Despite scarce resources, the children of Edendale regularly evidence their creativity and ingenuity. There is tremendous potential for these young ones.
The roots of Edendale township run deep with the story of South Africa itself. Home to the site where Nelson Mandela gave his last speech before his arrest and imprisonment in 1962, Edendale bears the scars of many years under the apartheid regime, years of grinding poverty and crime, as well as the ravages of a newer enemy – the AIDS epidemic.
We at Bonginkosi fervently believe that the only hope for Edendale is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit at work regenerating the hearts of its people. In a city where over 60% of pregnant mothers test positive for HIV and where AIDS patients sometimes refuse to take their anti-retroviral medications in order to qualify for government aid, people need change that runs deep, change that transforms them from the inside out – both their souls and their actions.
For this reason, we believe our work to be vitally important, not simply for the future of the children we serve but for the future of the township itself. The children who come to Bonginkosi are both protected from menacing threats and provided with hope for a new future and a new life.
Yet in this time of struggle, Bonginkosi now faces a new challenge – one that threatens its continued ministry in Edendale. The current school building, a simple mud and wattle structure, is nearing the end of its useful life, and the school’s enrollment already greatly exceeds its optimal capacity. Through the generosity of many Christians around the world, however, God has graciously provided funds towards Phases I & II of a new school facility, but additional funding is still needed. For more information on plans for and progress towards this new building, please click here.
The Bonginkosi School 