Port Elizabeth, South Africa has a human crisis. In Its townships, 4.1 million children are orphaned. Their parents had HIV/AIDS. Unemployment is high, and poverty runs rampant. The presence of sexual exploitation destroys one’s dignity. The children need everything and receive nothing.


However, there was a small breath of hope in the written word. Knowledge nourishes the spirit and provides hope and inspiration. The Ubuntu Education Fund was founded by Jacob Lief and Malizole “Banks” Gwaxula in 1999. They quickly realized that by distributing education materials to orphaned and unprotected children were but a mere beginning. The whole social structure of the Port Elizabeth community of 400,000 had to change.


Ubuntu dramatically laid down a plan to restructure the community in providing a means to stabilize households, and offer health and educational services. Results were achieved after unrelenting work over a ten year period.


Making permanent changes in the Port Elizabeth community required significant funding which seemed near impossible. Andrew Rolfe took an interest in the Ubuntu Education Fund. Mr. Rolfe is a highly respected person and financially successful in his business ventures. He founded Prêt A Manger, a fast food enterprise which established ties with McDonald’s. Further, he founded Gap, a clothing company. Rolfe’s food company is more upscale than McDonald’s. Prêt A Manger is on the same business level as Starbucks and Subway sandwiches.


Mr. Rolfe injected his business acumen in the Ubuntu Education Fund and is the fund’s Chairman. Even with the probability of good and continuous funding, the work of the Ubuntu Education Fund is still not complete. The education system is marred by teacher shortages, overflowing classrooms, and school closings. Further, the lack of uniforms contributes to the children’s dropout rate.


The Ubuntu Education Fund has a home, the Ubuntu Centre. The center is a 25,000 square-foot headquarters. Thus, Ubuntu can provide an array of services including a pediatric HIV clinic, pharmacy, classrooms, computer labs, theater, and rooftop garden.


Each step Ubuntu takes gives the people of Port Elizabeth hope. They have earned the right to live their life with a sense of dignity.

What is the Ubuntu Fund

There are a lot of people who have heard of venture capital. This is where a group of investors will come together and invest in an idea that they think will make money over the long term. The Ubuntu Fund is like that, except this is a fund that looks for worthy charitable causes that the group believes in. Over the past couple of years, a lot of people have started to think about ways that they can make a difference in the world. There are many parts of the world where people live in abject poverty. Instead of doing nothing, Andrew Rolfe is looking to change those areas.


One of the best areas that you can invest in is education. Although it seems strange to think about, a lot of people do not have basic access to education in their life. This is a huge issue for a lot of people, and many are looking to change that. Andrew Rolfe and his team at the Ubuntu Fund look to build schools across the world. Not only does this give people proper access to education, but it also allows them to think of ways that they can start to change their life for the better. With everything that is going on in the world, now is the time to start helping others. That is exactly what Andrew Rolfe is doing with this fund.

Final Thoughts

Over the years, Andrew Rolfe has made a difference throughout the world. Not only does he want to do great in business, but he also wants to help other people along the way as well. If you are wanting to make a difference in the lives of others, he is a great person to work with. He has a track record of success in various areas of business, and he is doing a great job helping other people reach their goals. Not only that, but he is also starting to think of ways that he can start to invest in areas that are going to do the most good in the world.