Kagisano Foundation

What Kagisano Foundation does

Kagisano Educational & Youth Development Foundation (operating as Kagisano Foundation) is a South African non-profit organisation (registration number 150-928NPO) founded in 2015 by Koketso Lediga, Mmarona Moseneke, and Poppy Hlatshwayo. It is youth-led and women-led, headquartered in the City of Tshwane, Gauteng, and serves primary and secondary school learners from disadvantaged township and rural communities across South Africa. The foundation positions itself against a documented South African education crisis, citing that 8 out of 10 grade 4 pupils cannot read (PIRLS 2016) and that the country was rated 126th of 138 in the WEF 2016-2017 Global Competitiveness Report despite high education spending.

The foundation's core product is the Mobile Reading Lab, a mobile reading laboratory equipped with routers and SIM cards (Telkom 068 525 6978 and Vodacom 071 382 0115) that delivers reading and computer-skills content directly to schools. Around this core, it operates a portfolio of programmes: the Reading Club, the Girls Guide to Greatness Programme, the Climate Change Programme, the Girls in Sports Project, and the Oral Health Education Programme, each aligned to UN Sustainable Development Goals 4, 5, 10, 13, and 17. It also publishes the children's book 'Kole Meets Mama Winnie's Southern African Friends' as both educational content and a donation vehicle.

The business model is non-commercial: Kagisano Foundation does not charge for its educational services and is funded entirely through donations, with named donors comprising Koketso Lediga, Infra-Afrika Advisory, and individual advocates from the Johannesburg Bar. Distribution is direct-to-school via the Mobile Reading Lab, and donor acquisition is supported through organic social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X) and a WordPress website. The organisation operates with roughly 12 people and has no disclosed employees, no recurring funding rounds, no patents, and no technology integrations beyond its mobile connectivity stack.

Name

Kagisano Foundation

Legal name

Kagisano Educational & Youth Development Foundation

Website

https://kagisanofoundation.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kagisano Foundation is a South African non-profit (NPO 150-928NPO) founded in 2015 that delivers literacy, gender, climate, and health programmes to learners in township and rural schools through its Mobile Reading Lab and a donation-funded operating model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education Non-Profit Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAJAMAF

Literacy & Reading Intervention Technology

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Educational Technology Solutions

SECONDARYEDAJALAA

Academic Tutoring Services (Subject-Specific & General)

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Educational Support Services (Tutoring & Counseling)

SECONDARYEDAJALAB

Homework Help & Study Skills Coaching

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Educational Support Services (Tutoring & Counseling)

Keywords

• Youth education programmes
• Literacy improvement services
• Mobile reading lab
• Community development charity
• Nonprofit educational outreach

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Kagisano Foundation is a non-profit organisation (registration number 150-928NPO) that fully relies on financial assistance from third parties. Revenue is generated entirely through donations from individuals and organisations.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Kagisano Foundation is a registered South African non-profit (150-928NPO) that delivers educational programmes and resources to learners from townships and rural schools. Its flagship offering is the Mobile Reading Lab, a mobile laboratory equipped with routers and SIM cards that brings reading and computer-skills instruction to underserved schools. The foundation also runs a Reading Club, Girls Guide to Greatness mentorship programme, Climate Change Programme, Girls in Sports Project, Oral Health Education Programme, and publishes a children's book. All services are provided free of charge to learners and funded entirely through donations.

Product overview

Kagisano Foundation is a non-profit educational organization offering a portfolio of youth development programmes and educational resources. The core offerings include the Mobile Reading Lab (a mobile laboratory providing educational tools and improving reading/computer skills), the Reading Club (promoting leisure reading culture and literacy), the Girls Guide to Greatness Programme (mentorship for young girls), the Climate Change Programme (environmental education aligned with SDGs), the Girls in Sports Project (sports development), and the Oral Health Education Programme (health awareness). The foundation also publishes the children's book 'Kole Meets Mama Winnie's Southern African Friends' as part of its educational mission. These programmes collectively aim to empower learners from townships and rural schools in South Africa, focusing on quality education, gender equality, reduced inequality, climate action, and partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mobile Reading Lab A mobile reading laboratory that provides educational tools, resources, and opportunities to learners in townships and rural schools, improving their reading and computer skills. The lab uses routers with Telkom (068 525 6978) and Vodacom (071 382 0115) SIM cards to run reading programs.
• Reading Club A community-based reading club that promotes a culture of reading for leisure and aims to increase the literacy rate in South African learners from townships and rural schools.
• Girls Guide to Greatness Programme A mentorship and empowerment programme designed to guide and inspire young girls from townships and rural schools to achieve their full potential.
• Climate Change Programme An environmental education initiative that designs and implements projects promoting climate action in alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action).
• Girls in Sports Project A sports development project focused on promoting girls' participation in athletics and sports in underserved South African communities.
• Oral Health Education Programme A health education programme focused on promoting oral health awareness among learners in underserved communities in South Africa.
• Educational Tools, Resources and Opportunities Provision Provision of educational tools, resources and opportunities to learners from townships and rural schools in South Africa.
• Kole Meets Mama Winnie's Southern African Friends (Children's Book) A children's book about a girl named Kole who befriends Mama Winnie during school holidays and learns about Southern African history and leaders from South Africa, Mozambique and Botswana. The book is published as part of the foundation's educational mission and can be purchased by donors and supporters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Promotion of culture of reading for leisure
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FunDza Literacy Trust: South African non-profit that develops and distributes reading content for teens and young adults, with a mobile/digital reading platform. Highly comparable on the digital-mobile literacy angle and target demographic.
• Shine Literacy: South African early literacy non-profit that runs volunteer-led literacy programs in under-resourced primary schools. Comparable audience (foundational literacy, primary-school learners) and donation-funded model.
• Nal'ibali: South African literacy-focused non-profit working through reading clubs, children's stories, and NGO partnerships to drive reading-for-pleasure culture. Highly comparable — same geography, same audience of children in underserved communities, same literacy-mission framing.
• Book Dash: South African non-profit that creates and freely distributes children's storybooks in local languages to address literacy gaps. Comparable as a peer literacy-focused content-and-distribution non-profit operating in the same South African context.
• Biblionef South Africa: Donor-funded NGO that distributes new books to disadvantaged children across South Africa to encourage reading. Comparable mission of putting physical reading resources into the hands of children in underserved communities.
• Read to Rise: South African NGO that promotes youth literacy through classroom workshops, book donations, and library programs in under-resourced schools. Closely comparable mission, target beneficiaries, and operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Room to Read: Global non-profit focused on literacy and gender equality in education across multiple low-income countries. Comparable mission (literacy and girls' education) but operates at vastly larger scale, more programs, and a wider geographic footprint.

Others

• African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA): Continental association supporting library and information services across Africa. Adjacent ecosystem actor — not a direct competitor but a relevant institutional partner/peer in African literacy infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/kagisanofoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/kagisanofoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/kagisanofoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kagisano-youth-development-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Kagisano Foundation