SOS Africa

SOS Africa is a grassroots South African charity which funds the education and care of disadvantaged African township children to help them break out of poverty. Our non-profit organisation breaks down barriers to learning and lowers South Africa’s school dropout rates by providing holistic sponsorship to children without access to education and vital support to struggling South African schools.

SOS Africa was founded in January 2003 by 18-year-old UK student, from Shepton Mallet, Matt Crowcombe, and South African school teacher Henry Matthews. Matt and Henry were dismayed by the poor standard of free schooling available to township children in South Africa. One night, over a bowl of jelly and ice-cream, they developed a plan to establish holistic education programmes to empower South Africa’s future generations through education.

It all began by sponsoring the education and holistic support of a young boy from Mahikeng who had great potential but no access to good schooling. 20 years on, thanks to the support of sponsors from across the world, SOS Africa has established 4 fully operational education centres in partnership with local schools, empowering hundreds of children throughout different regions of the country. Matt and his family now live in the Western Cape overseeing the charity’s thriving education projects.

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