Meet the Team

Abbey is the Zero Dropout Campaign’s Digital Strategist and is fuelled by her passion for storytelling and engaging audiences via various mediums and platforms. Abbey holds an undergraduate degree in Marketing from CPUT and loves finding new and innovative ways to connect with people. At the campaign, she leads the development and execution of digital strategies that raise awareness, drive public engagement, and amplify the voices of learners, parents, and educators. From managing social media campaigns and website content to producing multimedia stories from the field, Abbey plays a key role in shaping the campaign’s digital presence and ensuring its message reaches diverse audiences across South Africa. Her work reflects a deep commitment to using digital tools as a force for social change and education equity.

Colin is the Communication Lead for the Zero Dropout Campaign. Inspired by the Campaign’s advocacy and aims, he is working with the team to sound the alarm on this education crisis and seek solutions. He holds degrees in Political Communication from the University of Cape Town and Screen Media from Birkbeck, University of London. Colin has worked on and led communication campaigns in both the public and private sectors for over a decade. His work in the education sector began in 2020 where he helped various organisations and institutions overcome new challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and respond to the international Movement for Black Lives.

As the Programme Director of the Zero Dropout Campaign, Merle is responsible for bringing our vision to life and leads our team of implementing partners. Merle is committed to making visible the large number of learners who disappear from the school system each year by advocating for a proactive response to reducing the rate of school dropout. She is a trained social worker and holds an honours degree in Policy and Management. Merle has worked in the civil society space for more than a decade, largely focusing on education and philanthropy.

As the Zero Dropout Campaign’s Operations and Events Officer, Prea is the logistic powerhouse of the Campaign, planning its events in addition to managing its admin and procurement flows. She also has a Bachelor of Social Work and over a decade of experience in the field and mental health counselling, and most recently also obtained a Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Human Resource Management.

Siyabulela is a Communication Officer for the Zero Dropout Campaign and joins us from the journalism industry. He holds and holds a Bachelor of Journalism and entered the education sector as a Presenter and Youth Mentor for Elevate Education, an international organisation that provides study skills workshops to learners across the country. Siya is passionate about bridging the disparity between the two ends in the wealth gap and an advocate for effective change in South Africa.