The Executive Welfare Council of the AFM of SA (now referred to as AFM Welfare) is the official Welfare Department of the AFM Church. It was established and registered as a National Welfare Council in 1945 – making it one of the oldest and most reputable welfare organisations in South Africa. Some of the most significant challenges people in South Africa face are poverty, crime, family breakdown, AIDS, substance abuse and addiction and violence against women, children and older persons. At the heart of AFM Welfare is the desire to care for and protect, to uplift and develop and to lend a helping hand to those in need. The focus of AFM Welfare was previously on the establishment and management of institutions for children and older persons. The uMephi Child Protection Programme gives four hundred and fifty (450) children in need of care and support a home and a family, regardless of race, religion or nationality – across eight Provinces in South Africa. We also make provision for the care and protection of frail older people in 4 facilities – Touwsriver, Sarepta, Kuilsriver and Vue de Cap. We are proud of our 5 Retirement Villages in Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and Cape Town – that remain a popular choice for people over the age of 50 years. While retaining the important services that we offer to older persons and children in institutions, our future vision includes the expansion of our uManelisi Community Development Programme – working with and through churches for reaching and impacting South African communities. We believe the church is ideally positioned to bring needed change to the lives of many people across South Africa. Working with and through churches nation-wide, equipping them with practical tools and programmes for community involvement, stands centre-stage.
