Empower Africa Foundation – South Africa Outreach Hub

Just outside Johannesburg, the Empower Africa South Africa Outreach Hub is led by Mlungisi and Nonkululeko Mkhwanazi, a couple who have made it their life’s work to care for neighbors who have nowhere else to turn. After losing access to the space they once relied on, they refused to let the setback limit their ability to serve. Instead, they began operating directly from their cars—loading them with pots of warm food, clothing donations, and supplies for hospital and hospice visits. Week after week, they show up for the elderly, the sick, the hungry, and families in distress, offering dignity, comfort, and compassion in some of life’s hardest moments.

Today, their dream is to purchase a modest building that can serve as a true community center—one that would house the growing soup kitchen, provide a stable home for the women’s sewing initiative, and offer a safe space for people to gather, learn, and rebuild their lives. Despite limited resources, the Mkhwanazis continue to make an outsized impact, driven by a deep commitment to lifting up those around them. Their work is a powerful example of what kindness, perseverance, and community can accomplish, even when the odds are stacked against them.