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4th October 2008
Dear Friends,
I have wanted for some time to say thankyou to so
many organizations and individuals from the US and around the world, and
I always thought it
would be a daunting task to write to so many people! My dear friend and
partner in Action Four Africa, Bonnie Van Schaick, then suggested I
write a letter and forward it to her, for distribution to all past,
present and hopefully future donors to, and partners with, our
organization. And so, it is with humility that I express my gratitude to
all of you for your Christian generosity, without which, no progress
could have been made in alleviating the suffering of our orphans and
vulnerable children here in Swaziland. May God bless you all
abundantly.
Before I go on to tell you a little about A4A ( let
me use that shortened version from now on for Action Four Africa!),I
must tell you that when I arrived in Swaziland at the age of 22 in 1973,
I was one of the first three teachers of agriculture in schools here. It
seems strange that I am still working with children here, 35 years
later, at the good old middle age of 56 (well, I will be 57 in November,
and I’m delaying that as long as I can!). Having just finished three and
a half years as head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organizations (FAO) Emergency Assistance program here, I thought it was
about time to start a new career, and fulfill my dream of working with
the poor, particularly the many children without parents, in a more
independent capacity, and having a meaningful lasting impact on lives
which are so full of suffering and so devoid of hope, without the
endless protocol of the UN system to hamper progress. However, the
establishment of A4A, and the great step out in faith, was only
achievable with much help, support and encouragement from Bonnie Van
Schaick, and financial contributions from all of you.
A4A was set up with specific objectives, six in fact. However, I will not list them word for word, but suffice to say,
they all hinge on the provision of life enhancing assistance to the many
thousands of orphans and vulnerable children in Swaziland. Such
assistance includes the provision of a reliable and clean water supply,
both for human consumption and the cultivation of food crops in
sustainable food production gardens; health facilities, and assistance
with access to schools. With no parents, and few active and committed
relatives, orphans have a tough time just obtaining enough to eat on a
daily basis, and so it is vital that we offer them all the support they
need, at this crucial time of their lives.
To date the activities of A4A have focused on the
establishment of a school with teacher housing for orphans at Ngculwini
in central Swaziland. Here much focus was given to the water supply
also, which is working well and providing water to over 100 children and
many other needy community members, as well as to vegetable garden. Over
$87,750 has been invested in
that project, and we currently seek $3450 to complete payments to the
extremely patient builder, who stepped out in faith to assist us. I am
sure Bonnie will guide you the correct web site so you can see the
magnificent work which was undertaken there.
It is now spring time in Swaziland, and we await
much need rain to be able to cultivate field crops. We also need rain to
fill the dams and water tanks, which provide water during the dry
periods. Our work over the next six months will therefore focus on the
provision of water catchment or harvesting facilities at orphan group
sites, which we refer to as NCP’s (Neighborhood Care Points),which is
where orphans receive daily meals and are involved in food production in
well planned gardens. Many groups have no bore holes from which water
can be pumped, so a relatively cost effective method of providing water
is to ensure that all rain which falls is trapped, mostly by a system of
roof water harvesting, and stored in a series of various sized water
tanks. This stored water provides for daily drinking and cooking
requirements, and for the establishment of a small vegetable garden,
based on the permaculture system. Some sites have existing water supply
systems, but many need repairs and rehabilitation, and this includes the
rehabilitation of boreholes (wells), which can be an expensive
operation, depending on the problems encountered below ground. Many bore
holes have just run dry, and need to be deepened, or new holes drilled
at a new site. However, our philosophy is to catch as much of the rain
water that God is providing from above first, and only then, turn to the
ground water when the need arises. Rains are due to commence within
weeks, and there are many, many sites which need urgent assistance. Out
of the 645 listed NCP,s over half do not have a reliable water supply.
Let me give you an idea of what our costs are in
addressing the situations we face on a day to day basis, and an
indication of known groups who require urgent assistance;
Ø
An NCP (Neighborhood Care Point for
orphans) with say, 50 orphans, needs around 270.000 liters of water per
year (15 liters per day per child for all needs, including a small
garden).With an average annual rainfall of 800 mm that means we need 400
square meters of tin roof to catch water, which will harvest over
320.000 liters of water throughout the year. For this we would construct
a shelter for the children with the necessary rood area, and construct a
concrete or plastic and wire mesh tank to store the water. Sometimes we
find a structure already available at an NCP, perhaps someone’s house
and we only have to extend the roof area to some extent, so costs vary
from $5000 to $10.000, including the establishment of a sustainable food
garden. We are talking about a considerable amount of money here, as
there are over 70 groups that we know of that such require assistance;
so $350.000 would be a minimum amount, but this would transform
the lives of over 5000 children. This work could also only be undertaken
over one to two years with our current capacity. A massive, but
incredibly worthwhile project.
Ø
Other NCP’s are in proximity to an existing water source
and need a small water pump (solar powered) and some pipe, with one or
two storage tanks. We have three such groups now in extremely dry
areas, in the Somtongo area of southern Swaziland, and the average cost
of assisting each orphan group with the water supply is $7000,
including garden establishment. Total required $21.000
Ø
Hand Pumps repairs on an existing bore holes or wells;
$2500. We have 7 sites to urgently attend to, also in Somtongo and
Matsanjeni areas, when funds permit!
Total required here
$17.500
Ø
Borehole rehabilitation and repair of water reticulation
system; $8000. We have two sites in urgent need of assistance in
the Dvokodweni area. The improvement of these water supply systems also
affect several hundred community members, also living in poverty.
Total required here is $16.000
Ø
We have over 17 groups now which require the simplest of
assistance with water tanks and some guttering for existing roofs. Cost
of providing adequate storage tanks including a water catchment system
of gutters runs at $3500, so we need around $60.000 here.
As you can see the work required is significant,
and we could never hope to achieve it all overnight. The important issue
is to make a start, and for that we require sustainable financial
support. I am exploring every possible avenue locally in Swaziland to
get assistance with our work, but we are a small nation and funding is
difficult, and many compete for it. I need action now! And that’s why we
called our organization Action Four Africa! We want to do,
not talk
This past week, together with Sabelo Mavimbela, I
attended a large meeting at UNICEF where A4A was introduced as a new
member of the water and sanitation group, which is made up of all
stakeholders in the battle against poor water supplies which affect
children. We were warmly accepted, and will attend monthly meetings so
that we cooperate with others working to alleviate the suffering of
Swaziland’s children. Now, having spent over 3 years in the UN system, I
have been obliged to attend so many meetings which achieve nothing, so
we will attend important meetings only, and I shall keep you all
informed!
Another great challenge that we face of course is
transport. We currently have a donated vehical, a small Toyota saloon
car. To effectively undertake the work which lies ahead of us, it is
essential to have a tough vehicle (Toyota open back van 2.5 lt diesel)
which costs in the region of $30.000. This item is on the top of my
prayer list. Working with a second hand vehicle is really not feasible,
as we work in such remote areas, and to get caught out when coming home
late from the bush is not very exiting or motivating! (although it has
happened to me a few times in the past!) We also need a caravan and some
tents, so that we can, as a team, sleep on site, so as to reduce travel
expense, and also to spend time with the communities.
I hope the above list of monetary needs is not to
discouraging, but it’s what we need to do the job, or part of the job,
and my prayer is that this letter is circulated to as many of our
American brothers and sisters as possible, and I pray God will hear our
prayers, and touch hearts. We want to make partnerships with you; it’s
not just about donations. Our poor want to be active participants with
you, and not just passive recipients! Sometimes I’m ashamed of my
home;Africa,where south of the Sahara Desert, there is an estimated
population of 626 million who battle daily on 2.455 million hectares of
land, to make a living. Over 60% of those rely on agriculture for a
living! The startling fact is that only 173 million hectares, which is
about one quarter of the potentially arable land is under permanent
cultivation. Swaziland, with 1.1 million people and 1.7 million
hectares represents less than 0.2% of the sub-Saharan population on less
than 0.7% of the land! Small percentages, but not necessarily,
insignificant. I believe, small as we are as a nation, we can be
instrumental in changing the way things are done in Africa. We have to
make a start. Our immediate focus is the orphan problem; if you can help
us with improving the lives of our estimated 120.000 children with no
parents, then we will be pleased, and God will bless you.
I now want to tell you a little about our Junior
Farmer Field and Life Skills Schools, (JFFLS) or which I had 21 under my
FAO program, established over the last three years. These young farmer
field schools were set up to cater for the needs of those orphans and
vulnerable children who are roughly between the ages of 12 and 17,who
need to learn survival and entrepreneurial skills, mainly focused on
farming. The field schools have been highly popular, with enthusiastic
participation from the children, who number 25 at any one site. FAO
support to this program has now ended, and it is sad that these children
are facing an uncertain future after such a great start to this program.
I continue to visit one JFFLS group at an area called Velezizweni. This
group is also 25 in number, but the orphaned children who wish to be
“young farmers” number 167 in that area! Our vision here is to enlarge
the garden, construct poultry and pig keeping facilities, build some
form of meeting room where children can learn something of the theory to
what they are doing. Here there are two issues. To continue giving
meaningful weekly support and provide assistance with crop production
and the water supply we need around $1500 every month. To undertake the
expansion program to allow all 167 children to participate, we require a
further $60.000 spread over one year.
A homestead near to this remote farmer field
school is the Zulu homestead. Caiphas Zulu will be 97 on the 14th
February 2009.He is blind, but his character is still strong and he
still has passion for life. His wife, Lena, is 20 years his junior,
takes care of Caiphas and several grand children. May orphans congregate
around the home of Caiphas,so his food supplies often run out! His heart
is so good. We have been trying to help him fence his fields to prevent
cattle devouring his crops, and only lack a small amount of fence to
complete this task. Caiphas and his family have no form of income at
all, and yet need cash to hire a tractor to plough the maize (corn)
fields now. He also needs some repairs to his maize store. Is there any
“Good Samaritan” with $1000 out there? I am visiting him today, and will
take a pot of honey and some apples, which is his favorite diet! (I have
many pictures and will try to attach one here).
I believe I could continue relating stories of
what we want to do here in Swaziland to help the poor and the needy,
those with little hope and a dismal future, but I would be writing a
several days! Over 30 years I have visited just about every corner of
this country, traveled every back road and found all the short cuts! I
have met need which ever corner I have turned, including a group of
orphans kept in a chicken house! They still need help!
Last week I visited Gladys Nkhambule; a retired
teacher who looks after 40 orphans at a very dry place called Dvokolwako,
but don’t try and get your American tongues around that one! She and her
kids are occupying a three roomed building, which she has converted into
a wonderful school and feeding kitchen. She has also created a small
garden near to the building. Her problems are specific. The roof of the
building is tin, so it can catch rain. She needs four tanks and about 80
meters of gutters. She also needs tools and seeds etc to really boost
the food production in the garden I would put one man there, Joao, to
help her for a month. She is like a Mother Teresa of Swaziland. All her
time is volunteered. Her own home is so humble. I need $6000 to give
Gladys her dream, or her miracle, which she is not expecting to come
soon, but we need to make it happen for her! That’s the thing about
miracles, they come when you least expect them! Many of the children
need to go to the local clinic for treatment, and some small ones I saw
there are suffering from HIV/AIDS and will not see their 10th
birthday due to a severe lack of treatment. Your tears would flow if you
visited Gladys and her kids. She is a miracle herself.
Yes, we want to bring water and food to people in
need, but we also want to bring hope for the future and Christian love.
I hope you may find it in your hearts to help us continue traveling the
roads less traveled, finding those in need and making life a little
better for them as we pass by.
Bonnie may have told some of you that I have some
land in the mountains of Swaziland and I have a vision to develop a
farmer training school there for young people on 160 acres. I am
transferring the land into A4A and need you to pray with me for funding
to undertake this vital national project. It will be a center of
excellence for young people who desperately need a future. The budget
for this is development is over 10 million Emalangeni (our local
currency) which translates to over $1.3 million! However, I have written
the vision down (read Habakkuk Chapter 2 verses 2 and 3!) and I have a
firm belief it will come to pass at the appointed time. This school will
train 350 young people every year in sustainable crop production, that’s
one person from each of the 350 chiefdoms in Swaziland every year! Can
you share my vision?
I must tell you that I am assisted by two people on
a completely voluntary basis at the moment; Sabelo Mavimbela and Joao
Mahlalela. Sabelo put himself through university at his own expense some
years ago, and then worked as a teacher to raise funds to do his masters
degree! Then…wait for it…he got a job at a university in South Africa in
a soils laboratory, and simultaneously studied for his doctorate in
sustainable agriculture, soil science and all matters relating to water
harvesting!!! He will be awarded his doctorate from the University of
the Free State in RSA before Christmas! Joao Mahlalela has been working
with me for 20 years, and what he doesn’t know about crop farming isn’t
worth knowing! Please pray for them.
This letter is not meant to be detailed plan of our
intended activities or an accurate assessment of our financial needs.
I’ve done so much of that during my years with the United Nations, and
at the end of the day plans and expenditure can be changed, regardless
of what’s said in the original document! It’s meant to give you an idea
of our needs and some indicative figures for you to plan around. What we
need are committed regular partners who will walk with us in faith, and
help us to sustain and improve lives. All donations will be well
accounted for and you will be kept fully informed of progress on all
projects. Should you wish to specify a particular project to support,
that’s fine, so you get to feel you are partnering with people you know,
or will get to know!
God Bless all of you who make our work
possible. Please come visit and see it first hand! You will be so
welcome!
If anyone has questions, and I’m sure you do;
send them over and I will do my best to answer them!
I don’t know if any of you have had the
pleasure to read that wonderful book “Gulliver’s Travels, written in
1726 but I would recommend it. In it there is a part which says; “And
he gave for his opinion that whoever could make two ears of corn or two
blades of grass grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before,
would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his
country than the whole race of politicians put together”
Do
those great words written over 280 years ago not inspire you!
I really look forward to working with you to
support and feed the hungry orphaned children of this country.
Many Blessings,
John Weatherson,
Project Manager/Co-Director
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