Save the Children

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey the Emmy-winning host of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show', is among other things a celebrated actress, producer, publisher and the United State's first African-American billionaire.

Oprah has connected with people around the world. As supervising producer and host of the top-rated, award-winning The Oprah Winfrey Show, she has entertained, enlightened and uplifted millions of viewers for the past two decades. Her accomplishments as a global media leader and philanthropist have established her as one of the most respected and admired public figures today.

During a December 2000 visit with Nelson Mandela, Oprah pledged $10 million to build a school in South Africa. As that commitment broadened, she established The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation, to which she has contributed more than $40 million toward the creation of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls-South Africa, which opens in January 2007. Located in a 28-building campus in henley on klip, the Leadership Academy is a state-of-the-art independent school that will engender high standards of academic achievement and service leadership for girls. Its first 152 accepted 7th and 8th grade students, who show outstanding promise despite their impoverished backgrounds and social circumstances, represent all nine South African provinces. By 2011, the Leadership Academy will accommodate approximately 75 learners per grade, for a total of approximately 450 learners, grades 7 through 12. Her vision is that the Leadership Academy will help develop the future women leaders of South Africa.

To date, Oprah's Angel Network has funded 60 new schools in 13 countries, and is still going! Watch video and browse photo galleries at Oprah.com to see how donations have been used to bring education to children around the world.

Oprah has also developed schools to educate thousands of underserved children around the world and created "The Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program," which gives scholarships to students determined to use their education to give back to their communities in the United States and abroad.

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