About The Author

In April 2002 I boarded a bus and headed off to Zambia. I had never been there before, knew nothing about the place, knew nobody who lived there, and carried no maps or traveler’s guides. All I had was my backpack of clothing, a Swiss army knife, a bunch of pens, a stack of empty pages and a childish faith in an Unseen Voice within me.

My name is Philén. If you see me, I look Indian. If you hear me, you would think I am an English-speaking South African. If you dig behind my skin and voice you will find a heart that beats to an African rhythm. It’s just who I am.

4 years in deep, rural and “Real Africa” and I learned lessons that neither money nor the academic institution could ever teach. A disastrous tragedy  returned me to South Africa in 2006, and a miracle beyond human understanding in October 2007 redirected my Path. Today I am the Founder of the My Life My Africa Children’s Foundation, situated in Zandspruit Informal Settlement, Johannesburg. My energy is committed to getting into the heart of impoverished, neglected and downtrodden African communities to equip and empower the Young People with the skills they need – Spiritually, Emotionally and Practically – to transform their own context from within their own context. I am finally nearing the end of the very challenging project of My Book – a spiritual adventure within a “Real African” setting – which will hopefully be released at the end of 2011 or beginning of 2012. [Any publishing, design, distribution and marketing help will be most welcomed and will earn you a mention and a signed copy ]

I am married to the beautiful and abundantly loving Kim Michelle Naidu, with no children… yet