About Me
When Oprah visits Ntombifuthi, she tries one of her chores. Because her home has no running water, the 13-year-old is responsible for getting water from a pump several times a day and carries the large bucket on her head. Oprah doesn't make it very far. "I literally could not do it. I could not physically even pretend to do it and had to take the bucket off my head," Oprah says. "I was carrying half of what she was carrying."Oprah Winfrey dreamed of building a first-class school to nurture, educate and turn gifted South African girls from impoverished backgrounds into the country's future leaders. 'Building a Dream' is the emotional journey to the opening of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls—South Africa, an exclusive look through Oprah's eyes. We are now accepting orders for the DVD 'Building a Dream: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy.' Please note that the DVDs will begin shipment on March 27, 2007.As a special offer to educators, the DVD is available for the discounted price of $23.95 plus $6.95 shipping and handling. To order, simply send a request on your school's letterhead, along with a purchase order, to:The Oprah Boutique PO BOX 2284 South Burlington, VT 05407-2284The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls is a girls-only boarding school that officially opened in January 2007 at Henley-on-Klip in Meyerton, south of Johannesburg, South Africa. Inspired by her own humble beginnings and disadvantaged background, Oprah Winfrey founded the Leadership Academy to provide educational and leadership opportunities for academically gifted girls from impoverished backgrounds in South Africa who exhibited leadership qualities for making a difference in the world. Oprah Winfrey created the school after Nelson Mandela asked her to lend support for educational causes in post-Apartheid South Africa. To realize the vision of the Leadership Academy, Winfrey donated $40 million to establish an educational facility for academically talented young women with leadership qualities who grew up in poverty. To carry forth this vision, Winfrey became involved in the overseeing many details of building the Leadership Academy and managing the administrative details, from selecting students and faculty to designing the buildings and interiors.[2]The 52-acre, 28-building campus of the Leadership Academy features state-of-the-art facilities, including large dormitories, wellness center, gymnasium, dining hall and libraries , with many of the rooms having large fireplaces. The Leadership Academy plans to offer students an academic curriculum based on national educational standards in South Africa that includes teachings in the English, Zulu and South Sotho languages and the subjects of arts and culture, life orientation and leadership, various topics in mathematics, natural sciences and technology, social studies, economic and management sciences.[3] The first two classes of the Academy will include 152 girls of ages 11-12, selected from 3,500 nationwide applicants in South Africa. Although the incoming classes of girls will enter grades 7 and 8, the Leadership Academy plans to provide middle school and high school education for girls in grades 7 through 12.[4][5] To qualify as a candidate for the Leadership Academy, the potential student must show that she is academically qualified, and that her family must have a household income no greater than $787 a month
