Who we are
Lizalise tutoring is an outreach program of the UCT Department of Maths and Applied Maths, where maths students take two hours on a Saturday morning to go out to Langa High School and help grade 8 and 9 learners from this underprivileged area with maths. We reach around 160 learners per week, with tutors working alongside groups of learners to facilitate the learning of both mathematical knowledge and confidence in problem solving. Launched in May 2025, we aim to enrich the lives of the learners we reach, while developing and growing the student tutors through both the exposure to the complex realities of our beautiful country and through the experience of working in a team of like-minded people committed to making South Africa a better place.
How it works
Every week, a sign-up form is sent via our WhatsApp group where tutors can commit to the coming weekend’s session.
The Saturday starts with our maths tutors heading out to Langa High School for the first session from 9:00-11:00. The tutors go over the current topics and work through examples in Shaya Izibalo Maths Institute’s (SIMI) workbooks. After these 2 hours of hard work, the kids head outside for juice and biscuits. The second session of the morning is a language session run by the English tutors from 11:30-13:00.
Why we do it
In South Africa, it is an unavoidable reality that the standard of education learners receive is not equal across all schools. We believe it is not only our passion, but also our responsibility, as students and staff members at universities to go out to make a difference and bring change to the bigger community. In our case, this looks like taking a group of tutors into Langa to provide academic support.
It is not only about academics, but also about patience in the learning process and the smile that accompanies it. Taking the time to care about the individual learners, showing that maths is for everyone, and demonstrating kindness and friendship. Uplifting learners by demonstrating that someone believes in them. Bringing hope and joy alongside mathematics.
Although we cannot measure the direct impact of our sessions, we trust in the impact that a positive attitude and the enthusiasm to help can have on each learner.
We are a new NPO and are always looking for ways to improve, but one thing that will not change is our heart, ‘Lizalise’ – to fulfil.
Our mission is to carry the hope that tutors will find their own fulfillment and that young people in Langa will realise their full potential.
Our story
Co-founded by Malcolm Hillebrand and Nasiphi Ndlulwa, Lizalise EduDevelopment is a tutoring outreach NPO focused in the Langa community. Nasiphi was born and raised in Langa and is currently on staff at Stellenbosch University. She reached out to the UCT Maths and Applied Maths Department, which resulted in Malcolm coming on board to get things started in May 2025, when the first bold tutors from UCT’s maths courses went to Langa High for the first pilot sessions, and Lizalise was born.
Since then, the program has grown, sometimes steadily and sometimes in jumps. From July 2025 a larger group of tutors was recruited to tutor grade 8 maths, and it was quickly realised that there was a need for English support as well. A small number of dedicated English tutors joined the team, to provide a morning of academic support for the grade 8s, rounded off by a meal. As SIMI came on board, the introduction of their maths workbooks significantly enhanced the tutorial sessions, as well as easing the preparation load. 2025 rounded off with a few sessions preparing grade 9s for their national assessments, alongside the continuing grade 8 sessions -- testing the possibility for expanding the program to both grade 8s and 9s.
In 2026, the involvement of a core group of committed tutors meant that it was possible for the program to continue developing and growing. Facilitated by encouraging meetings with school leadership, the focus turned to continuing the journey with grade 9 students (the initial grade 8s from 2025), and picking up grade 8 maths from the beginning of the year as well. This has enabled the program to reach up to 180 learners, guiding them through learning mathematics, providing them with juice and a snack, and building relationships between them and the tutors.
The passion and enthusiasm shared by the founders is also shared by many students here at UCT from a variety of degrees, ages and backgrounds. This results in a team of tutors with diverse skillsets and life experience, all committed to building up the greater community. A core part of the program’s vision is not only to reach out and benefit others. It is also for the tutors themselves to be mentored, to grow from the sense of community between students with a shared willingness to invest into improving society, and to have opportunities to absorb the lessons learned through going out and spending time with learners in Langa.
How you can help
If you are a registered UCT student and are interested in joining our Maths or English tutoring teams, you can send your name and student number with the subject ‘Lizalise Tutoring’ to Malcolm at malcolm.hillebrand@uct.ac.za or sign up here.
We are slowly building up our program and trying to source funding for expenses such as tutor transport, learner workbooks and stationery, juice and snacks, as well as future goals such as tutor training and ultimately administrative support.
You can donate directly to the NPO bank account below, or reach out either to Malcolm or the Lizalise team at lizalisestem@gmail.com for Section 18A forms and other information.
Bank details
Account holder: LIZALISE EDU-DEVELOPMENT
Account number: 10274213816
Branch code: 051001
Account type: CURRENT ACCOUNT
What this costs
In case you’re interested in the kinds of expenses we mean, this is something of a breakdown of where the money goes.
Things are constantly changing, and we are adapting to new challenges as they arise. However, the current modus operandi requires a few running costs which are not going anywhere. There are weekly costs, some intermittent costs, and quarterly costs. They are roughly broken down as follows (non-exhaustively. There are always surprises…).
Weekly
- Transport: Taxi to and from Langa (R450 for 15 tutors). For maths and English, this will be R900 per week. Currently we're trying to work with carpooling to minimise this.
- Snacks: Currently, juice and biscuits come in at around R250 per week (4l Oros, 160 Kookie Factory biscuits). Ideally though we would like to provide fruit or sandwiches.
Quarterly
- Workbooks for the learners (R9000-10000). The Shaya Izibalo Maths Institute (SIMI) provides a fantastic quarterly workbook with a collection of exercises and explanations. These cost around R40 per book, which for 120 learners in each grade 8 and 9 comes out to R9600.
Intermittent
- Stationery: Whiteboard markers, pencils for learners, ...
- New plastic cups when a few inevitably get lost each week.
So in a 10-week quarter, the running costs come to roughly R16000-20000. More detailed budgeting is coming soon.