Bulembu is a town in Swaziland, Africa with the heart and vision to redefine and rebuild itself.

In 2001, the mining company that had built and operated Bulembu for more than 60 years, closed it's doors and walked away. With no jobs for the people of Bulembu, the town was soon abandoned, even as Swaziland was and continues to be ravaged by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the resulting orphan crisis.

But in 2006, a team of entrepreneurs and social developers saw the potential in Bulembu and the spirit of the Swazi people. Today, Bulembu has a vision to become self-sustaining by 2020, restoring health, education, and commerce to the community while providing care for thousands of orphaned children.

Spend some time here and discover more about Bulembu's vision as you LEARN, ENGAGE and GIVE.

The Town

Located in the Highveld of Northwest Swaziland and bordering South Africa, the town of Bulembu is surrounded by the natural beauty of lush green hills and eucalyptus forests nestled above the Komati Valley

Built in the late 1930’s as a mining town, Bulembu grew to a thriving community of over 10,000 people. The infrastructure of Bulembu included a broad range of housing, several schools, a hospital, stores, gas stations, social entertainment and recreational clubs – services that offered a high quality of life for many in the community. Then in 2001 the mining company that had been operating the town for more than 60 years, simply shut its doors and walked away. With no jobs, the town was soon abandoned.

The Crisis

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has swept across the country impacting nearly every family in Swaziland.  Recent statistics estimate the number of Swazi citizens living with AIDS at 38% - the highest infection rate in the world.  Because of this, Swaziland is the only developing country in the world experiencing negative population growth.  The UN has gone as far as to estimate that at the current rate of death, the Swazi people will cease to exist by the year 2050.

This disease has decimated a generation of Swazis. The loss of so many young parents has undermined traditional family structures. The result – a country wide orphan crisis. There are currently an estimated 120,000 orphaned and vulnerable children in Swaziland (15% of the total population) who have limited or no access to formal social support and have been left to fend for themselves.

Add to all this almost 78% of Swazis live below the poverty line, with two thirds living on less than $1 a day, and you have a national crisis.

The Vision

In 2006, a team of entrepreneurs and social developers purchased the abandoned town with a clear vision – restore Bulembu to a vibrant, self sustaining community by the year 2020.

The vision includes a town where 10,000 residents are safe and have access to quality work and essential social services. A town with the infrastructure and programs to provide ongoing care for 2,000 orphaned and vulnerable children with access to education, health services and family structures so they can develop into young adults and emerging leaders with hope for the future.

The complete transformation of this town is a large and ambitious project in a small and marginalized nation. But there is confidence that this vision for Bulembu will become a reality and that restoring hope to one town may be the key to unlocking the future of a nation.

Take a moment and read Bulembu’s 2020 letter, a future thank you to donors who will have helped make the Bulembu vision a reality.

Community Care

The transformation of Bulembu is happening through two complimentary strategies – community care and community enterprise.

The AIDS crisis has worn the social fabric of Swaziland thin and the continuing rise of unemployment has brought deep poverty to suffering children, families and communities.

Many of the first steps towards reaching the goal of building a self-sustaining community involve restoring basic social services to the community; including a clinic, schools, churches, training centres and other community organizations.

Community Enterprise

The transformation of Bulembu is happening through two complimentary strategies – community care and community enterprise. 

Utilizing the infrastructure established by the mining industry, Bulembu leadership is discovering numerous opportunities to build innovative, sustainable and profitable businesses in the community. Each enterprise is formally a division of the larger charity, with the profits from each enterprise flowing into Bulembu's Sustainability Fund for the advancement of the Bulembu vision. The goal – the various enterprises (current and emerging) generate close to $6 million USD a year to sustain the social and economic needs of the community.

Emerging Enterprises:
Bulembu Dairy, Bulembu Bakery, Bulembu Tree Nursery, Bulembu Paint, Bulembu Mills

Established Enterprises:
Bulembu Timber, Bulembu Water, Bulembu Country Lodge, Bulembu Honey