Namela is a Free State non-profit with two jobs. We help learners in township and rural schools make informed career decisions, and we build professional websites for NGOs and ECD centres that cannot afford agency rates.
Namela means climb in Sesotho. It is a word of movement, aspiration and upward motion.
What we do
Opportunity should not be determined by postcode. Both pillars exist to change that.
Career guidance, digital career assessments, university and TVET application support, and NSFAS and bursary guidance for learners in township, rural and under-resourced schools.
We build professional websites and digital tools for NGOs, NPOs and ECD centres that cannot afford agency rates, giving small community organisations credibility, visibility and funder-readiness online.
The learner journey
Career navigation is not a once-off talk in Grade 12. It is a journey that starts with subject choice and ends with a young person earning.
Namela walks alongside learners at each of these points, with assessments, guided interpretation, action plans and application support, so that no decision is made by guesswork or by default.
Year 1 pilot targets
Namela is in its set-up phase. These are the targets we hold ourselves to in our first pilot year, stated as targets, not results.
We publish how we measure these on our Impact page, and we will report against them honestly, including where we fall short.
Career navigation programmes
For young people who have left school and need direction: applications, NSFAS, bursaries and realistic routes into study, training or work.
Read more The technology engineThe assessments, learner database and dashboards that power everything we do, and keep every learner's journey visible and trackable.
Read moreNGO digital assistance
Hundreds of NGOs, NPOs and ECD centres do remarkable work with no website, no professional email and no way for a funder to verify they exist. Agency rates put a basic web presence out of reach.
Namela builds professional websites and digital tools for community organisations at a fraction of commercial cost. Credibility, visibility and funder-readiness, without the agency price tag.
The NGO Network
Namela is building practical infrastructure for community organisations: a national directory, a free self-scoring readiness assessment, digital health checks and shared resources. None of it asks you for support. All of it is built to give you something.
Thirty-two questions across eight areas. A score out of 100, a breakdown by area and a ranked list of what to fix first. About fifteen minutes.
Score your organisationA person from Namela reviews your actual setup and writes you a short report with three specific things to do first. Places are limited by our capacity.
Request a checkWe help you find funding opportunities and prepare the complete submission: proposal, LogFrame, theory of change, budget and supporting documents.
See what is includedA searchable listing so funders and partners can find you, plus introductions to organisations working on the same problem near you.
See the networkCurrent initiative
Namela is conducting a national study to understand the digital needs, communication challenges and collaboration opportunities facing NGOs, NPOs and ECD centres in South Africa.
The findings will be shared with every organisation that takes part, before they are shared with anyone else, and used to develop practical resources for the sector. Seventeen questions. No cost, and no sales call afterwards.
Partner with Namela
From CSI teams to universities to government, there is a practical route in for every kind of partner.
Corporates sponsor career navigation for a whole school, with clear reporting on every rand.
Fee-paying schools purchase the programme, subsidising delivery in under-resourced schools.
Institutions reach motivated, well-matched applicants from schools they rarely visit.
Contracted delivery aligned to national career development and skills priorities.
Sponsor a flagship week of career activation across Free State schools.
Trusts and foundations fund core programmes with transparent M&E reporting.
Resource hub
How to think about interests, strengths and realistic options.
Open the guide GuideWho qualifies, what documents you need and when to apply.
Open the guide GuideWhere to find bursaries and how to write applications that get read.
Open the guideGet in touch
Whether you are a school, a funder, an NGO that needs a website, or a parent with a question, we would like to hear from you. We are based in the Free State and respond within two working days.
Email: hello@namela.org
Location: Free State, South Africa
NPO number: 262-335
We have received your enquiry and will reply within two working days.
