NPO creates pipeline of empowered students

A non-profit organisation (NPO) geared towards preparing high school learners for life after school is making waves for all the right reasons.

Destiny Achieve Foundation (DAF) is a youth-focused NPO headed by a group of four University of Cape Town (UCT) students. The organisation was established in 2023 and provides high school learners in resource-constrained settings with coaching and mentoring, leadership development and career guidance in preparation for university or college.

“Our main objective is to inspire and empower youth from the township. Through our programmes, we demonstrate what is possible and what you can achieve through hard work. Life doesn’t and shouldn’t end at high school. There are many opportunities out there that the youth can leverage, but often they know nothing about it. We want to change that,” said DAF founder, Mathabatha Malete, a third-year Bachelor of Information Systems and Finance student.

Learner support

Malete said young people living in underserved communities lack access to resources and the support they need to “set them up for success”. He witnessed this first-hand, which is why he founded DAF during his first-year of study. His aim was to create a safe space that offers learners structured support through various programmes and provide an opportunity for them to engage with facilitators to ask questions and get advice.

“What they need to know is where to go, what is required and how they can get there.”

“This idea was born out of my own lived experience. Like me, there are many young people in our communities who do well in school and can apply and gain entry at university and do very well there. But they don’t have anyone guiding them in the right direction. This is especially true for first-generation folks. What they need to know is where to go, what is required and how they can get there. We support them in that regard,” Malete said.

Currently, the team runs workshops and engagement sessions at Khulani High School in Langa and works with 50 matric learners – offering them guidance on how to plan their academic and study calendars. Mentorship and interpersonal and leadership skills programmes also form part of their offering. In addition, he said, the team work with learners on a one-on-one basis to identify various careers that are suited to their personalities and subject choices.

Since participating in their programmes, Malete said teachers report that learners are more engaged and focused on their studies, and their confidence levels have increased too. What’s more, he said, they understand the tertiary education opportunities available and how to approach the application process. This, he added, demonstrates the effectiveness of their programmes.

Student support

But their work doesn’t end at high schools.

When the team observed students’ struggles on campus, they got to work – with the intention of bringing DAF to UCT, and they did. As an additional arm of the NPO, the team facilitate various on-campus programmes that focus on peer support. These, he explained, include how to boost students’ confidence levels, mentorship and leadership development sessions, as well as tips on how to navigate applying for internships and bursaries. Additionally, Malete said, they are also actively involved with supporting students with goal setting and putting the necessary steps in place to achieve those goals.

“We take these things for granted, but they are important. Support is important. Varsity can be a very overwhelming and lonely space, and a lot more students need help than we realise. We can see it from the sign-ups we receive,” Malete said. “DAF provides an avenue of support, as well as some much-needed perspective.”

He said they have big plans to grow the NPO and expand its footprint at schools and universities in Cape Town and beyond the province’s borders.

“What we want to do is build a pipeline of empowered young people who can go on and lead and uplift others,” he concluded.