Baphumelele means ‘Progress’ in Xhosa

Baphumelele is located in the township of Khayelitsha, which means ‘New Home’. It is a township that is located 20 kilometres southeast of Cape Town and reflects the reality of life of the majority of South Africans living in poverty. It was initially an informal settlement that has now grown into a township of over a million people. Baphumelele grew out of the most destitute shacks of Khayelitsha.

Founded in 2001 by community member Rosalie Mashale as a place of safety, the children's home was officially registered in May 2005 as an orphanage with a capacity to accommodate up to 106 children. The Home aims to provide orphans with a stable, loving and permanent home and to provide them with health care. It also serves as a place of safety to assist children in crisis 24 hours a day. These children are either orphaned or abandoned. In addition, they are often abused and infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Baphumelele is still the only orphanage in Khayelitsha to accommodate children above the age of eight.

Bapumelele’s short term objective is to dramatically improve the living standards of these orphans, while in the long term it aims to facilitate the integration and acceptance of those living with HIV/AIDS.

Contacting Baphumelele Children's Home...
Check out their website or
email to info@baphumelele.org.za!

2 Way opportunities…
Volunteers interact with the children in a number of ways: helping with the small ones, reading and singing with the bigger ones, being a positive role model and motivating the children to become the people they were created to be. Other ways to help may include: