About Us

We are

Our organization is called the Botrivier Education Foundation (BEF). We work in and amongst a community of about 8000 people in Botrivier – a rural town in the Western Cape and surrounding farms.

This is a deprived and poor community in all categories. Our aim is to assist promising students in high school to reach entry into university. This is done through mentoring and contact tutoring. We started with this endeavor in 2005.

Our

Mentor students in the Botrivier catchment area to reach tertiary education so that eventually every family in Botrivier has a young person at a recognized tertiary institution. In the process enhances community development through educational excellence.

BEF helps these students to “hitch their wagon to a star” and in the process transform not only their family but also their neighbours. However hidden behind this aim and being the most important achievement of BEF is the ongoing ever expanding critical mass of students and their parents who have now have gained the experience of how to get into a university or any other tertiary institution despite your economic standing. Today the 22 graduates and their parents are the most important mentors in the program.

Mentoring and contact tutoring also takes place
in our classroom. High school students from Grade 9 to Grade 12 get together on various days from 17h00 to 18h00.

On a Monday – Geography, Tuesday – Mathematics, Wednesday
– English and Thursday – Biology.

We call this discussion the “Golden Hour”.

The purpose is to research a relevant topic and then have a discussion about. In this manner the research skills of student are developed. They learn how to process information and to work independently. This is a vital learning tool especially in schools with a high student: teacher ratio. Teacher tutors also assist with the various subject matters.