Rita Edkins - a Pioneer and Visionary

Our chairman is an extraordinary woman with big dreams and an even bigger heart. This retired teacher is known in East London for her commendable work amongst disadvantaged communities. Initially her hands-on approach to charity was achieved under the banner of her foundering organization “Polished Arrows”. Rita herself suits this phrase beautifully as she is not merely a woman with a mission, but rather a visionary with a very specific aim. She is a sharpened arrow propelled toward a remarkable target namely: To Raise the Standard.

Rita is an avid gardener, a true busy body and a proud mother and wife, but what was it that motivated her and husband Brian, to give up their life and seaside home in East London for one on the secluded Rustfontein farm? When asked this question Rita admits that she has always managed her projects with integrity and that she believes that it is this characteristic that got her ‘noticed’. However, it was only on her third visit to Rustfontein that the land spoke to her. Like a true visionary, she managed to look past the dilapidation and the challenges facing her and instead recognized potential. “That is when we realized that the vision was ours. We could get the vision, catch the vision and work the vision” says Rita.

More than two years have passed since Rita stood on the horizon and realized that Rustfontein was her dream. In this time, she and hubby Brian have made a conscious decision to dedicate ten years of their lives to African Blessings, with an emphasis on getting The Jochebed Children’s Village up and running. At one point Rita admits that she would never have been able to spend her retirement sitting at home, knitting and watching whales. It takes only a few moments in her company to realize that she is right. This is because Rita Edkins is a person who is not just content to dream. She dreams big. She dreams high. She dreams for others when they have forgotten how to dream for themselves and the she puts those dreams into action – living up, 100%, to the African Blessings mission statement: “Faith and Love through Action”.

To find out more about Rita and Brian’s vision for “The Jochebed Children’s Village” and other African Blessings initiatives, please visit our “Projects” section on the website.