New memoir 'It always seems impossible' reveals the turbulent journey behind Education Africa’s rise

Stephen Grootes speaks to James Urdang, Founder and CEO of Education Africa, about his memoir It Always Seems Impossible, a powerful story of resilience, social justice, and the fight to protect education in South Africa.

Listen to the interview in the audio player below.

It Always Seems Impossible traces the extraordinary life of James Urdang, the once-rebellious schoolboy with ADHD and Dyslexia, who went on to build one of the country’s most impactful education nonprofits, Education Africa.

Framed as a story of hope, resilience and the fight for social justice, the book charts Urdang’s journey through triumph and failure, breakthroughs and setbacks, and the often hostile environments that challenge anyone trying to build something meaningful in South Africa’s complex social landscape.

It traces his childhood, where he was often described as an “troublemaking underachiever,” a far-cry from the man he'd later become.

Fueled by a conviction that education could change lives, Urdang set out to create opportunities for young black South Africans through outreach work that would eventually become the NPO, Education Africa.

The memoir also highlights the support network that helped turn his ambition into reality, with South African liberation leaders Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela being his mentors.

Speaking to Stephen Grootes on The Money Show, author of It Always Seems Impossible, James Urdang says the book details how his journey through the formal education became the driving force behind his creation of Education Africa.

"I started Education Africa in 1992...and it comes from I was in special needs education where I started at, and mainstreamed at St Stithians. Struggled through schooling, sport kept me going, but I wanted to make a difference in other children's lives who also struggled to get an education," says Urdang.

In the book, Urdang also details the challenges Education Africa experienced. 

"Funding's always a difficulty, but our very big difficulty came years later in around 2010...when HSBC became a trustee of Education Africa, and attempted a hostile takeover of the organisation, which is well covered in the book. So yes I do whistleblow, all the way up to the past CEO of HSBC and the South Africans involved. It's actually an open case at the National Crimes Agency in the UK..."

Scroll to the top of the article to listen to the full interview.