This year Christel House is serving a record 7,000 students and graduates across our network of nine schools. Looking to 2025 and beyond, Christel House is excited to continue growing our impact and serving more students. The Christel House International Board of Directors approved plans to add a new school in Mexico, a new school in India, and to double the size of our high school in South Africa. Christel House is also working to expand into two new countries. Javier Alarcón Benet, CEO of Christel House Mexico, reflects on the values that have underpinned Christel House’s success in changing life outcomes, recalling a pivotal message from Founder, Christel DeHaan: “I remember always, Christel telling us, ‘walk the talk.’ So, we walk the talk every day!”
In India, where Christel House already operates two schools, plans for a third school are underway, to open in 2025. Jaison C Mathew, CEO of Christel House India sees this expansion as a critical opportunity to serve more students in a country with enormous educational challenges. “The holistic model of education that we provide in all Christel House schools is so impactful,” he says. In South Africa, the organization plans to double the number of high school students served on its existing campus beginning in 2025. Adri Marais, CEO of Christel House South Africa, emphasizes the organization’s focus on measurable change. “Our model works; we have a Theory of Change that is carefully thought-through,” Marais explains. “Our results speak for themselves globally, so our vision must be to create more opportunities to affect social change.”
Expanding beyond its current geographic reach, Christel House has launched the Global Pathbuilders Fellowship, to identify two visionary leaders with strong ties to target regions to establish schools in countries where Christel House does not operate. This initiative will see new Christel House schools in two of the following countries: Peru, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Nepal, or Bangladesh. Fellowship recipients will receive comprehensive training to implement the Christel House model.
Having a growing network of schools around the world offers opportunities for each of the Christel House schools. “We learn from each other,” says Mexico’s Alarcón. “I have learned many things from South Africa, from India, from the U.S., from Jamaica – it’s amazing. This is the world. It’s beautiful.”