Adopt a South African Preschool and Nelson Mandela's Birthday Presentation

United Christian Church was the “incubator” for the nonprofit Adopt a South African Preschool (ASAP) [www.adoptasouthafricanpreschool.org] which began in 2020. Individual members and the Outreach Committee have enthusiastically and generously supported this initiative. ASAP’s mission is to see that every South African child has access to a quality preschool education.  

Nancy Schongalla, one of the Clergy in Residence presented a slide show about how children living in impoverished communities are learning through play so they can thrive in school. ASAP has established 9 libraries of educational toys so far, where daycare staff borrow toys to enhance the national curriculum for early childhood education. 242 daycares are becoming effective preschools, 1,231 women are learning to teach not just babysit, and best of all, 11,807 children are now accessing educational toys and are on track to develop the 90% of the brain which needs stimulation to come on line before the age of 5. 

Nancy tied ASAP’s mission to Job: 3-4 and to the life and wisdom of Nelson Mandela who would have been 108 years old July 18th. Mandela was insistent that education starting with the youngest children, is the key to South Africa’s future, and the most effective way to overcome generational poverty.

Read more about ASAP's work since the beginning of the year here: www.adoptasouthafricanpreschool.org/newsletters/2026-overview