Zonke Izizwe Preschool
Serving to mentor and care for children, provide them with education, show them the tangible love of Jesus, and nurture wholeness in their broken world.
2005: Arrived in South Africa at the peak of the HIV crisis and saw suffering.
2006: Provided home based care services for people living with HIV/AIDS.
2010: Ubuhle trains the future teachers of Zonke Izizwe preschool.
2011: Zonke Izizwe Preschool was born to nurture wholeness in these children's broken world.
I arrived in South Africa in 2005 at the peak of the HIV crisis. I began working with a home based care program in 2006 where I witnessed the deaths of many young women who suffered with HIV/AIDS between the ages of 16 and 21. The resulting orphans who suffered the loss of their mom’s deaths was tragic. In 2006, the death of one of my patients brought shock waves. I quickly realized that the two daughters of the women were now alone in their mother’s shack. Idah and Zodwa, ages 12 and 6, were on their own and it broke me. I stepped in to bring them food and care and it didn’t take long and they started calling me dad.
By 2010, I had observed the collective brokenness of 100’s of other orphans who faced the loss of their mothers. My passion shifted from caring for sick patients to wanting to do something to mentor children in an attempt to break the cycle of HIV infections. So in 2010, I decided to open a facility that could serve to mentor and care for children, provide them with education, show them the tangible love of Jesus, and nurture wholeness in their broken world.
Four local ladies stepped up to join me in their collective passion to mentor children, and Zonke Izizwe Preschool was born. We started that January with 15 children in our care. Today we are a staff of 8 dedicated people who care for 100 children, with dozens of youth attending our after-school programs.
We are funded by donations that pass through Road Works, combined with a small fee that parents pay for our preschool services. Road Works contributes 50% of the operational costs of the preschool as well as provides special funding for after-school mentoring and tutoring (which are free to the community), building and maintenance costs, training, assistance to orphans, and supporting me and my family.
Road Works started in 2006 through the passion of my parents who did the work of registering the non-profit as a 501c3 in America. The name Road Works has a special meaning to me as the inspiration came at a very dark time in my life. Road Works comes from the message of John the Baptist, who proclaimed that we bring the message of freedom in Christ to people by knocking down obstacles that arise in our broken society through acts of service to the poor, vulnerable, and powerless.
I hope you will explore our story further here, and consider joining team Road Works as we work at a grass roots level in one rural community in South Africa.
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