Project Zulu is a long-standing partnership between UWE Bristol and schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Since 2012, the partnership has brought together educators, learners, communities, university staff and students through a shared commitment to educational development, cultural exchange and mutual learning.
Project Zulu is coordinated by a team based at UWE Bristol and shaped collaboratively with South African partners. At the heart of the partnership is a belief that sustainable educational development is built through strong relationships, shared learning and mutual respect.
Our work is organised around six interconnected pillars:
CPD & Pedagogical Workshops
Working alongside educators to strengthen classroom practice, develop pedagogical knowledge and support ongoing professional learning.
Student Volunteer Projects
Creating opportunities for UWE Bristol students to contribute to projects identified by partner schools, while developing leadership, intercultural understanding and professional skills.
UK Choir Tours
Bringing young people from our partner schools to the UK for a unique programme of musical and cultural exchange. The tours celebrate and share Zulu culture while raising funds for school-led development projects.
School Development Projects
Working collaboratively with schools on longer-term improvement priorities, strengthening leadership and teaching and learning capacity, and supporting sustainable change.
Research
Generating and sharing knowledge, evaluating impact and collaborating with South African higher education partners to contribute to educational policy and practice.
Mutual Hosting & Intercultural Immersion
Creating reciprocal opportunities for people from the UK and South Africa to experience one another’s educational, cultural and social contexts, building relationships, challenging assumptions and developing global perspectives.
These six pillars are interconnected and underpinned by a simple principle: our work is done with our South African partners, not to or for them. Priorities are developed collaboratively, drawing on the knowledge and expertise that exist within our partner schools and communities, alongside the resources, expertise and opportunities available through UWE Bristol.
Project Zulu is based in Bristol, UK, but the partnership spans three communities across KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Partnerships were first established with schools in and around the Madadeni Township, neighbouring the town of Newcastle. Madadeni is an urban township and remains the largest area within the partnership, with eight partner schools, including five primary schools, two secondary schools and a special educational needs school.
In 2018, the partnership grew to include schools in the nearby Dundee area. These three primary schools are the most rural in the partnership, with many learners travelling long distances to school each day, often on foot or using school transport.
In 2020, the partnership expanded further through a collaboration with the University of Zululand (UNIZULU) in Richards Bay. Initially focused on research and knowledge exchange, this work has since developed to include student placements and partnerships with three secondary schools in the surrounding area.
The name Project Zulu dates back to the first UK Choir Tour in 2013. From the outset, a central purpose of the tours was to celebrate and share Zulu culture, with the song, dance, language and traditions of KwaZulu-Natal at their heart. The name was chosen to reflect this strong cultural identity.
As the partnership expanded beyond the Choir Tours, developing a broader focus on education, professional learning, research and school development, the name Project Zulu remained. Importantly, it is a name that has been warmly embraced by our South African partners, who value the way it proudly foregrounds and celebrates their Zulu identity and cultural heritage.
Today, the name reflects both the partnership's origins and something that continues to be fundamental to the partnership: a celebration of Zulu culture alongside a shared commitment to education, exchange and mutual learning.
Project Zulu is an independent educational partnership and is not affiliated with any political party in South Africa. The Project Zulu team works closely with schools, communities and education stakeholders across KwaZulu-Natal in support of educational development and lifelong learning opportunities. The partnership operates independently of political interests and remains focused on the priorities, aspirations and needs of the schools and communities with which it works.
University of the West of England, Room 2P50, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, BS16 1QY
[email protected]
+44 (0117) 328 1744
