In Johannesburg, South Africa, the Marist Brothers’ Institute has been running the Three2Six educational project for refugee and migrant children since 2008. The project aims to promote the physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being of its beneficiaries.
Armed conflicts in Africa, particularly in Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi, have led to migration flows within the continent. South Africa is the African country hosting the largest number of African migrants and refugees fleeing violence. In this vulnerable context, thousands of refugees and migrant children living in Johannesburg, the country’s capital, lack access to public education, despite it being a right enshrined in the Constitution. To address this situation, in 2008, the Marist Brothers created Three2Six, an innovative social promotion and inclusive education programme that guarantees access to education for refugee and migrant boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 14.
Leaving their countries of origin, these children have either interrupted their studies or, due to the armed conflict, have never had the opportunity to attend school. The children Three2Six supports come from poor backgrounds. Coming from African countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and Burundi, they or their parents were born in these countries.
“They came to South Africa seeking refuge, but unfortunately, they face major challenges in the country, such as access to basic services (documents, education, healthcare), poverty, and xenophobia, which hinder their integration,” explains Charlotte Margerit Byrne, a young French lawyer who oversees communications, partnerships, and advocacy (defending and promoting the rights of refugee children) for the project.
The Three2Six project serves as a bridge for refugee children who have difficulty enrolling in South African schools because their families cannot afford the fees or because their parents lack all the necessary documents. Many of the students are undocumented refugees who moved to South Africa with their parents or relatives.
The project offers quality education, encouraging inclusion, diversity of expression, mutual understanding, and active participation among children. The training programme is designed to improve the physical and mental well-being of beneficiaries, helping them develop their resilience.
Three2Six collaborates with other organisations working with refugees and migrants to achieve policy change. However, Three2Six is constantly committed to raising awareness of refugee issues and combating xenophobia
Between 2008 and 2022, the project operated as a complementary educational programme for refugee and migrant children who did not have access to public education. Three host school communities (Sacred Heart College, Observatory Girls’ Primary School, and Holy Family College) made their facilities available to Three2Six every afternoon, from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, after the students’ classes ended for the day. Hence the project’s name: Three2Six.
At the end of 2022, to ensure a full school day for migrant and refugee children, the Marist Brothers purchased the Dominican Convent School in Belgravia, Johannesburg. Since 2023, the programme’s 225 students have been attending school full-time.
This educational institution offered a multiethnic and multicultural environment, with non-immigrant children, promoting coexistence and inclusion in a country plagued by xenophobia. However, over the course of these two years, the school encountered financial difficulties that the Marist Brothers sought to overcome.
However, the school did not reach its expected enrolment, and without adequate financial support, its operation became unsustainable. “After exploring all possible options, the Marists made the difficult decision to close the school at the end of 2024,” says Mark Potterton, programme director. With the closure of the Dominican Convent School, the project returned to its original home at Sacred Heart College in 2025.
This new phase of the programme does not discourage those responsible. Roddy Payne, president of Three2Six, points out: “The project will continue to provide a relevant learning experience for all our children, while we focus on a more targeted and in-depth educational offering. Recovery and support efforts will be strengthened, and we will explore new ways to provide pastoral support to the most vulnerable families.”
The project will have its own space in the new building, providing a sense of community identity while maintaining the peaceful and caring atmosphere of Sacred Heart College. The project will utilise the College’s excellent facilities, especially for extracurricular activities. The project will have the administrative support and ongoing oversight of the Sacred Heart Board and Management, as well as the guidance of the Council of Marist Schools and the love and care of the Marist Brothers.
Today, as Roddy Payne emphasises, Three2Six students participate in a comprehensive extracurricular program that includes, among other activities, judo, dance, and marimba lessons. These enriching learning experiences encourage students’ active participation in the life of the school community and facilitate their transition to the public school system, providing them with a solid educational foundation.
Additionally, Three2Six students receive uniforms (mandatory in South African schools to promote equality and strengthen a sense of community), books and other learning materials, a daily meal and snack, and, when necessary, safe transportation to and from school.
To achieve one of Three2Six’s main goals – to transition children to mainstream education – the programme also offers them financial support when they secure a place in a South African school and hosts them each month during alumni days to help with homework and recreational activities.
The project also includes integrating refugee teachers, eight of the 48 working in the Marist initiative, into the teaching staff, providing them with assistance in obtaining official recognition of their academic qualifications and experience with the South African curriculum. It also provides support, if needed, to continue their studies and obtain South African teaching qualifications, thus increasing their professional skills and employability.
Three2Six also encourages the creativity and artistic expression of refugee children, particularly through poetry and painting. Each year, these works are collected in an anthology. In 2025, the Jubilee Year, a collection of poems and paintings was organised to give voice to the marginalised and promote reflection in society.
The anthology resonates with calls for solidarity with refugees and marginalised communities. “This collection is a tangible sign of hope,” says director Mark Potterton. “It challenges us to take action: to forgive debt, to protect our planet, and to support those in difficult situations.” Since its founding, the programme has provided a socially, physically, spiritually, and emotionally safe learning environment to over 2,630 children who would otherwise have been denied an education. (Bernardino Frutuoso) – (Photo: Courtesy of Three2Six Project)
