AIDS and HIV are endemic in South Africa, infecting and killing millions of people, leaving babies as orphans, many of them also infected.

These are children no-one wants. That is until in 1989, when school teacher Mama Rosie moved to Khayelitsha, one of South Africa’s poorest townships.

There, she saw children scrounging for food in a garbage dump, and brought them into her home to feed them.

This was the start of a remarkable program.

(Story continues from "Read More")

Mama Rosie started Baphumelele, (pronounced ba-poo-meh-leh-leh), which in the local language means "you have progressed."

Baphumelele began as a day care center to feed and care for these children.

In 2000, someone abandoned a baby boy on her doorstep and Baphumelele became his home.

Khayelitsha, one of South Africa’s poorest townships
Photo: cnn.com

Soon others began dropping off homeless children and Baphumelele became their loving home as well.

Because so many of these children are sick Baphumelele now includes a medical center to treat their HIV and/or other diseases.

Baphumelele also enrolls the children in school and as the children grow into adults, offers them job placement and/or guides them into an advanced education.

As a result, so many of the children no-one else wanted, now have a potential future many people would envy.

If you would like to see Mama Rosie in action in a 2-minute, 45-second video, click here.

Editor's Note: To see a 2-minute, 21-second video in which Mama Rosie helps nearby child-headed households, click here.

To visit the Baphumelele website, http://baphumelele.org.za/.

In the next KazanToday: The U.S.’s first black accredited architect, and his remarkable work.