Our History
Beautiful Gate Ministry was founded in 1994 by a Dutch couple, Toby and Aukje Brouwer. The initial project was a street children’s home in Muizenberg, Cape Town. In 1999 a hospice for children dying with HIV/AIDS was opened in Crossroads, Cape Town. In 2004 Beautiful Gate South Africa moved to its current site in Lower Crossroads, Philippi East. In 2006, the Clinic partnership was formalised, establishing the Child Health programme. With the focus shifting towards Family Strengthening the Muizenberg home is closed in 2008. And in 2010 our Youth Resource Centre opened its doors. In 2014 our Education programme was launched. In 2015 we closed down our residential children's home as our work had completely shifted away from residential care to community based care and support. In 2018 the Social Services Hub is curated on our site and in 2019 we celebrate our 25th birthday.
Read more about how our model of care has evolved over the years with the changing needs of children, families and our community.
The name: Beautiful Gate
The name Beautiful Gate originates from the Bible passage of Acts 3:2-6 “Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" Then Peter said:
Beautiful Gate South Africa is a non-denominational Christian organisation that demonstrates the love of God by helping all those in need, no matter what their background or faith. We believe that children grow best in a family, and the best people to support families are their local community. We therefore aim to build community networks while caring for children and supporting families.