- INTRODUCTION:
The mission work of Kwasizabantu Mission began a few years before the present mission property was obtained in 1970. The property had been sought because of the many people who were coming for help, sometimes travelling or walking very long distances. The need for accommodating those coming for spiritual help has been at the core of all our building programs since that time. Today the mission is a centre where troubled and needy people from all over South Africa and abroad find help.
The mission is an independent evangelical institution aiming to promote the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The mission does no fund raising and no collections are held in our services. Kwasizabantu Mission is strictly a non-profit organisation and all helpers do so on a voluntary basis.
- ACCOMMODATION:
Kwasizabantu Mission can accommodate 7,000 and more people. The mission takes in the sick, the needy and special problem cases such as: alcoholics, drug addicts, ex-prisoners, marriage difficulties, and a variety of spiritual problems. Since there is a waiting list of people wanting help at the mission most people are asked to stay not more than two weeks. Severe psychologically disturbed cases are an exception as they need a longer period of time for recuperation.
The mission is recognised by doctors and psychiatrists and many patients have been forwarded here. There have also been cases of people being sentenced by magistrates to spend some months here in order to change their anti-social behaviour.
All these people, without exception, stay at Kwasizabantu Mission free of charge. No donations are solicited.
- EDUCATION
Kwasizabantu Mission is a centre of learning for many people in the community, especially the disadvantaged. The following educational opportunities are available:
a) Domino Servite School is a registered private Christian school here at Kwasizabantu Mission. It began in 1986 and now has over 520 pupils and 35 staff members. This non-racial school has been widely recognised by the Education Department and the media as achieving academic excellence year after year. Besides the 100% matric pass rate in the past 7 years Domino Servite School has had the country’s top matric pupils on a number of occasions. The pupils are mostly from rural black families who are too poor to pay a normal school fee.
Accommodation, food and other expenses are largely subsidised by the mission.
b) Thabitha Adult School is an adult literacy centre which has taught hundreds of disadvantaged adults how to read and write. The centre is registered with the Durban based Operation Upgrade. Besides courses in the vernacular there are also basic and advanced courses in English to help the students with job readiness. Negotiations are underway with the Education Department to offer Std 5, Std 7 and matric courses to adults who wish to pursue further education.
Again, Kwasizabantu Mission is the chief financial sponsor.
c) Kindergarten is available for children at the mission. It is run on a daily basis in conjunction with the school term.
The mission helps with financial expenses.
d) A UNISA examination centre serves the whole community. Teachers at the mission make themselves available to assist students.
Kwasizabantu Mission supplies the building and staff for the bi-annual exams.
e) Sewing courses are offered to women in the community who wish to learn the skill in order to make some income for their families. A rotating loan scheme is offered by the mission to help ladies who have qualified to buy sewing machines and materials.
The mission provides the staff, buildings and finances to run these courses.
f) A number of practical skills are taught year-round. These skills include: farming, building, carpentry, baking, mechanics and electrical. The disadvantaged rural community has been greatly assisted by these courses and apprenticeships.
Kwasizabantu Mission sponsors all these courses.
g) Radio education courses are given on a daily basis by means of the Kwasizabantu Mission based community station, Radio Khwezi. These education courses include: matric courses, adult English literacy, Zulu literacy and household hygiene.
Kwasizabantu Mission provides the vast bulk of the considerable finances involved.
- YOUTH CONFERENCES
Every year since 1974 Youth Conferences are held on a bi-annual basis at Kwasizabantu Mission. Approximately 4,000 to 6,000 children and teenagers come from all over KwaZulu/Natal and other parts of South Africa to attend these week long conferences. Many young people’s lives have been changed for the good through the past 21 years. Children from townships go back to their communities to be a positive influence.
All the meals, accommodation, transport, etc, is sponsored by Kwasizabantu Mission and no donations are solicited from the children.
- FARMING ACTIVITIES
The backbone of Kwasizabantu Mission’s finances is obtained from our farming ventures. These activities include: dairy, beef, kiwis, vegetables and honey. Besides using the produce from these projects to feed the people (Kwasizabantu Mission feeds a minimum of 1,200 people every day, free of charge), the left-overs are used to sell so that finance can be raised to buy the products we cannot produce ourselves (such as rice, etc). All finances from these farming ventures are ploughed back into the mission and no personal profits are made.
- COMMUNITY UPLIFTMENT
The mission is involved with teaching rural inhabitants the basics of farming and hygiene. This is done through courses held at the mission and through radio lectures. Radio Khwezi is registered with the IBA as a community station and is based at Kwasizabantu Mission. The radio station is financed by the mission and has a profound influence on the community within a hundred kilometre radius.
Besides making clean water available in the immediate vicinity, a major RDP type of project is underway to provide clean water for the large rural community surrounding the mission.
- PASTORAL COUNSELLING
Thousands of people come to Kwasizabantu Mission for personal help. Counselling is available from ministers on a daily basis. There is no charge for these services.
- MINISTERS’ CONFERENCE
Ministers’ conferences are held annualy where preachers from all over South Africa and abroad gather to be enriched for the work that lies ahead.
- CONCLUSION
Kwasizabantu Mission is internationally recognised as a non-profit Christian institution seeking to help the needy. Many newspaper and magazine articles are available to substantiate the authenticity of this. The non-profit nature of Kwasizabantu Mission will remain the policy for the future.
For more information, contact Rev E.H. Stegen, director of Kwasizabantu Mission.