”, a powerful new documentary produced by an award-winning team of international filmmakers that explores how long-term investment in children, families and communities can create pathways to inclusion, opportunity and upward economic mobility.
Produced by Christel House International, the documentary highlights the charity organisation's unique model of education and holistic support, demonstrating how children born into poverty can thrive when barriers to learning such as hunger, poor healthcare, and limited opportunities are removed.
While the film tells the story of Christel House's global impact, it also shines a spotlight on a model that has been changing lives in Cape Town for 25 years.
Unlike traditional schools, Christel House South Africa's admissions main criterion is based on socio-economic vulnerability rather than academic ability, sporting talent or prior achievement. For many children living in underserved communities across the Cape Flats, access to education is only one part of the challenge. Hunger, trauma, inadequate healthcare, unsafe environments and the cost of transport often prevent children from learning and thriving.
"We’ve learnt over 25 years that a classroom alone is not enough,"
says Adri Marais, Chief Executive Officer of Christel House South Africa.
"Vulnerable children from extremely low-income households need the enablers of education before education itself can take root. They need nutritious meals, healthcare, psychosocial support, safe transport, family support and high-quality, trauma-informed teaching. When those barriers are removed, children are able to learn, succeed and ultimately change the trajectory of their lives."
Today, Christel House South Africa serves 1006 learners from Grade RR to Grade 12 and continues to support more than 230 alumni through tertiary education, training and employment pathways up to the age of 23. Students receive no-fee scholarships and are supported through a comprehensive model that includes transport, nutrition, healthcare, counselling, social services and post-school career support.
Says Christel House South Africa’s Development and Partnerships Director, Lara Black,
”The documentary was released on Youth Day, landing at a time when South Africa continues to grapple with educational inequality, youth unemployment and persistent poverty. It demonstrates that meaningful social mobility requires more than short-term interventions; it requires sustained investment in young people and the systems that support them.”
The film also highlights the growing need for models that address the whole child. Demand for places at Christel House significantly exceeds available capacity, with many vulnerable children unable to access the programme despite meeting the socio-economic need criteria.
As part of its long-term growth strategy, Christel House South Africa hopes to expand access to more learners through the development of additional schools in the Western Cape. The organisation has submitted a formal application to purchase a 5,64-hectare City-owned property to build a new Grade RR to Grade 12 campus in Strandfontein that would extend life-changing opportunities to 1000 more children from surrounding impoverished communities.
"’From Classrooms to Life’ is ultimately a story about potential,"
says Marais.
"It reminds us that talent is universal, but opportunity is not. When children are given the support they need and systemic chokes are removed, extraordinary things become possible."
Produced by Vanessa Lanci and directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Paul Burger, with cinematography by Emmy Award-winning Michael Gomes, the documentary shares the stories of students, graduates, families and staff from South Africa and other Christel House schools in the network including India, Jamaica and Mexico.
If you would like to support this work through a donation, partnership, sponsorship, volunteering opportunity or legacy gift, please visit:
www.sa.christelhouse.org/donate
To watch the documentary, visit:
https://christelhouse.org/watch-the-film/
To learn more about Christel House South Africa, visit:
Image supplied by the publicist
More about Christel House South Africa
Christel House South Africa is a non-profit school with a single mission: A world where poverty does not limit potential. It offers no-fee scholarships to students from 30 of Cape Town’s severely under-served communities and supports them for 19 years (Grade RR to Grade 12 and five years post-matric) through character-based and career-focused education.
The school’s beneficiaries include 1006 students from grades RR to 12, 250+ post-matric students, and more than 3000 parents and other members of the communities it serves.
The main criterion for admission to Christel House is not evidence of talent but of poverty, a measure of which is a maximum average income of between R1,800-R3,000 per household member per month.
Key aspects of Christel House’s model include poverty mitigation services such as daily transport to school and back, professional health care, nutritious meals, psycho-social counselling, family assistance, and college and career planning and support. Throughout their schooling and beyond, learners receive consistent support through various projects and programmes, including career guidance, vocational preparation, character development, and post-matric alumni support. This extends to tertiary education, job placements, graduate mentoring, career workshops, and financial support, forming a network of impact that extends to families and communities.
For more information visit our website https://sa.christelhouse.org/ and follow us on social media platforms - Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
