Career guidance basics
What career guidance actually is, how to think about your interests and strengths, and how to weigh up options realistically. The starting point if you feel stuck or overwhelmed.
Request this guideResource hub
Free guides, written for real decisions
Plain-language guides for learners, matriculants and families. No jargon, no assumptions about what you already know, and no cost.
Learner guides
Start where you are
Each guide answers the questions we hear most often in schools and community sessions. Full guides are being prepared for download, and this hub will grow as the pilot runs.
University applications
How the application process works, what APS scores mean, how to choose realistic programme options, and the closing dates that catch people out every year.
Request this guideTVET colleges
What TVET colleges offer, which careers they lead to, and why they are a strong choice rather than a fallback. Includes how NCV and NATED programmes differ.
Request this guideNSFAS, step by step
Who qualifies for NSFAS, the documents you need, how to apply, what happens after you submit, and what to do if your application is rejected.
Request this guideBursaries
Where to find legitimate bursaries, how to build a bursary calendar, and how to write applications and motivation letters that actually get read.
Request this guideOther funding options
Learnerships, employer-sponsored study, Funza Lushaka for future teachers, and other routes to funded study that most learners never hear about.
Request this guideA note on these guides
Written from the sessions, not the brochure
These guides are built from the questions learners actually ask in our school and community sessions, and they are reviewed against current application rules and closing dates each year.
If you are a teacher or an NGO worker, you are welcome to request copies for your learners. If you spot something out of date, tell us at hello@namela.org and we will fix it.
For organisations
Templates and toolkits for NGOs, NPOs and ECD centres
Free to download, adapt and use. No email address required, no registration wall. These are adapted from work we do with real organisations, which is why they are usable rather than theoretical.
Governance
Governance templates
Constitution starting point, board meeting agenda and minutes format, conflict of interest register, and the compliance folder checklist funders ask for.
Coming soon
Communications
Communications templates
Organisational profile, one-page programme summary, press release format and a stakeholder update template you can reuse each quarter.
Coming soon
Funding
Funding tracker
A simple spreadsheet for tracking funders, deadlines, documents required and application status. Most missed deadlines are a tracking failure, not a writing failure.
Coming soon
Partnership
Partnership agreement template
A plain-language memorandum of understanding for two organisations working together, covering who does what, who reports what, and how it ends.
Coming soon
Communications
Social media calendar
A month-at-a-glance planning sheet built around a realistic publishing routine for an organisation with no communications officer.
Coming soon
AI
AI tools for NGOs
Where these tools genuinely save a small organisation hours, where they fail, and a one-page usage rule covering what must never be put into them, starting with beneficiary information.
Coming soonMarked coming soon rather than published, because listing a template we have not written yet would be the exact kind of overclaiming we tell organisations to avoid. Tell us at hello@namela.org which of these you need first and it moves up the queue.
Start here
Not sure which resource you need?
Take the Digital Readiness Assessment first. Thirty-two questions across eight areas gives you a score out of 100, a breakdown showing exactly where the gaps are, and a ranked list of the four areas to work on first.
Then come back to this page and take the templates that match your weakest areas, rather than downloading everything and using none of it.
| Band | Score | Focus on |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | 0 to 20 | Domain, work email addresses and one shared place for records |
| Emerging | 21 to 40 | Consistency and continuity, so nothing depends on one person |
| Developing | 41 to 60 | Data, governance documents and a reusable proposal pack |
| Advanced | 61 to 80 | Reporting quality, income diversity and digital skills across the team |
| Digital Leader | 81 to 100 | Strategy, measurement, and helping other organisations climb |
Work on one band at a time. Organisations that try to jump two bands at once usually abandon the effort and end up back where they started.
Need more than a guide?
Our programmes give learners assessments, a personal plan and hands-on application support.