Development and Challenges in Pretoria

Skills Training and Discipleship

Unemployment in South Africa has recently topped 29%, with young adults with degrees unemployed at 31%. We recently partnered with PING Academy in a holistic Skills Development Seminar targeting these young, qualified, unemployed individuals

The young adults, including a parent from Berakah and her sister, were empowered in their relationship with God as well as critical career skills like interviewing and resume writing. We heard from students who "arrived empty and left full" and were determined to not just find a job but to glorify God in their careers

Development at Berakah

Tucked into a dark corner of Mamelodi, up against the mountain, where service delivery is low and employment is lower, Berakah stands as an example of hope and excellence with the resources available

And, it's beginning to make a difference. The city installed sidewalks on the street bordering Berakah's upper property boundary. The staff are taking advantage of opportunities for personal development, attending discipleship life groups hosted by Mike, Chandra, and Monde Ncapai, one of our board members

Our principal and founder, Nomthandazo ("Sophie"), is nearing a Level 4 Early Childhood Development certificate. Sophie's accomplishment will lend Berakah more credibility as an educational centre, and positions us one step closer to certification with South Africa's Department of Education.
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And more exciting things are on the horizon! A missions team from Texas is considering raising funds for a more secure fence, then coming over to build it. A new startup interior design company has donated a site development plan for Berakah that calls for replacing improperly constructed buildings, laying the property out to maximize growth opportunities. Please pray with us for God's guidance and provision for these big things that could lie ahead!

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Refugee crisis in Pretoria

Four miles from our house, near Pretoria's prestigious Brooklyn Mall, hundreds of refugees are camping on the sidewalks and in parking lots around the UN High Commission on Refugees, demanding the UN repatriate them amid xenophobia outbreaks. Please pray for these hundreds of lost ones. Jesus knows what it's like to flee from violence.