In the UK a Montessori education is usually only accessible to those that can afford it. Thanks to Sustainable Coffee Bay, Ikhaya Labantwana offer free Montessori pre-school education to a remote community in Coffee Bay, South Africa.

This Cloud9Media passion project was a chance see life through the eyes of the local children, witnessing the amazing impact this very alternative education method can have, giving them confidence, independence and hope for the future.

Based in Kenya, Nyumbani is a charity that has developed a visionary solution to the legacy of HIV AIDS in Kenya. Through the love of a Catholic Sister, the charity has helped thousands of orphaned children face the huge challenges of making it to adulthood in a country where HIV is still a taboo with confidence, allowing these orphans to refill the gap left by previous generations wiped out by this disease.

The film was paid for by Hotcourses, one of their benefactors, to update board members like Jeremy Hunt on the life-changing work that goes on in this special place. We created several lengths of film for different purposes, and worked closely with the charity to ensure the creation of a sensitive and informative final product.

As part of our long-standing relationship with British Airways’ Community Investment team we spent time in Durban, South Africa, with Tom Hewitt and his crew of ex-street kids now-surfing professionals known as Surfers Not Street Children.

Apart from their partnership with Comic Relief, British Airways offer annual bursaries to individual projects around the world that they feel are providing long-term sustainable development to the community. Durban has a long history of homelessness and street crime, so a surfing project that engages young kids and give them some life-changing guidance can make a huge impact.

Once we actually managed to get all the kids in the same place at the same time (“it’s like herding cats” said Tom in despair) hanging out with these bright enthusiastic young guys was the highlight – you could feel the energy coming from them, all buzzing from the experience of surfing and being filmed. One even requested a coffee with seven sugars which probably contributed to the general energy level.