Education without Borders (EwB)

What Education without Borders (EwB) does

Education without Borders (EwB) is a registered non-profit charity founded in 2002 by Cecil and Ruth Hershler that delivers after-school and enrichment educational programmes to approximately 1,000 learners at any one time in under-resourced townships on the Cape Flats in and around Cape Town, South Africa. Core academic offerings include Mathematics and First Additional Language English support for Grades 4–12, a Language Enrichment Programme for Grades 1–3 delivered in partnership with the Mellon Programme, SHINE, and ORT, and the "School in a Box" closed-internet digital learning system consisting of 15–20 connected tablets per site with pre-loaded South African curricula. Programme delivery is anchored on a Skills Mastery Methodology that breaks mathematics into content domains (Numbers/Operations/Relationships, Patterns, Space and Shape, Measurement, Data Handling) and runs each topic through approximately 6-week pre-assessment, remediation, and post-assessment cycles.

The operational portfolio extends beyond academic tutoring to include holiday programmes, a Young Filmmakers course in partnership with Rising Tides, monthly surfing workshops with Surf without Borders and the 9Miles Project, life-skills training, mentorship linking adult North American mentors with South African learners, the award-winning Fezeka School Choir, and a wraparound bursary and tertiary-placement programme. In Canada, EwB operates a separate Indigenous Projects line supporting the Indigenous Storybooks Canada Project (since 2018), the Remember Podcast launched in 2022 with 100.7 FM The Raven on Canada's National Truth and Reconciliation Day, the Xwémalhkwu Hero Stories graphic novel produced with the Homalco First Nation and UBC Comics Studies Cluster, and the Seabird Island Band Outdoor Education Program.

EwB is registered as a charity in four jurisdictions (South Africa, Canada, Australia, and the United States) and operates as a donation-funded non-profit with the stated position that 100% of donations go to programming with no administrative costs. Its principal fundraising mechanism is the South African Film Festival (SAFF), run by volunteer regional EwB Boards annually in Australia/New Zealand (May) and Canada/USA (November), with ticket-sale proceeds directed to operations. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct service delivery to learners in South African townships, direct partnerships with Indigenous communities in British Columbia, and volunteer-led event fundraising across four countries, supported by website donation portals, country-specific email newsletters, and a broad social-media presence. Per-learner unit economics are framed at less than $1 per day to cover a full year of after-school programming including a daily meal.

Name

Education without Borders (EwB)

Legal name

Education without Borders

Website

https://educationwithoutborders.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Education without Borders (EwB) is a registered charity founded in 2002 that delivers after-school academic, enrichment, and bursary programmes to approximately 1,000 learners in Cape Town townships, while supporting Indigenous education and cultural-preservation projects in British Columbia, funded primarily through donations and volunteer-run South African Film Festivals across four countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Educational Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Inclusive Education (Disability, Gender Equity, Marginalized Learners) (BPADAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE) (EDADALAG)

Keywords

• Charitable educational programs
• After-school tutoring services
• Indigenous cultural preservation
• Film festival fundraising
• Nonprofit education charity

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver, BC

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: EwB operates as a registered charity in South Africa, Canada, Australia, and the United States, receiving donations from individuals and organizations. The organization states it has no administrative costs with 100% of donations going towards EwB operations.
2. South African Film Festival Proceeds: Film festivals organized by volunteers in Canada, USA, and Australia/NZ serve as the principal means to raise funds for EwB. All proceeds from ticket sales support educational programs.
3. Indigenous Project Funding: A portion of EwB Canada's revenue is allocated to local Indigenous projects in British Columbia, including graphic novel projects and the Indigenous Storybooks Canada Project.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Education without Borders (EwB) is a registered charity that delivers after-school academic programmes in Mathematics and English, enrichment activities, meals, and transportation to approximately 1,000 learners in under-resourced townships on the Cape Flats in and around Cape Town, South Africa. The organization also funds Indigenous education and cultural preservation projects in British Columbia, Canada, and operates the South African Film Festival (SAFF) as its principal fundraising mechanism across Canada, USA, and Australia/New Zealand.

Product overview

Education without Borders (EwB) operates as a charitable educational organization, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of interconnected educational programmes for under-resourced learners in South Africa and Indigenous communities in Canada. The core portfolio includes Academic Programmes (with School in a Box digital learning, Skills Mastery Methodology, and Wraparound bursary support), Enrichment Programmes (Holiday Programmes, Young Filmmakers, Surfing, Life Skills, Mentorship, Choir), Indigenous Projects in Canada (Indigenous Storybooks, Remember Podcast, Graphic Novel projects with Homalco First Nation), and the South African Film Festival (SAFF) as a fundraising vehicle. Tutor Training and Development supports programme delivery. No AI, API, or traditional SaaS product features are present.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $7,000 in graphic novel sales directly supporting Indigenous Language and Cultural programs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• TSL Enterprises LtdminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024TSL Enterprises Ltd is involved in the Xwémalhkwu Heroes: Tribal Journey Indigenous Comics Initiative Project alongside EwB, Xwémalhkwu First Nation, and UBC Comics Studies Cluster.
• UBC Comics Studies ClustercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024EwB partners with UBC Comics Studies Cluster for Indigenous graphic novel projects, including Xwémalhkwu Hero Stories and the ongoing Tribal Journey Indigenous Comics Initiative, with support from Elizabeth 'Biz' Nijdam and colleagues.
• Xwémalhkwu (Homalco) First NationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration with Homalco First Nation for the Xwémalhkwu Hero Stories graphic novel and ongoing Indigenous Comics Initiative projects preserving cultural knowledge through comic art.
• 100.7 FM The RavencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022EwB partnered with 100.7 FM The Raven to produce the Remember Podcast, an Indigenous-led podcast exploring First Nations elders' memories, launched on Canada's National Truth and Reconciliation Day 2022.
• Indigenous Storybooks CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Since 2018, EwB provides support for Indigenous Storybooks - a Canadian website making text, images, and audio of open access stories available in Indigenous languages, English, French, and Spanish.
• Surf without BordersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration providing monthly surfing workshops for disadvantaged and at-risk youth in the Cape Town region.
• 9Miles ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in monthly surfing workshops engaging, empowering and uplifting disadvantaged youth in partnership with Surf without Borders and EwB.
• Mellon Programme / SHINE / ORTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEwB has partnered with the Mellon programme, SHINE, and ORT for the Language Enrichment Programme delivering in-classroom support for Grades 1-3 in reading and writing.
• Tawineyi Community SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with grassroots early childhood education centre in rural Zimbabwe founded by Zimbabwean-Canadian artist Chaka Chikodzi, providing resources blending literacy, numeracy with music, storytelling, farming, gardening and arts.
• Rising TidesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEwB partnered with Rising Tides to organize a Young Filmmakers course for EwB learners, tutors and site coordinators in South Africa, equipping participants with documentary filmmaking skills.
• Seabird Island BandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEwB Canada allocates funding to the Seabird Island Band Outdoor Education Program as part of Indigenous projects in British Columbia.
• UBC Dept. Language and Literacy EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UBC's Language and Literacy Education department to digitize Xwemalhkwu Hero Stories and create an open-access teaching guide with Indigenous language versions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Room to Read: Global education nonprofit operating literacy and girls' education programs across multiple low-income countries, including Africa. Comparable to EwB in mission, after-school programming model, and developing-country footprint, but at materially larger scale.
• Teach for All: Global network of independent partner organizations addressing educational inequity through teacher and leadership development. Comparable in equity-of-opportunity mission; serves as a broader incumbent EwB could be measured against or partner with.

Regional players

• African Library Project: U.S.-based nonprofit that establishes libraries and literacy resources in African countries. Comparable to EwB in cross-border (North America-Africa) nonprofit model, educational equity mission, and volunteer-driven fundraising.

Direct peers

• Surf without Borders: South African nonprofit using surfing as a youth-development vehicle for under-resourced learners in the Cape Town region. Directly comparable to EwB's enrichment programming (EwB partners with Surf without Borders to deliver monthly surfing workshops to disadvantaged youth).
• Thope Foundation: South African education nonprofit supporting after-school programs, mentorship, and bursaries for learners in townships. Comparable to EwB in target population, geography (Cape Town and surrounding townships), and wraparound after-school delivery model.
• IkamvaYouth: South African nonprofit providing after-school tutoring, mentoring, and learner support in under-resourced townships. Directly comparable to EwB in target population (Grades 4-12 learners), geography (Cape Town and beyond), and after-school delivery model.
• Equal Education: South African social movement and nonprofit focused on quality and equality in public education for learners in under-resourced communities. Comparable to EwB in advocacy plus program delivery, target population, and Cape Town operating base.
• First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC): British Columbia-based organization coordinating First Nations education policy and programming. Comparable to EwB's Indigenous Canadian projects in mission and BC geography, but operates as a much larger indigenous-led institutional body.
• Indigenous Storybooks Canada: Canadian initiative providing open-access stories in Indigenous languages, with which EwB has had an active partnership since 2018. Directly comparable to EwB's Indigenous Projects stream, including language revitalization and intergenerational knowledge transfer.

Others

• Mellon Foundation (Literacy and Education Programs): Major U.S. philanthropic foundation funding literacy and education initiatives, with whom EwB has partnered via the Mellon Programme for in-classroom reading and writing support. Comparable as funding/strategic partner rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ewb_education
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@educationwithoutborders
• Facebookfacebook.com/EwBeducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/education-without-borders
• Instagraminstagram.com/education.without.borders

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Education without Borders (EwB)