Latest News
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 đź’™
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://bulungulaincubator.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-01-at-16.19.47-400x250.png)
[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...
Op-ed: Second Chance — supporting young people to rewrite matric can unlock their economic potential
A growing number of young people are leaving school without passing their matric exams, the entry-level qualification for many jobs. Yet, learners who fail can rewrite their exams for a second chance at graduating from high school. Realistically, however, this is...
School-embedded tutoring programme to improve mathematics
South Africa's educational landscape, particularly in rural and under-resourced areas, has historically been marred by inequalities that persist today. Many schools grapple with a dearth of essential resources, a shortage of well-trained teachers, and less-than-ideal...
Playgroups: a simple, cost-effective early childhood development project
Young children learn through play. It is an essential and natural part of their early development. In our community, our Nomakhayas facilitate playgroups for young children (aged 0-3) twice a week. Through play, children develop problem-solving skills as they stack...
Scaling deep
In the world of development, there is a heavy push to scale projects for broader impact. But what is scaling? For us, scaling is not just about doing more of what’s being done in more places; it's about scaling out, scaling up, and, most importantly, scaling...
The journey to end poverty in a generation: Nopumzile’s story
Photo from left to right: Nopumzile (grandmother), Thimna (granddaughter) and Nocawe (daughter). Our goal is to sustainably end poverty in a generation. We emphasise "in a generation" because genuine, transformational change requires time and incremental success....
“People doing good things on the Wild Coast”: Hosting the Wild Coast Forum
What started as a Facebook group ("People doing good things on the Wild Coast") over ten years ago has grown into the annual Wild Coast Forum. Each year, an organisation/backpackers hosts the event and brings together community-based organisations and businesses along...
Transforming local employment opportunities: creating over 400 jobs in an area with one of South Africa’s highest unemployment rates
Addressing the issues of poverty in the context of South Africa is complex. The national unemployment rate has stubbornly hovered around 30%, with rural communities bearing the heaviest burden. In our own Mbhashe municipality, where we are located, we face an alarming...
From seed to seedling to garden to table–we do it all!
As spring approaches and people prepare their gardens, Masilime Ngqo, our seedling nursery, is buzzing. The demand is high and a challenge to keep up with – a good problem to have! Our rural location means we are far from grocery stores, significantly limiting our...
First-ever competition for our Thatha iLiza surf-therapy team
Four years ago, we started Thatha iLiza, a surf-therapy project for youth in our community. The team is part of the Wave Alliance and uses an evidence-based surf therapy programme developed by Waves for Change. The curriculum has been proven to decrease violent and...