2009.07.08: July 8, 2009: Headlines: COS - South Africa: Older Volunteers: Pioneer Press: After Tom Junker retired he and his wife spent two years in the Peace Corps in South Africa
Peace Corps Online
E-mail Notification
Peace Corps Online : Directory : South Africa : Peace Corps South Africa : Peace Corps South Africa: Newest Stories : 2009.07.08: July 8, 2009: Headlines: COS - South Africa: Older Volunteers: Pioneer Press: After Tom Junker retired he and his wife spent two years in the Peace Corps in South Africa| By Admin1 (admin) (98.188.147.225) on Monday, August 10, 2009 - 10:22 am : Edit Post |
After Tom Junker retired he and his wife spent two years in the Peace Corps in South Africa
In 2007, he created a nonprofit organization called Bantfwana Phambili, which means "children
first" in Swati (a language spoken in Swaziland). The organization sponsored three
students that first year, each of whom had to fill out an application and write an essay in English.
"They have to have excellent math and English skills or else we don't want them," Junker
said. "That may sound really mean and nasty, but the name of the game is, if they don't have
those skills, no matter what else they can do, they're not going to get ahead in their country.
That's the key to success." This year, Bantfwana Phambili is sponsoring 10 students - five
girls and five boys - in seventh through 12th grades. Next year, six more will be helped.
After Tom Junker retired he and his wife spent two years in the Peace Corps in South Africa
Stint in Peace Corps ended, but Stillwater man's concern for kids hasn't
Retiree's efforts make education possible
By Mary Divine
mdi...@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 07/08/2009 11:49:12 PM CDT
Caption: South African students sponsored by Bantfwana Phambili, the charitable organization Tom
Junker started after a two-year Peace Corps stint in South Africa, posed with their principal for a
photo at their school. (Courtesy to Pioneer Press: David Murphy)
Tom Junker started a nonprofit to help pay kids school expenses.
After Tom Junker retired from Andersen Corp., he and his wife spent two years in the Peace Corps in
South Africa. Each day, students from Vuka Primary School in Mpumalanga Province would come to the
Junkers' house for tutoring. The couple got to know the kids very well.
So well, in fact, that when Junker returned home to Stillwater, he felt compelled to help.
Junker got a part-time job driving a limousine so he could send money to South Africa for the
students' school fees. Without help, most of them would not attend secondary school.
But his paycheck helped only a few students, and friends encouraged him to expand his vision.
So in 2007, he created a nonprofit organization called Bantfwana Phambili, which means "children
first" in Swati (a language spoken in Swaziland). The organization sponsored three
students that first year, each of whom had to fill out an application and write an essay in English.
"They have to have excellent math and English skills or else we don't want them," Junker
said. "That may sound really mean and nasty, but the name of the game is, if they don't have
those skills, no matter what else they can do, they're not going to get ahead in their country.
That's the key to success."
This year, Bantfwana Phambili is sponsoring 10 students - five girls and five boys - in seventh
through 12th grades. Next year, six more will be helped.
Junker, 65, figures it costs $2,400 per student to cover school fees, uniforms and supplies through
matriculation, so he is busy fundraising and making the rounds at churches and service groups in
Stillwater to explain Bantfwana Phambili's mission.
Money is sent directly to a school administrator he knows "who goes with the student to the
school that they are attending, and he pays the fees directly to the school," Junker said.
The hard part is determining which students to sponsor, said Mary Burke, a board member who lives in
Marine on St. Croix.
"You read the essays, and you want to give money to them all because they all have
hardships," she said. "They all tug at your heart. There's really that sincerity and
that connection. It's hard saying no, but obviously we had to build those criteria because we
could only support so many. Our goal is to raise enough money so we can support all the applications
that come to us."
If not for Bantfwana Phambili, the students could not afford to go to school and would likely spend
their days standing on a corner, said David Murphy, another board member. "There is very little
work for folks in rural areas, so there is nothing for them to do."
Murphy, a retired teacher who lives in Stillwater Township, served in the Peace Corps in Nigeria in
the 1960s and recently visited some of the students Bantfwana Phambili supports.
Murphy said the organization is working to "enhance the education of people in the country
within the country. We're not sending them out to Europe or the United States or anywhere else.
We're trying to bolster their educational system and create a middle class that can lead Africa.
.. I think the money that we spend on these kids is well worth it."
Junker said 1.7 million school-age children in South Africa "are not going to school, and in
almost all cases, it's financial. If you can't afford the uniform, you can't go to
school."
If not for school, the boys would likely get into trouble and the girls would likely get pregnant,
he said. "So they would never, ever rise up," he said.
"The thing that is beautiful about these kids is that until they get bigger, they still
smile," he said. "These kids go to bed hungry, in many cases. But they get up in the
morning, wash their face, they do their chores, and they're off to school, and they're
happy."
Mary Divine can be reached at 651-228-5443.
How To Help
Checks for Bantfwana Phambili can be sent to P.O. Box 754, Stillwater, MN 55082. For more
information, call Tom Junker at 651-439-8708 or e-mail him at junker...@hotmail.com
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: July, 2009 ; Peace Corps South Africa ; Directory of South Africa RPCVs ; Messages and Announcements for South Africa RPCVs ; Older Volunteers
When this story was posted in August 2009, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
Join Us Mr. President!
"We will double the size of the Peace Corps by its 50th anniversary in 2011. And we'll reach out to other nations to engage their young people in similar programs, so that we work side by side to take on the common challenges that confront all humanity," said Barack Obama during his campaign. Returned Volunteers rally and and march to the White House to support a bold new Peace Corps for a new age. Latest: Senator Dodd introduces Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act of 2009 .
Meet Aaron Williams - Our Next Director
Senator Dodd's Senate Subcommittee held confirmation hearings for Aaron Williams to become the 18th Peace Corps Director . "It's exciting to have a nominee who served in the Peace Corps and also has experience in international development and management," said Dodd as he put Williams on the fast track to be confirmed by the full Senate before the August recess. Read our exclusive coverage of the hearings and our biography of Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams .
Director Ron Tschetter: The PCOL Interview
Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter sat down for an in-depth interview to discuss the evacuation from Bolivia, political appointees at Peace Corps headquarters, the five year rule, the Peace Corps Foundation, the internet and the Peace Corps, how the transition is going, and what the prospects are for doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011. Read the interview and you are sure to learn something new about the Peace Corps. PCOL previously did an interview with Director Gaddi Vasquez .
Read the stories and leave your comments.
Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.
Story Source: Pioneer Press
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - South Africa; Older Volunteers
PCOL44245
70
Use this link to go directly to the discussion: