The Girl Unlimited Foundation hosted its fourth annual High Tea on Saturday, bringing together business leaders, community members and advocates to celebrate its work and raise funds to expand opportunities for disadvantaged high-school girls.
Guests at the High Tea heard moving stories from alumnae who have benefited from the foundation’s support and have gone on to excel academically and personally. Live music, networking and a silent auction turned the evening into a powerful fundraiser, with proceeds earmarked for expanding mentorship networks, mental-wellbeing workshops and academic assistance in 2026.
Corporate backing came from amongst others Standard Bank, McDonald’s South Africa, which is celebrating 30 years in the country through its Together Mzansi initiative, underscoring the importance of partnerships between business and community in advancing youth development.
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Portia Nondo, co-founder of GirlUnlimited, said, “The struggles our girls face, from missing school due to basic needs to lacking emotional support, are real. Our programmes aim to fill these gaps and provide opportunities that empower girls to achieve their full potential.” She added that the organisation is committed to long-term results. “We want to see tangible outcomes five or ten years down the line. GirlUnlimited is about measurable change – ensuring that the young women who come through our programme have real opportunities to pursue tertiary education and the careers they aspire to.”
Recognising that short-term projects seldom create lasting change, Portia designed GirlUnlimited as a five-year journey guiding girls from Grade 8 through matric. Participants receive STEM education, entrepreneurial training, financial literacy and personal mentorship.
They are introduced to careers they might never have considered, from engineering and medicine to aviation and entrepreneurship, and gain valuable work experience in Portia’s McDonald’s restaurants during school holidays. “These girls often come from difficult circumstances for an example, single-parent households, child-headed families or situations of trauma,” she explained. “Supporting them is about empowering young women to create opportunities for themselves and their communities. If you empower a girl, she nurtures others in turn, lifting her family and community with her.”
GirlUnlimited’s vision is to give each participant unprecedented educational breakthroughs and a clear path to higher education, while its mission is to empower through education for both community and global impact.
For more information or to support the programme, visit girlunlimited.co.za or email admin@girlunlimited.co.za.
