Bitou 10 Foundation

The Bitou 10 Education and Development Foundation has evolved from the Cadbury School Development Initiative (CSDI) which was established in 2001 in response to then president Nelson Mandela’s challenge to change the education landscape of how children set about learning and teachers set about teaching. The focus of the CSDI initiative was the cluster of ten state schools in the Bitou municipal area; these schools represent a small-scale model of South Africa’s education whole. Eight of the ten schools are non fee paying schools as they cater for children from historically disadvantaged communities. The cluster model is based on the philosophy that “Together we can do so much more”.

Following the 2001 Baseline Study of the situation in all the B10F schools, the CSDI embarked on an ambitious project to change the education landscape through whole school development. In order to build local ownership of this project we became The Bitou 10 Education and Development Foundation in March 2006 with the principals of the ten schools forming our Board of Directors.

During 2008/2009, B10F entered into a process of Review and Reflection – a holding year to determine and clarify which direction we should be taking involving the broad participation of the school communities. We are proud to say that we have made a difference! Both the JET Education Services (JET) Evaluation in 2007 and our self enquiry process in 2009 have confirmed that all the Expected Outcomes of the JET Baseline Study have been met.

On March 16 2010 our Founding Board tendered its resignation and approved the nominations for a new Board as had been agreed upon, and the agreement confirmed, at our 2 September, 2009 AGM in the Simunye Centre, Kwanokuthula.

This marked the culmination of our holding year; our new Board was inaugurated on 31 March, 2010.

It is our firm belief that we achieved much in this holding year. If a process can be a product, and we believe it can be, we have a strong product to show for a year of only partial activity. We have a strong Board that has not only intellectual muscle, but also an appreciation of the relevance of The Bitou 10 Foundation as keen believer in, key contributor to, and able facilitator of building local community.

Essentially, it is the authenticity of personal relationships that salvages, and thereby saves, not only the driving rationale, but much more importantly, the ultimate objective – meeting the challenge laid down to us by then president Nelson Mandela to change the landscape of how children set about learning and teachers set about teaching!

Thus our focus remains steadfastly on our children – if we do not have meaningful and enduring impact on the lives of our children not only has our work failed, but our nation will continue to pay the price for generations to come.

This serves to confirm that the following individuals serve as Directors of The Bitou 10 Education and Development Foundation:

The Board is reflective of the diverse community represented in our schools and our local community, and is appointed in terms of the skills and expertise each can put in service of education development in the Bitou Region.

Without our Funders and Donors our job would be an extremely tough, if not an impossible, one:

OUR FOUNDER FUNDERS

Bitou Municipality
Peter Gain

OUR CORE FUNDERS

Anglo American Chairman’s Fund
Oppenheimer Memorial Trust
DG Murray Trust supports our Interschool Magazine Programme

LOCAL DONORS INCLUDE:

Bitou Municipality
The Lubner Charitable Family Trust
The Wally Brink Trust
Rotary Club of Plettenberg Bay
Laurie Chiappini
Anne Hrabar
Liz McGrath
Romey and Robin Hope
Inge Joest