Oprah Winfrey is reshaping her nearly two-decade mission in South Africa. Oprah Winfrey announces major education changeOprah Winfrey revealed this week that the school she founded in South Africa nearly two decades ago will wind down. The push into Oprah Winfrey scholarship is designed to widen access, with her rep noting the new model will roughly double the number of girls served. Since it opened in 2007, the South Africa Girls Academy has graduated more than 1,000 students, most of whom went on to higher education. Her focus on Oprah Winfrey education has long been a signature cause.