BLESSMAN INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
We are focused on addressing several issues, including hunger, lack of access to clean water and sanitation, and the spiritual well-being of South African children and young adults. Blessman International is working to alleviate poverty, improve health, and promote spiritual development in South Africa.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Feeding Program
60,000 children are fed weekly through a network of feeding centers
Del Cramer Child Development Center
Empowering the future leaders of South Africa through education and fostering relationships with Christ that goes far beyond their physical needs to break the cycle of hopelessness and poverty. Over 150 children are fed a hot meal daily and are provided with computer and life skills training in this after school program
Church Planting
Blessman International staffs and funds two local churches - Lighthouse Church and Hope Christian Church. These churches are providing ministry to children and adults.
Water and Sanitation Projects
Blessman International drills water wells and builds safe, sanitary toilet facilities for school and for rural communities. Each well or block of four toilets costs $15,000.
Lethabo Sewing and Training Center
Lethabo Sewing and Training Center focuses on job creating for women employing four local women and providing them the opportunity to earn a fair wage, learn new skills, and express themselves creatively. Products are marketed and sold locally in South Africa and online in the U.S. In addition, the center produces school uniforms for children who cannot afford them.
Bakery and Del Cramer Child Development Center
The bakery provides employment to local women and provides bread for children being fed in our Del Cramer Children's Campus after school program.
Mountain View Training and Research Farm
Farming operation that provides fresh vegetables to our feeding programs and jobs for local men. This campus is being prepared to house local students and adults for farm training in vegetable, chicken, and tilapia farming.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of meals served or provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, People of African descent, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Feeding Program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of people reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of water projects built
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Water and Sanitation Projects
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of communities provided clean water
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Water and Sanitation Projects
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of people with improved water access
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of youth programs offered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of hygiene kits distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of youth mentored
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of children served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Feeding Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of clients who complete job skills training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Mountain View Training and Research Farm
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We exist to show South African children and young adults God's love and eternal hope through faith formation and programs to feed hungry children, foster food-secure communities, and offer dignity through basic water and sanitation.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We are focused on addressing several issues, including hunger, lack of access to clean water and sanitation, and the spiritual well-being of South African children and young adults. Blessman International is working to alleviate poverty, improve health, and promote spiritual development in South Africa.
Blessman International created a network of eleven feeding hubs across South Africa, Eswatini, and Lesotho. Our strategic partnerships with Meals from the Heartland and Convoy of Hope provide the meal packets and shipping from the US at no cost to us.
We partner with service organizations and corporate and private donors to install safe and sanitary bathroom facilities. The Enviro Loo system is sustainable, waterless, and uses no chemicals. Many of these partners, including US churches, also donate funds to drill wells so families have clean water for drinking and bathing.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The pandemic taught us we needed to source food for African children locally. We partnered with a South African food mill to provide us with nutritious meal packets that we can distribute to our food hubs. Each hub must pay 10% of the cost to receive packets. As of 2023, they were paying closer to 20%.
Nutrition and sustainability are essential to our feeding initiative. When we drill a well, we also plant a garden with drip irrigation so the community members can supplement their diet with fresh produce. We have a company dedicated to the upkeep and service needs of the Enviro Loo toilets.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
BLESSMAN INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Board of directorsas of 03/01/2024
Dr. James Blessman
Blessman International, Inc.
Term: 2002 - 2023
Glenn DeStigter
Retired, CEO The Weitz Company
Term: 2022 - 2024
Carole Beth Blessman
Blessman International, Inc.
Jeff Ostrander
Reach Church
Forrest Ridgeway III
Bike World
Barb Halverson
E.T. Video
Richard Mathson
Raccoon Valley Partners McDonalds
Jim Blessman
Blessman International, Inc.
Scott Blessman
Albaugh, LLC
Glenn DeStigter
Weitz Company (retired)
Gary Goodhall
Hy-Vee (retired)
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 09/04/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.