Love Philippolis
Love Philippolis is a registered South African non-profit company and a non-profit organization.
Love Philippolis is a vehicle to bring hope.
We aim to create opportunity for indigenous people, through providing a positive outlook and value systems which can be carried through to the rest of their lives.
Our Vision
Bringing hope-filled rural living to individuals and communities.
Our Values
Relationships
Sustainable hope comes from loving God, yourself, others and nature. We work through a bottom-up collaboration approach.
Accountability
We serve through a healthy and diverse network of partnerships. Stewardship through transparency and effective communication.
Inclusivity
We create an environment in which every team member or volunteer feels valued and included in decisions, opportunities, and challenges.
Hospitality
We want to share grace and belonging in a safe physical and relational space. We replenish our energy and focus by staying in community with each other.
Origin of the Organisation
Francois and his wife Leani moved to Philippolis in July 2016.
With their combined skills set – Francois in education and business analysis and Leani as an architect, theologian and life coach – their original dream was to share their house and beautiful surroundings for retreat purposes.
However, the desperate realities of the local township populations soon became impossible to ignore.
In the winter of 2017 Francois cooked some soup and served it to a half dozen of children who would later grow into an average of thirty-two kids each week known as The Kids Club.
About Philippolis
Philippolis is named after Dr John Philip who was sent here by the London Missionary Society in 1823. It was founded as a mission station for the San, Khoi-Khoi and later the Griqua people. It is the oldest settlement in the Free State.
About 3 500 people live here today. 80% of them are unemployed. Just under two-thirds are Xhosa and Sesotho, a third consists of Coloured and Griquas with fewer than 200 whites remaining.
The Philippolis district is known for its extreme weather. Temperatures can drop to -8 degrees Celsius in winter, even including snow. The peak summer months can push the mercury beyond 45 degrees Celsius. These extreme realities dominate all activities, availability and energy levels of its inhabitants.
There is still very little to no extracurricular activities available for the young people in our town. Most of them get drawn into drug and alcohol abuse. This behaviour results in neglect, violence and teenage pregnancies. HIV/Aids are still a reality in the townships. Many households are child-headed with limited support from family and friends.
Early Childhood Development Centre
For two years we continued to create a safe space for these children every week, getting to know interested adults over a meal through Alpha courses. But we soon realised that we needed another strategy to tackle all the brokenness in our communities. Thus, the Philippolis Early Childhood Development Centre was born.