“I had many girlfriends before (at the same time). Now I just have one and we have decided to abstain from sexual activity.”
Leadership student from Shallcross, KZN, South Africa
“I am HIV positive. I learned to talk about it. Now I want to tell others to help them.”
Life skills student from Dassenhoek, KZN, South Africa
These are just a few of the testimonies from students of the World Changers Academy (WCA). Loving South Africa is partnered with WCA, sharing in the vision “To empower disadvantaged people of South Africa for success through character building and values-based life skills training and to raise up young emerging leaders who can greatly impact this nation and the nations of the world. that empowering this generation can change the world.”
Joe White is the director and CEO of World Changers Academy. He spent five years in KwaNyuswa, a semi-rural Zulu community in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, KwaZulu-Natal where he worked to strengthen the community spiritually, socially and economically. Initially, he provided computer training to local youth, but became increasingly dissatisfied as although some individuals found opportunities, their mindsets were not necessarily changed.
Joe, together with Sizwe Mthembu (a pastor, former teacher and businessman from northern KwaZulu-Natal) realized that individual empowerment had to be based on a combination of social, spiritual, and economic efforts in one holistic project and thus founded World Changers Academy.
In August 2002, the first program started with a 3 month Life Skills empowerment course for 100 unemployed youth. Since the first course in August 2002, thousands have been trained and countless lives have been changed.
How does World Changers do it?
Through the World Changer’s life skills program they are instilled with basic kingdom values and character. They are taught that they had value and purpose, and given the tools to transform themselves within.
Through World Changer’s leadership program they are given the skills needed for individuals to transform minds, their communities, and their nation. They teach them to transform the world around them.
Throughout these programs students are taught:
- God’s Vision and purpose
- The vision to claim a better future
- Initiative
- The initiative to make something out of nothing
- Integrity
- The integrity to counter the corruption and the broken values system that they had know all their lives
