St. Joseph CYCC
Our home is Mbongolwane in the heart of the South African Zululand
Mbongolwane (“little donkey” in the Zulu language) is located in rural South African hinterland which makes it difficult to find on maps. St. Joseph Child & Youth Care Center is part of a Catholic mission station, which also includes a kindergarden/crèche and a sewing center. Right next door is Mbongolwane Hospital, now under administration by the South African government.
South Africa: A country of inequality
There are few countries in the world where the gap between rich and poor is as large as in South Africa. According to the globally recognized Gini coefficient, the level of inequality is higher than in comparable emerging economies. In KwaZulu-Natal, more than three million people live below the poverty line. The reasons for this include poor education, high unemployment, and a lack of opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
RAMPANT POVERTY
Approximately 55.5 percent of the population or more than 30 million South Africans lived in poverty in 2024, while 13.8 million people experienced food poverty and had less than 2,15 US-Dollar to spend per day.
broken education
South African education is characterised by crumbling infrastructure, crowded classrooms and very poor results, perpetuating inequality throughout the country and failing South Africa’s own children.
widespread unemployment
About one third of adults (31.1 percent) in KwaZulu-Natal province are unemployed. Among young people and in rural areas, this number is significantly higher than in urban neigbourhoods.
gender-based violence
36.1 percent of women in KwaZulu-Natal province have experienced gender-based violence in their lives, while 40.5 percent of men have been perpetrators at least once in their lifetime.