Introducing Kgwale le Mollo Foundation

While a stint in the Peace Corps is two years, some volunteers remain committed to their host country well beyond that. Such is the case with former South Africa volunteers Bowen Hsu and Allison Howard, the founders of Kgwale le Mollo (KLM) Foundation. KLM provides an annual scholarship to a student from a rural community in the Mpumalanga province, enabling him or her to attend grades 8-12 at a prestigious private school called Uplands College.

KLM is doing impressive work and I was grateful to have the opportunity to interview Bowen about the foundation.

What is the mission of KLM Foundation?

Kgwale le Mollo (KLM) endeavors to effect change in disadvantaged rural communities in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa by identifying and developing promising young leaders.

The name of your foundation is derived from a Sepedi proverb: “Ge o swere kgwale, ke swere mollo.” Can you explain the meaning of the proverb and how it connects to the mission of KLM Foundation?

“Ge o swere kgwale, ke swere mollo” translates to, “If you have partridge, I have fire.” I think everyone who is involved in the organization has his or her own way of interpreting this, but for me, it symbolizes a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect that recognizes that through our relationships, we are greater than the sum of our parts. In our case, our relationships with the students, their families, their communities, Uplands and the Uplands community make us all better than we would be without each other.

Can you point to a specific moment that inspired your idea for KLM?

Not a particular moment, but many moments, from the initial conversation with my parents about setting ‘something’ up with their help, to the constant reminders in my daily work that the difficulty in accessing quality education was a serious challenge for rural communities.

Can you briefly describe the selection process for the scholarship recipient?

Approximately 120 students are nominated from our 40 partner schools based on their academic achievement and leadership potential. These 120 students sit for a math and English test, and write a short essay about why they should be selected. From this group, 20 students are invited to the Uplands campus for a day of ‘emotional intelligence’ testing. 3-5 students, along with their parents/guardians, are then invited to interview with the headmaster of Uplands, and one is selected.

What exactly does the scholarship provide?

KLM provides everything the students need for a five-year education at Uplands College, from tuition and room and board, to uniforms and sports clothes, to cell phones and toothbrushes.

Does KLM provide any additional support services to its scholarship recipients?

Absolutely. KLM begins supporting the students before they even start at Uplands. We have a four-month bridging program that starts as soon as they are selected. The selected student comes on to the Uplands campus twice a week for English and math tutoring, as well as social acclimatization. Once on campus, students have a faculty advisor, a mentoring group, a peer mentor and a separate advising group for KLM students only.

Where does KLM get its financial support?

A mixture of places. Our biggest supporters have been New Settlers Foundation and Brait Foundation in South Africa, and the Mosier Family Foundation and the Hsu family here in the States. However, we have had hundreds of people make individual donations over the years.

If an individual makes a donation through KLM’s website, what percentage of that donation goes to the scholarship fund?

97%. Donors can also send checks, which yields 100%. Checks should be made out to Kgwale le Mollo (US) and can be sent to:

Kgwale le Mollo (US)
c/o Bowen Hsu
461 So. Bonita Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91107
USA

KLM Foundation is registered as a non-profit organization in the United States. The organization operates in South Africa. What challenges does this present?

It is difficult to be actively involved when our students are half a world away. But we have an excellent partner in Uplands College, who manages the day to day of the organization, including the development of our kids and our relationship with our partner communities. In addition, we have a strong and active South African board that helps us with everything from fundraising to monitoring the progress of the kids and communicating with their families.

Where do you envision KLM ten years from now?

Ten years from now our first few kids will be out of college, hopefully in the work force or graduate school doing great things for themselves, their families and their communities. As for KLM itself, we will hopefully be capitalizing on a long history of success by continuing to do what we do, which is cultivate young leaders from some of South Africa’s most impoverished and rural communities. Our goals for ourselves as an organization have always been modest, but our goals for our students have always been high.

South Africa is viewed by many as a leader in democracy and economy in Africa. From your past experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer working in South Africa, can you share your view of the country’s current state regarding education?

I think South Africa’s education system has made huge leaps in turning around a rote learning system and implementing an Outcomes Based Education (OBE) approach. However, the reason we founded KLM is because the service delivery in rural areas (not just in education) has been poor, and promising students in the areas we work in continue to underachieve and get lost in a system that is not yet equipped to nurture the best and the brightest to their full potential. I don’t say that in disparaging way – many of the educators we work with in these rural communities fully acknowledge that they cannot deliver the quality of education that these students deserve. While that will eventually change, I think it will take a very long time. And until it does, KLM will remain very relevant and important.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I think one important aspect of the program is the Home Investment Project. KLM expects each student, in his/her last year at Uplands, to propose and execute a project in his/her community. We keep the guidelines fairly vague to encourage entrepreneurship, but budget a certain amount of ‘seed funding’ for the project.

To make a donation to KLM Foundation online, please visit www.klm-foundation.org.

About the Founders

Bowen Hsu grew up in Pasadena, CA and became interested in development work during college. He joined Peace Corps straight after school in 2003, living in Jane Furse, Limpopo where he worked at a health and nutrition NGO. After finishing his service in 2005, he moved back to LA and now works at O’Connor Capital Partners, a mid-market real estate private equity firm based in New York. Contact Bowen with questions or comments at bowen.hsu@klm-foundation.org.

Allison Howard grew up in New Hampshire and prior to joining Peace Corps, worked at International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) for several years. After Peace Corps, she got her Master’s at Columbia and is now Deputy Country Director for The Clinton Foundation in Zimbabwe.