News Updates:
Tomorrow night, Tuesday February 21, David Murphy, Neil Krueger, and Tom Junker are presenting "Experiences of Africa" at the Stillwater Public Library from 6:30 to 7:30.
Greetings to you:
In brief, Bantfwana Phambili is an outgrowth of 2 former Peace Corps Volunteers who served in South Africa wishing to continue to help . They recognized the extreme difficulty many in the very rural areas of South Africa, particularly those in the most impoverished areas, faced regarding obtaining an education. There were 2 significant obstacles even though the government insists that all children must attend school though grade 9 or age 15. First there was the matter of school fees and secondly the requirement of having the appropriate school uniforms. Hence, in 2007, Bantfwana Phambili began.
Once students have been selected, usually during grade 7, they continue with us through matric, a.k.a., grade 12, so long as they maintain good grades. Our growth has been steady. We began with 3 students so we could learn how to be a philanthropic organization. The next year we added 7 more. In 2010 we were funding 18. Now in 2011 we are be assisting 31 students. During that same period, our donor base has grown from 13, to 39 to 91 in 2009.
As I write this, the South African government is attempting to make the schools in the very rural areas NO FEES schools. For the extended families this sounds wonderful. However, there still is the need for the school uniforms. Bantfwana Phambili addresses the poorest of the poor. We operate where the unemployment rate exceeds 82%. The need still exists. Making matters even more dire is the fact that nearly half of our scholars are ‘head-of-household’. It may be difficult for us to imagine the obstacles these students face as they attempt to attain just a basic education.
If you have an interest, if you can help in any way, large or small, our scholars would be most grateful and our board would be most appreciative. Thank you in advance for aligning with Bantfwana Phambili.
Respectfully
Tom Junker
President, Bantfwana Phambili
What is Bantfwana Phambili?
Bantfwana Phambili means “Children first” in siSwati (a language primarily spoken in Swaziland and eastern South Africa).
We are a US non-profit and our mission is to assist qualified, selected, students in South Africa further their education. Please explore our website to learn about our organization and the students we support.
During a visit of Bantfwana Phambili's president to South Africa, Bantfwana Phambili was presented with an award from one of the schools that our scholars attend.