MOI Program

Sometimes a single day in the right environment is enough to help a young person see themselves in a future they'd only imagined.

For Johnathan Pieters, one of eight MOI learners in this year's Young Pioneers Entrepreneurship Program, a recent visit to Incanda, a Paarl-based furniture and homeware manufacturer, was a particular highlight.

"I enjoyed seeing how Incanda's massive manufacturing objectives are converted into continuous systems and maintained through efficient leadership and communication. This same fascination with complex processes and optimisation is exactly why I'm looking at fields such as Industrial Engineering and Information Technology."

The visit forms part of a broader program made possible by partners like Incanda Furniture, Inspire2Lead and Seed Investments, who continue to generously host our MOI learners.

A five-year journey with MOI begins with our team working through bursary applications and meeting the Grade 6 learners who could potentially form part of our next intake.

The selection process is intentionally personal. Prospective learners and their parents are interviewed separately by a panel that includes the MOI team and an alumnus, giving us the opportunity to understand not only a learner's academic potential, but also their character, circumstances and readiness for the journey ahead. Shortlisted candidates then progress to psychometric assessments.

Successful candidates will join the Preparation Program for High School in Grade 7 in 2027, before entering Grade 8 and beginning their five-year high school journey in 2028.

There is something particularly exciting about this stage: meeting young people at the very beginning of what could become a life-changing opportunity.

MOI's Grade 11 and 12 learners recently had the opportunity to hear from Jaden Mülke, a former top student at Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Law and now a candidate attorney at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc.

Drawing from his own experience, Jaden shared practical guidance on preparing for life beyond school and navigating the transition into tertiary education and, ultimately, the working world.

A key message was not to become overwhelmed by decisions that don't need to be made yet. Instead, he encouraged learners to focus on what they can control now: working hard, taking on responsibility and building their capacity so that, when important decisions do come, more doors remain open to them. He also challenged learners to focus less on outcomes such as marks and more on the process of learning and growth, while remaining true to themselves as they pursue future opportunities.

The session created an open and engaging conversation between learners and parents, helping to make the next chapter after high school feel more understandable and achievable.

Thank you, Jaden, for sharing your time, experience and advice with our learners.

One of MOI’s yearly highlights is our Entrepreneurship Program. For our learners, entrepreneurship is about so much more than making money. It's about discovering opportunities, developing confidence, drawing on the experience of established business leaders, and exploring what it means to do business with purpose.

One of these young entrepreneurs is Tyresse Abrahams, who matriculated from Paarl Boys' High School in 2025. Tyresse turned an opportunity into action, building his own free-range egg business, chicken coops and all.

Through his work experience at Babylonstoren, he has also gained exposure to a real business environment – communicating with people, taking responsibility, and solving problems along the way.

His journey reminds us that entrepreneurship is not only about the business you build. It is also about the person you become in the process.

MOI learners enter the programme in Grade 8, brimming with potential. Five years later, they leave matric with greater clarity, confidence and a voice of their own – ready to live out a sense of purpose.

Along the way, camps, discipleship, community service and everyday opportunities build leadership and sharpen character – testing learners' ability to take responsibility, work with others and make good decisions.

Together, these experiences shape servant leaders equipped to make a lasting impact – on their families, their schools and their communities.

That impact doesn't stop at our bursary holders. The same discipleship programme now reaches other learners at participating schools too, extending MOI's influence far beyond our bursary holders.

A heartfelt thank you to the Snyman family for choosing MOI Program as the beneficiary of a special fundraiser held in tribute to Dawie Snyman.

Initiated by his family in his memory, the fundraiser is a meaningful example of how individuals, families and communities can become part of the wider ecosystem supporting MOI Program learners.

Every contribution, great or small, helps make the five-year journey through high school possible. Support can contribute towards school fees, medical cover, extracurricular activities and the wider opportunities and care that form part of MOI Program's holistic approach.

We are grateful to the Snyman family and everyone who contributed for choosing to honour Dawie's legacy by investing in the future of young people.

For many MOI learners, the biggest challenge isn't academic. It's adjusting to a new school, a new routine, or life away from home. That's why emotional wellness and counselling form a core part of MOI's support, helping learners work through family challenges, identity, and personal growth alongside their studies.

This year, MOI introduced a dedicated pastoral counselling curriculum, giving structure to conversations around identity, belonging, resilience and healthy relationships, while adapting to each learner's needs.

Hulin Pietersen's story reflects what that support looks like in practice. Moving from Cloetesville to DF Akademie meant adjusting to a new school and boarding away from home. She was understandably reserved at first, still settling into her new surroundings.

Through consistent pastoral care and mentoring, that started to change. Hulin now participates in conversations and group activities, shares her perspective with confidence, and is willing to step into new opportunities outside her comfort zone.

Her growth is a reminder that when learners are supported emotionally as well as academically, they're given the foundation to thrive.

Behind the MOI Program is a vision rooted in faith, stewardship, and the belief that young people with potential should have access to meaningful opportunities, leadership development, and long-term support.

Founded in 2020, MOI started with just 20 scholars in the Winelands.

That first year also happened to be the year the world went into lockdown - and instead of stepping back, the MOI team leaned in, supporting learners and their families through home visits, online tutoring, food hampers and weekly check-ins during one of the hardest years many of them would face.

What began as a dream to give deserving learners the opportunity to complete their high school without financial restrictions, has grown into a five-year holistic development program - now walking alongside scholars across the Winelands and West Coast, from Grade 8 through to matric.

Today, that same vision continues: investing not only in education, but in character formation, mentorship, family support, and future leadership - helping young people step into lives of greater possibility and purpose.

Follow the MOI Program social media pages to find out more.

Talent and potential are not always enough. For many young people, access to quality education is shaped by circumstances beyond their control.

For some MOI families, their monthly household income is modest, often below the national average and sometimes supplemented by social grants. Even so, that income still stretches to support large households.

This financial pressure, limited access to opportunity, and a lack of support can make it difficult for even the most capable learners to pursue their full potential.

The MOI Program exists to help change that reality by identifying high-potential learners and walking alongside them through a five-year journey of educational, personal, and leadership development. This creates access not only to quality schooling, but to meaningful long-term support.