Welcome
The Nelson Mandela Institute (NMI), founded through a partnership between the Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF), the University of Fort Hare and the South African government, is charged with taking forward Nelson Mandela’s work in the areas of education and community development.
The Institute is based on the belief that education and community development are inseparable and that both are important for building a sustainable democracy.
Working in and with schools in rural and under-resourced communities, the Nelson Mandela Institute aims to build and support public institutions through teacher training, leadership development, youth development, community work and applied research.
Based at Mr Mandela’s alma mater, the University of Fort Hare, the Nelson Mandela Institute has already become an important driver for the transformation of education and development in rural and poor communities.
Ongoing Initiatives
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Magic Classrooms
Following three years of research into the state of education at poor rural and urban schools in South Africa, the Nelson Mandela Institute introduced the Magic Classrooms project in 2008 to address problems that had been identified. Research conducted by the Institute revealed a pattern of underachievement in poor rural and urban schools.
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Learner Leadership
The main aim of the learner and teacher development programme is to foster greater enthusiasm for learning and a greater belief in the potential of each child and the ability of teachers to help them flourish.
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Ilima Lokufunda
Ilima is an isiXhosa word referring to the tradition where community members come together to plough each other’s fields. Ilima Lokufunda was founded by the communities of the Mqanduli region in the Eastern Cape, in 2008 and seeks to introduce ilima values to South Africa’s modern education system.
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University of Fort Hare Grounding Programme
The University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape, which boasts Nelson Mandela himself among its alumni, is committed to maximising the potential of the 120 students in its Grounding Programme and ensuring a bright future for its graduates.
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It is not beyond our power to create a world in which all children have access to a good education. Those who do not believe this have small imaginations.
Nelson Mandela, founding statement, 2006
Latest Blog
Thinking Aloud - January
5 Feb 2010Dear friends and colleagues of the NMI,
One of our goals this year is to become better at communicating about our work. Our goal is not only to communicate about our work formally, but to have opportunities to informally share our experiences and thoughts, with people like ourselves, who are committed to creating an education system that works for all our children.
First we will enter the world of ‘blogging’. Over the course of this year, we will encourage the NMI team, and people working with us, to share their thoughts and experiences with you. In this way you will hear diverse voices – and perhaps, through the mosaic of our voices and experiences, you will start sensing our world, and the ideas and possibilities that we see emerging around us.
Read more…
Mandela Day
On July 18, 2009, 46664 and the Nelson Mandela Foundation launched Mandela Day, a day dedicated to honouring and celebrating Mr Mandela’s humanitarian legacy.
Nelson Mandela International Day, which has been officially recognised by the United Nations, is a global call to action for people around the world to recognise their power to make a difference in the world and to respond by doing something small to benefit their local communities and the world.
Read more…