How deeply can a child learn when their education speaks their language and reflects their world?
For millions of South African children, the answer is, “not deeply enough”. Their early learning experience is often shaped by grappling with new concepts in a language they are still learning, while their own rich and familiar languages remain underused in the classroom – a reality that can hinder true connection and deep understanding.
When Mukundi Lambani founded Ambani Africa, her aim extended beyond simply building an EdTech company. She was confronting a deeply personal and national challenge: how to help children thrive by learning in the languages they understand best.
Mukundi’s journey began as a filmmaker, but her curiosity and drive soon led her deeper into education and the world of immersive technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Drawing from her academic studies, Mukundi blended storytelling, technology, and research to explore the intricate ways that identity and education connect. A recurring theme throughout her journey has always been about language.
“How do we help children, especially in post-apartheid South Africa, connect with who they are and learn in a way that’s meaningful to them?” she asked herself.
This question became the foundation for Ambani’s work. We spoke with Mukundi to learn more about how they are tackling this question – and what it takes to build educational experiences that are rooted in culture, powered by innovative resources, and driven by purpose.
When Learning Gets Lost in Translation
“Many children in South Africa enter Grade 1 unable to read or count, and early learning centres, especially in under-resourced areas, often operate more like child-minding facilities than spaces of meaningful education,” says Mukundi. Further, the National data from the 2021 PIRLS report paints a sobering picture, stating that 81% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning. In early years, the Thrive by Five Index 2021 showed that only 54% of four- and five-year-olds in early learning programmes are meeting the language and literacy milestones expected for their age.
Adding to this challenge is the language barrier. While most children speak African languages at home, classroom instruction happens predominantly in English. This creates a disconnect at a critical stage of cognitive development.
The Department of Basic Education promotes additive bilingualism, where learners are taught in their home language while gradually acquiring English. Research shows that introducing English too early, especially for learners with limited exposure, can hinder proficiency in both languages and negatively affect learning outcomes.
The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill has also recently reignited important conversations about language in education. One of its key proposals supports the use of African languages as the language of learning and teaching in the foundation phase. If implemented effectively, this could help bridge the language gap, giving children a stronger foundation in early literacy and learning by allowing them to access the curriculum in a language they understand.
“Children learn best in the language they understand, yet multilingual tools are in short supply. Even in rural areas, where educators are passionate and committed, there simply aren’t enough resources to support teaching in local languages,” Mukundi adds.
Learning, Mukundi believes, should be holistic, connected not just to knowledge but to culture, identity, and community. She quotes Nelson Mandela’s well-known line: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
Beyond access, Mukundi advocates for building a learning culture that children can relate to, grow with, and take ownership of.
Rooted in Language, Designed for Learning – The Rise of Ambani
Founded in 2018 and launched in 2020, Ambani – meaning “speak” in Tshivenda – is a multilingual educational platform that blends animation, games, apps, and augmented reality to support early learning. Its flagship offering, Ambani Kids, features curriculum-aligned songs, stories, games, and lesson plans across subjects like Maths, Life Skills, and Technology.
Behind the creative and purposeful work of Ambani is an innovative, young team of 18 professionals. Their combined expertise spans content development, animation, audio production, web development, education, sales, and language. What unites them is a shared passion for culturally relevant, story-driven learning that resonates with South African children in all 11 official languages.
“Building this team was a journey of trial and error. We began with AR, quickly realising that educators first needed to understand the technology. We iteratively learnt what worked, slowly assembling a team of creators and educators who are aligned with Ambani’s mission. It’s a young Black team driven by purpose,” says Mukundi. “Even our Head of Content runs her own educational YouTube channel – it’s that kind of creative leadership we’re proud of.”
While Ambani champions digital tools, Mukundi stresses the need to strike a balance between the physical and the digital. “We also produce physical books and worksheets that integrate with our AR tools,” she explains. “In communities with limited devices or internet access, we provide offline content and downloadable resources.”
Balancing Innovation and Access: Piloting Ambani in Rural KZN
In 2023, Ambani ran a pilot in Amazizini, a township in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal, to introduce digital learning resources into non-digital rural classrooms. The aim was to equip early learning practitioners with high-quality teaching resources in languages children understand to support better learning outcomes from the earliest years.
Initially, online activities were introduced, but unreliable network connectivity prompted a resourceful adaptation. The team shifted to a hybrid model, providing offline materials like posters, books, videos, and engaging AR storybooks, alongside pre-loaded tablets and projectors for classroom use.
Comprehensive training equipped 15 practitioners from five early learning centres to effectively use these resources, impacting 269 children. Recognising the under-support often felt by practitioners, this pilot aimed to bridge that gap. The introduction of interactive, home-language resources spurred noticeable gains in literacy and numeracy.
“We conducted a baseline study of the children’s reading and numeracy skills before the use of our resources, and we assessed them afterwards, discovering that 39% had shifted, moving up into top 25% performance bracket.” Mukundi shares. This data highlighted the potential of providing relevant tools to enhance learning and development.
Mukundi credits Innovation Edge for the crucial support. “Innovation Edge helped us with experimenting with solutions that didn’t exist before, providing funding, credibility, and ensuring that we make an impact with our resources. The positive results of the pilot served as strong evidence, leading to an endorsement and partnership with the Department of Basic Education, as well as sponsorship from two corporations.”
The pilot demonstrated that integrating both digital and non-digital resources, particularly when instruction is delivered in a language that children understand, notably improves their learning outcomes. And, equipping teachers with quality resources empowers more effective teaching, leading to improved results for the children.
Envisioning a Multilingual Future of Learning
Ambani continues to grow spreading the impact of learning through African languages. The platform proves that when learning reflects who children are – through their languages, stories, and identities – it becomes impactful. Mukundi believes this kind of impact grows even more through collaboration.
Looking ahead, Ambani is forging a partnership with Hisense to pre-install their app and launch a free streaming channel. This initiative aims to bring multilingual content directly into homes and classrooms. Furthermore, the team is expanding its reach to more grade levels and exploring the potential of AI to support all of South Africa’s diverse languages.
During her journey of building Ambani alongside her dedicated team, Mukundi has come to deeply appreciate the crucial importance of maintaining a clear focus on the intended audience. Rather than prioritising the technology itself, she emphasises the human element, articulating their core vision: “Our dream is for every child in South Africa to feel seen, heard, and understood – in their own language, through stories that reflect who they are.”
Indeed, when education truly speaks to a child’s language and reflects their world, the depth of their learning becomes immeasurable.
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Author: Dimpho Lephaila – Communications Associate at Innovation Edge