The foundation was established to fund the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls in South Africa in 2007. The school aims to provide students with a better future and "change the face of the nation."
In 2015, Oprah was honored for her work with the charity at Variety's Power of Women luncheon. During her speech, Oprah opened up about why she decided to build a school, saying that she wanted to create a school "for leaders that would change the lives of women and [that would] be able to break the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families forever and become a part of the real and true new and free South Africa."