IT ALWAYS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE, my fight to build and save Education Africa

377pp., b/w & colour illus., paperback, Bookstorm, Riebeek Kasteel, 2025

ISBN: 9781779950185

In his memoir James Urdang discusses his struggles with ADHD and dyslexia and how, mentored and supported by Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela, he established the NPO Education Africa in 1992 and founded Masibambane College in Orange Farm, an informal outside Johannesburg, in 1996. Dr Aggrey Klaaste, former Editor-in-Chief of The Sowetan, was the organisation’s first chairman, and Helen Suzman was one of the organisation's first patrons.

"There's something powerful about a story that begins in personal struggle and ends in collective impact. James Urdang’s memoir is one such story – a compelling, honest and deeply human account of what it means to transform adversity into action, and personal vision into social change ... James writes the way he speaks: with urgency, clarity and a deep conviction that education is not only a right but a responsibility we all share. This book brings you face to face with that conviction, while also revealing the many bumps, setbacks and learning curves that come with trying to build something meaningful and lasting in the world of development." Razia Saleh, Head: Archive and Research, Nelson Mandela Foundation, from the foreword

Social entrepreneur and motivational speaker James Urdang (b. 1964) is the CEO of Education Africa. He lives in Johannesburg.