Empowerment Through Education
To create high-impact opportunities for children and youth to get a quality education, discover and develop talents, and to grow toward their potential in life
OUR MISSION
OUR FOUNDERS
Jim McKeown
CoFounder, Managing Director
Jim arrived in Port Elizabeth from New York in 2008 after leaving behind a promising career on Wall Street. He possesses an MA in Development Studies (Nelson Mandela University), a BSc in Operations & Research Engineering (Columbia University, NY), and a BA in Computer Engineering (Fairfield University, CT).
What drove Jim to come to South Africa was to be able to provide the same type of opportunities for others that he received growing up in the United States. Upon arriving, he met some amazing people (see Fiks to the right) who shared the same passion and belief in uplifting others through education.
Jim has learned to speak isiXhosa, lived in the townships, adopted kids, and fallen in love with South Africa.
Fiks Mahola
CoFounder, Director
Passionate about community development, Fiks has been the guiding force in developing our initiatives, working with community leaders to identify needs, and engaging with the families to ensure their involvement.
Fiks also left a promising career, walking away from the 'big screen'. He has acted in numerous films, television shows and theatre productions. Most famously, he starred in the role of "Simphiwe" on South Africa's popular television series 7 de Laan.
Everyone in our communities knows that Fiks walked away from a career of fame and success and returned to help uplift others. He embodies everything Masinyusane represents.
Founding board members include Thobeka Gaxamba, Tiksie Mabizela, and Fr Jerry Browne.
Our Story
Masinyusane believes all people, especially children, have dignity, talent, and value.
We strive to provide opportunities for all children and youth to discover, develop, and realize the incredible potential that lies within them.
We have been investing in empowering communities to uplift themselves for the past 15 years with tremendous success.