Education for Rural Youth

Runway Association (registration no.176-039) is a newly registered Non-Profit Organisation who’s mandate is to support rural youth, poor of the poorest and orphans access higher education and skills in order for them to realize their potential, their career, uplift their communities and be able to sustain themselves. Runway hopes to reach out to rural youth impart information and share experience as an attempt to empower them. The association was established based on the principle that education is pivotal in creating an enabling and sustainable environment in the underprivileged rural areas.

Thousands of matriculants from rural areas are unqualified and unemployed due to inability to access higher education and are demotivated. This is due to poverty, lack of information regarding higher education institutions, lack of funding and falling short of career guidance. Also since there is few or no aiding bodies in the rural areas, opportunities and resources are not within their reach.

Runway has historically been assisting rural high school learners in the area of Mfekayi and Eqakwini. Such work included assisting Eqakwini high school Grade 12 learners apply through Central Application Office (CAO) to universities from 2010 and giving career guidance to Grade 11s of the same school. Two of eQakwini high school former pupils were put to Owen Sithole College of Agriculture in Empangeni in 2011 and now employed as Agricultural Advisors. One of our goals is to make a difference in the lives of unskilled and needy young people through community outreach by improving access to resources such as internet. To date a donation worth R500 of MTN data bundles was donated to Eqakwini high school computer lab for Grade 12 learners to apply for National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) in the month November 2016.

With your assistance we hope to further assist at least 2 beneficiaries by funding them pursue their qualifications while shifting their mind-set and exposing them to life experiences in supportive environments through a structured programme.

For more information please contact [email protected] or [email protected]. Follow us on twitter @RunwayNPO