The Bulungula Incubator (NGO) was founded in 2007 to address the challenges of rural poverty while promoting and preserving the positive effects of the traditional African lifestyle and culture. They run the Bulungula Lodge on the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape in South Africa. The Lodge is community owned, Fair Trade accredited, and uses renewable energy, composting toilets and harvests sustainable rain and ground water sources. If you are planning to come to SA, then this is a place that you should not miss.

They have also established the Bulungula College to fill the gap in education foundations and pave the way for sustainable, flourishing communities.  Along with the College, they have been running five Early Childhood Development Centers / pre-schools. Those are Luzuko, Mazizini, Masiphathisane, Phaphamani and Jujurha. They believe, and so do we, that educated and well-cared for children will carry families out of poverty and contribute to a thriving South Africa in the future.

VcA SA has built four toilets at Bulungula College and a compost latrine at Jujurha and eight pit latrines in other pre-schools. We want to make sure that the children have a safe and healthy environment in which they can learn.

The Government of South Africa has slashed its Education Infrastructure Grant (EIG) by a total of 3.9 billion rand (Euro 181 million) since the beginning of 2020 to divert funds to the COVID-19 response. The EIG supports provincial education infrastructure development, including building new schools, sanitation and water infrastructure, maintenance and repairs. The cuts are really difficult for schools and provincial educational departments to cope with as they are expected to make the schools conform to Government prescribed standards for safety before they are allowed to reopen.