Latest News
Celebrating Youth Month: The Importance of Positive Role Models for Our Young People
“Being a role model is the most important kind of educating.” - John Wooden Thatha iLiza has been running weekly surf-therapy sessions for youth in our community for nearly five years. We have seen young surfers grow in their skills, confidence, and character....
Implementing a mother tongue literacy project at our government primary schools
Research shows that children acquire literacy skills more quickly and effectively if taught in their mother tongue. Importantly, the literacy and comprehension skills a child learns in their mother tongue are transferable to any other language they learn later. This...
“It Takes a Village”: The Power of Partnerships
Collaboration isn't just a strategy; it's a necessity in the realm of non-profit organisations, particularly those focused on sustainable community development. At Bulungula Incubator, we believe that a coordinated effort can yield more substantial, far-reaching...
From almost dropping out of school to becoming our youngest senior manager: Lihle’s story
Welcome to the second instalment of our series, which is dedicated to celebrating the vibrant and inspiring individuals who are the heart of the Bulungula Incubator. This series shares stories and offers a glimpse into our rich Xhosa culture and the profound sense of...
Special Visit by Minister Angie Motshekga to Showcase Our Holistic ECD Model
Today, we were honoured to welcome the South Africa Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, and Chief Director for Foundations for Learning, Kulula Manona, to Bulungula. This visit was an exciting opportunity to showcase our holistic Early Childhood Development...
[VIDEO] Resilient Communities Webinar Episode 2: Effective Community Stakeholder Engagement Practices for Sustainable Development
Watch the second episode of our Bulungula Resilient Communities webinar for a discussion on our best practices for community stakeholder engagement with Dave Martin, founding member of Bulungula Incubator and founder of Bulungula Lodge, and Vuyolwethu Jaxa, Deputy...
Bulungula College Matric class of 2024 ‘Tying the Knot’ ceremony
It's that time of the year again: our fourth Matric class at Bulungula College celebrated the annual "Tying the Knot" ceremony. This ceremony, where learners receive their Matric necktie by their loved ones, is more than just a rite of passage into their final year of...
Zero Stunting: Our strategy in a region where 1 in 4 children are stunted
In South Africa, a staggering 1 in 4 children are affected by stunting, an irreversible condition marked by physical and cognitive impairments due to persistent undernutrition. Stunting arises from a complex combination of factors, including poor maternal health,...
Meet Bulungula College’s Tertiary Learners!
Meet our Bulungula College alumni, now tertiary learners. This extraordinary group is charting a course toward higher education, previously unimaginable in our community where 60% of adults are unable to read or write, and very few have completed secondary education....
Nourishing minds and bodies: Why we provide daily cooked meals for all of our learners and staff
A hungry child cannot focus in class, and a hungry adult cannot work productively. For some of our learners, school meals may be the only substantial food they eat all day. With a high unemployment rate, most families rely on wage remittance or government grants,...
Why data matters in community development
Our goal is to end poverty in a generation. We define poverty as the lack of knowledge or resources needed to make the choices that can lead to a flourishing life. We achieve this goal through incremental, life-cycle change by scaling the depth of our impact...
’91 Stories of Hope’ recognition: How you can celebrate this accolade with us 💙
91 Stories of Hope: "While it is easy to feel disheartened by the challenges facing us on so many fronts, there are extraordinary South Africans rising from all corners of our nation, and they're driving positive change in all that they do. We are pleased to launch...
[VIDEO] 20 years of running projects in our community
https://youtu.be/sBivtCNW7VE 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of running projects in our community. When we started our work in the area, there was no road, access to healthcare, functioning schools, electricity, any kind of sanitation, or access to safe drinking...
Halala, Bulungula College! Class of 2023 achieves 97.2% pass rate
We are thrilled to announce the outstanding matric results achieved by Bulungula College, which is still the first and only high school offering matric within our community. The Class of 2023 achieved a pass rate of 97.2%, bringing the total number of matrics who have...
That’s a wrap: 2023 highlights in Bulungula
For nearly two decades, Bulungula Incubator has worked hand-in-hand with our community to drive meaningful development in our region. Each step, each success, and each challenge we've encountered has been shared with an incredible network of supporters, donors, and...
Sustainability Halted: The Ongoing Struggle for Bulungula Community Radio Broadcast License
We are sharing something a bit different from our usual blogs. We find ourselves in a challenging situation with the licensing process for the Bulungula Community Radio (BCR). Despite our dedicated efforts, our application for the community sound broadcasting service...
15 Years of community-driven success: The path to sustainable, quality Early Childhood Development Centers
Twenty years ago, quality education, let alone Early Childhood Development (ECD), was an abstract concept for our community because of our area's limited access to schooling. However, over the years, we have steadily built our education programme, which includes five...
Turning the tide: Our journey from crisis to hope in the fight against HIV/AIDS
Photo: Nomakhaya (community health worker) delivers HIV treatment to community member, 2023. In the early 2000s, our community was in the grip of one of its darkest periods, overshadowed by the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS. One community member recounts dozens of...
Announcing: Bulungula Incubator monthly webinar series
At Bulungula Incubator, our mission is to be a catalyst for the creation of vibrant and sustainable rural communities. Our approach as an 'incubator' is not just about initiating projects but about sharing the wealth of knowledge we have amassed over the years. This...
Final exam time for Bulungula College class of 2023
At Bulungula College, the Matric exams are a significant milestone for our learners and community. Only five years ago, our area had no high school, which led to a staggering 95% of learners dropping out before reaching grade 12. In the 2023 class, half will be the...