Funding request 2026: 20th Anniversary Year: Can you help?
Last updated: 13/12/2025
Dear Bambisanani Supporter,
With a wonderful 2025 almost behind us the Bambisanani team is already planning for an even more ambitious 2026 – our 20th Anniversary Year! We simply cannot do anything without our sponsors and supporters. I absolutely hate asking for help but here goes! If you can assist us in any way that would be fantastic and greatly appreciated. Could I also ask that you consider who else might be able to support us from your network (individual or organisation) and forward this link to them: https://www.bambisananipartnership.org/fundraising-request
Background
The Bambisanani Partnership is a multi-award-winning UK based charity that originated as a partnership between St. Mary’s Catholic School in Menston, UK and Mnyakanya High School in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in 2006. The partnership, which is run entirely by volunteers, uses the power of sport as a catalyst to promote education, health, global citizenship and leadership has gained international acclaim for its work. The partnership now involves over 60 schools, colleges and universities in both the UK and South Africa. The University of Leeds and Newcastle College are key members of the partnership. In South Africa the partnership operates in the Nkandla region which one of most remote and deprived parts of the country with over 40% unemployment and one of highest Aids/HIV rates in the world. ‘Bambisanani’ is a Zulu word meaning ‘working hand in hand’ which aptly encapsulates the philosophy of the partnership which seeks to provide collaborative learning opportunities for young people in both countries. The partnership has been recognised as making important contributions to UN Sustainable Development Goals and is a founding member of Sport and Sustainability International.
Over the past 19 years more than 35,000 young people from the UK and South Africa (from primary school through to university) have participated in a variety of Bambisanani Partnership programmes and projects including ‘Leadership through Sport’, Sports Festivals’ Cycling to Success’, ‘Literacy through Sport’, ‘Numeracy through Sport’ ‘Art through Sport’, ‘Learning through Football’, ‘International Athletics Challenge’ and the joint training of Physical Education teachers and Sports Coaches.
Beyond this the charity has been instrumental in bringing water and computers to schools as well as rebuilding houses and providing university bursaries to disadvantaged young people; always working in partnership with the local community.
The work of the partnership has been highlighted at conferences throughout the world, including the Global Sport for All Summit held at the Vatican and at the International Olympic Academy in Greece.
The Bambisanani Partnership was named as International Sport and Physical Education Charity of the Year 2023 and 2024.
The Bambisanani story is testimony of the power of sport to change the lives of individuals and communities.
“Much of our life in the UK has become obsessed with materialism and ‘celebrity’. We have lost touch with things that really matter. My visit to South Africa has given me a much more meaningful perspective on life.”
“We have worked together…people of different colours, countries, religions and cultures…we have proved it can be done.”
“The Bambisanani Partnership has reminded me why I became a teacher.”
“This partnership has developed some of the best international education programmes and practice in the world.”
“The Bambisanani Partnership represents a truly authentic approach to educating children about health, global citizenship and leadership. This inspirational partnership clearly has the power to change lives for the good and develop long-standing friendships across nations. Many schools and universities around the world would benefit from knowing more about this partnership and adopting similar innovative approaches to genuinely enhancing young people’s lives.”
“South Africa has a history of people from abroad attempting to ‘serve’ the local community. Many of these ‘missions’ flounder because they are designed to engender a feeling of goodwill more for the giver than the recipient. Bambisanani – working hand in hand – works because there is neither giver nor receiver. Two groups from different ends of the planet, each borrowing from the culture of the other, forge relationships through the medium of sport, changing perspectives of both from the experience.”
Ambition for 2026 and funding requirements:
In 2026, over a period of three months, 40 young people from St. Mary’s School, Menston, University of Leeds and Newcastle College will volunteer in South Africa developing existing programmes and introducing new ones. Between them the institutions and students have raised a remarkable £143,000 to fund their volunteering. We are not seeking funding for our volunteers; this is their responsibility, and we believe that there is much learning to be gained from this process. These are remarkable young people who have a real desire to become global citizens and make a difference in the world, they are a constant inspiration to myself and the rest of the Bambisanani team. With £143,000 already in place we are seeking a further £30,000 to fund our priority projects on the ground in South Africa.
All our projects are driven by local needs and engage community members at every stage of planning and delivery. We have a policy of never funding 100% of any project. We always insist on an element of funding or contribution ‘in kind’ from South African sources. Many of our projects operate on a 50/50 basis in terms of costs meaning that a £100 donation from the UK can ‘lever’ a further £100 from South Africa. The partnership is absolutely committed to building capacity in the communities in which we work and empowering the people that we work with. Bambisanani means ‘working hand in hand’ and we are committed to that principle. All over the world I have seen ‘100% grants’ develop a ‘dependency culture’ within the communities that they are supposed to serve. This approach is frequently accompanied by a lack of real consultation with the local community; this is an approach that is at best patronising and ultimately self-defeating. Our team of 80 volunteers from both countries donate more than 9,000 hours per year to the partnership. Furthermore, with no employees and no premises, 98% of money donated to us goes to fund frontline projects. We are a lean and extremely efficient small charity with a proven track record of sustained impact over 19 years.
Total funding requirement for 2026 = £173,000
Amount already raised by UK student volunteers and their institutions = £143,000 (83% of total)
Remaining funding required for 2026 = £30,000 (17% of total)
In the year ahead we would like to develop ten community ‘needs led’ projects as identified below. There may be one that you might consider supporting in some way.
1. Cycling to Success
Our cycling project has proved a remarkable success in those remote, rural hills transforming lives as a means of transport, sport and recreation. Working in partnership with KZN Cycling (the Governing Body for Cycling in KZN) we aim to train 5,000 children (a year) how to both ride and maintain bikes. This year we reached the milestone of engaging 10,000 young people in this pioneering programme, a programme that was described in the South African parliament as one that empowers young people and their communities. We need to raise £9,000 a year for the next three years which will be matched by KZN Cycling.
2. Thembinfundo Special School Water and Sanitation
Thembinfundo is the latest school to become part of the Bambisanani Partnership. This remote rural Residential School had no access to clean water until our recent collaboration with South African partners. In the last year we have reinstated a Bore Hole, installed Water Storage Tanks and brought water into part of the school with basic plumbing to provide some toilets. A good start has been made but there remains much to do. The general situation is still deplorable in terms of lack of hygiene and dignity; the environment is certainly not conducive to learning and desperately needs to be addressed. Access to clean water throughout the school would transform this school and the learning environment for the 200 children and their teachers. In the year ahead we aim to provide more toilet, drinking and washing facilities. We would like to raise £7,000 with South African sources providing the same.
3. Thembinfundo Special School Sport
We are also working at Thembinfundo to develop Physical Education and Sport at the school. We have made a good start with this by introducing some basic equipment and training which has had a significant impact. We are currently working with several agencies in South Africa to expand this programme at the school and we wish to introduce more teaching and learning opportunities. This next stage of development for sports and sensory equipment will cost £1,000. The development of Physical Education and Sport will radically improve the school experience for its learners.
4. Bambisanani International Athletics Challenge
This project started during Covid to link primary schools in the UK and in South Africa in a series of athletic challenges. Principals have hailed the programme as a tremendous success - improving academic performance, behaviour, attendance and self-esteem. Most of the South African schools had no prior experience of athletics. £2,000 is required to provide the basic equipment for the South African schools. £1,000 is available from South African sources so we need to raise £1,000 to make this programme happen for over 1,000 learners in South Africa.
5. Leadership Through Sport programmes
Our ‘Leadership Through Sports programmes’ are our longest running initiatives and they have proved an exceptional success in both primary schools and secondary schools. The medium of sport is a tremendously powerful vehicle for developing generic leadership skills. Many young people who have successfully completed this course have gone to use their skills in the wider community to great effect. We need to purchase £2,000 of sports equipment each year to facilitate these programmes in both the primary and secondary schools. £1,000 is already in place to fund this programme but another £1,000 is required to train 100 young Sports Leaders.
6. Literacy
We are supporting a KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education Department priority of developing Literacy in the remote rural areas. In the year ahead we would like to provide a further 2,000 books at a cost of £1,000. This work is led by 10-year-old Althaeá Dickinson from York (our youngest volunteer) who works closely with local booksellers and charity shops to negotiate extremely preferential terms for primary school reading books.
7. University Bursaries
Each year we try and support at least two students, who, against all the odds, gain a university place, but cannot raise all the funding required. We are currently supporting two students who are training to become teachers at the University of South Africa. They have both raised between 70 and 80% of course fees themselves and we will try and make up the shortfall (that will make the difference) i.e. £2,000.
8. Educational visits of South African students and teachers to the UK
Such visits have a tremendous positive impact, as indeed we saw in 2024, and would like to encourage further visits (hopefully annually) in the future by raising £2,000 to contribute towards costs whilst our guests are in the UK. All other costs e.g. transport would be found by the South African visitors.
9. Shoes for children that don’t have any
Despite walking great distances to school many children that we work with do not have shoes or shoes that fit them. Working with the My Walk charity we can provide shoes made from recycled hospital waste at a special rate of £1.53 (R35) a pair. In 2026 we aim to provide 650 more pairs of shoes and need to raise £1,000.
10. Ubuntu Arts Project
New for 2026 will be the introduction of an arts through sport initiative that will engage young people from both South Africa and the UK in an exciting collaboration. Based on the wonderful Zulu concept of Ubuntu (meaning I am because we are) this project will use sport to explore our shared humanity through art with a view to holding Art Exhibitions in both countries. £1,500 is already in place and a further £1,000 is required to provide art materials and specialist teaching by artists in South Africa.
Administration
Not the most exciting aspect of our work to fund but nevertheless vitally important as it ensures that all the above happens. With no staff to pay or premises to look after our administration costs are minimal. Our costs for the year ahead will be in the region of £4,000.
For the future we also have a longer-term plan to build a Football/Sports pitch near Mnyakanya School to serve both the school and the wider community. The land has already been gifted to us and the plans have been drawn up. The total cost of the project will be £85,000 with over half of the funding to come from South African sources. There is no such facility in the area; it has the potential to have a transformational impact on the lives of young people through all the benefits that sport can bring. We also can build an additional classroom for computer use at Mnyakanya School at a cost of £20,000.
I would be more than happy to supply further information if required and indeed to meet with you to discuss our programme and aspirations in more detail.
Via this link it is possible to make a ‘one off’ donation to the charity or indeed set up a monthly payment:
https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/19318
David Geldart, Founder/CEO
The Bambisanani Partnership (UK Registered Charity 1163461)