Driven by a mission to serve, educate and rescue individuals, Impact Africa is a non-profit organisation (NPO) that ignites a passionate relationship with Jesus Christ by spreading the word and helping children be the best they can be.
Established in 2008 by founders Michelle and Rich Frazen, their vision permeates every aspect of their work, leveraging diverse talents, gifts, and opportunities to transform lives. Impact Africa has six schools in total, their main objective is to serve disadvantaged communities by providing a haven for their children and families through education and skills development.
This year, Impact Africa has achieved significant milestones. The opening of their sixth school in Zandspruit has expanded educational opportunities for the community. The Zandspruit Centre provides early childhood development, foundation phase learning, and recently Grade One and a special needs class.
The Roodepoort Northsider visited the school to talk to the founders and staff about the amazing work they do for the community.
According to founder Michelle, they school up to 500 children in each community they serve and also include their Impact Baby Rescue counselling and crisis pregnancy centre, which has provided critical support for vulnerable mothers and babies.
“My husband and I moved to South Africa in 2004, and our love for helping those in need drove this initiative to come to light. We still see so many children roaming around the streets who are unable to receive any form of educational skills where we used the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements System for foundation phase learners because their parents are unable to afford it. We see vulnerable mothers not being able to take care of their babies or have the proper facilities, which motivated us to start the baby rescue centre as well to give abandoned children a happy and warm home,” she says.
The growth of their Promise Home network, through partnerships with the Tim Tebow Foundation and Knysna Vineyard Church, has added Thando Home, a baby rescue centre inspired by Michelle’s adopted daughter Thando, to the Impact Baby Rescue family, increasing their safe homes to four.
“We have an amazing group of staff who make the learners and babies their top priority. They also assist the children with ball skills, music, and art, and soon they will have a playground where they can just be happy and active children,” Michelle adds.
Lerato Setosa, a teacher with Impact Africa who first started training in their Diepsloot school, told the Northsider how fulfilled she was seeing the efforts they enforce make a difference in a child’s life.
“I have watched many parents struggle to get their children into schools or to even make a decent living for them. Ever since I started as a teacher, I have grown to love the children as my own and devote myself to shaping their minds and allowing them to be happy.
“The cherry on top is that teachers also receive an opportunity to get their teaching diplomas or certificates while catering to the children’s needs. The parents are so grateful for our hard work that they get to see their little ones excel as they get transferred to another school,” Lerato says.
Impact Africa provides a chance to positively impact a child’s life directly through their sponsorship programme. Sponsors can pay for a child’s school fees, meals, and basic stationery goods for R500 to R700 per month for a year. At present, this programme is helping 82 kids from six different school locations.
For more information, send an email to office@impactafrica.org.
