Lifelong passion drives Mabopane NGO to bridge care gap for children with disabilities in townships

Growing up in Soshanguve as the eldest of seven children, Belinda Mogashwa said her passion for helping others started long before she founded the Bongwanake Foundation in Mabopane.

Today, that passion has grown into an organisation focused on supporting children living with disabilities in underserved communities.

The Bongwanake Foundation was officially launched in 2022 and has since expanded its community outreach initiatives within Pretoria.

“I am also a mother and a grandmother. I always had a passion for helping others – even from a young age,” explained Mogashwa.

Mogashwa said her years working in community development exposed her to the daily struggles that many vulnerable communities continue to face.

“My values and passion for helping others were inspired by both my love for children and my lifelong involvement in community development.

“I have worked in the community development space for 29 years, and throughout this journey I have witnessed the realities, struggles and inequalities that many vulnerable communities continue to face,” she said.

According to Mogashwa, the gap between constitutional rights and the lived realities of vulnerable children became one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the foundation.

“I was inspired to do something after realising the gap between South Africa’s constitutional guarantees for vulnerable communities and lived realities experienced on the ground, particularly by those living with disabilities,” she expressed.

She said many children and families continue to face poverty, exclusion from educational opportunities and limited access to specialised care, despite policies meant to protect them.

One of the moments that shaped her journey came in 1997 when she served as a United Nations volunteer and worked on a project helping to build a centre for children living with disabilities in Tzaneen and Metz, Limpopo.

“That experience opened my eyes to both the immense needs within communities and the incredible potential that exists when children are given the right support, care, and opportunities,” said Mogashwa.

She said the experience strengthened her passion to advocate for children living with disabilities and vulnerable families.

Since its establishment, the Bongwanake Foundation has focused on creating spaces where children can access developmental support and care within their communities.

“We have created a safe and nurturing environment where children living with disabilities can receive care, developmental support, skills opportunities, and inclusion within their communities,” explained Mogashwa.

At the centre of the foundation’s work is its motto: “We see the child first.”

“For Bongwanake Foundation, supporting children is important because every child deserves to be seen, valued, nurtured, and given an equal opportunity to thrive, regardless of their disability, social status, or vulnerability,” expressed Mogashwa.

She added that children should not be defined by disabilities or circumstances, but rather by their abilities, dignity and potential.

Mogashwa said some of the foundation’s most rewarding moments have been seeing the impact its work has had on children and families, while also receiving support from organisations such as Nedbank Foundation, Transnet, Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and AVBOB.

Looking ahead, the foundation hopes to establish a world-class rehabilitation and care facility for children living with disabilities in township communities.

“The foundation believes that quality care and rehabilitation services should not only be available to families in affluent areas, but should also be accessible to children in townships and underserved communities,” she concluded.

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