BMi Research and Ubuhle Christian School 10 years on and still changing lives

In 2008, BMi Research pledged to make a difference in the lives of the underprivileged children assisted by the Ubuhle Christian School in Bronkhorstspruit. A decade on and the research firm has made good on its promise, entrenching a culture of community upliftment in the company in the process.

 

The Ubuhle Christian School aims to improve the quality of life, especially education, of orphaned and vulnerable children living in disadvantaged families in the farming areas and townships surrounding Bronkhorstspruit.

Over the past 10 years, BMi Research has extended its assistance to almost every facet of the centre, and grown its support year-on-year. A defining feature of BMi Research’s partnership with the centre has been the personal involvement of the company’s staff; every employee has given their personal time and energy to effect positive change at the centre.

 

This has been through various projects, including producing bricks to be used to build a home for an orphaned 10-year-old girl and her family; supplying stationery and hosting a graduation ceremony for the school’s Grade Rs; purchasing a new 32-seater bus to transport children from as wide an area as possible to the centre; building corrugated iron houses for two families; erecting donated netball poles; and building an undercover stage (just in time for the school’s Ubuhle’s Got Talent auditions!)

Staff regularly assist with maintenance of the school buildings and grounds, and work side by side with the children in the school vegetable garden, which plays an important role in the centre’s fresh food supply.

This personal involvement has had a profound effect on all BMi Research staff. Says Greg Avramit, BMi Research IT Director: “Visiting the school and acknowledging the challenges it faces, you feel an enormous sense of humility. You are treated with boundless love and respect by all the staff and children. The school has grown in leaps and bounds from around 30 students to 200 students – a huge accomplishment. The fact that BMi has contributed so significantly to this growth really tugs at my heart strings. I feel humble and proud all at the same time, and so incredibly blessed to be part of this journey.”