Action Four Africa    Vision for 2009 John Weatherson, Co-Director and Operations Manager   The Bible tells us to write our vision down for all to see, and that it will come to pass. Based on that simple promise, and faith that it will indeed be so, I set out to write my vision for the coming year, trusting in our eternal and everlasting God to provide the provision for the tasks which lay ahead. The vision is simple. In Swaziland there are 130,000 orphans and vulnerable children who presently do not enjoy life as it was meant to be for them. All they require to be able to reach the potential which God had in mind for every human being is four things; love and care in abundance, a means to produce food to allow them a nutritionally balanced and healthy diet, clean running water to provide for consumption, sanitary and food production needs, and some decent all round education to allow them to fully participate in a society which demands that all citizens are suitably equipped to be able to make a living through the use of practical skills, and are also adequately educated so that they are able to be part of the decision making process of this nation in the future. We believe that these are four great and meaningful objectives, which we at Action Four Africa, together with your assistance, are committed to provide to the children of Swaziland. We stress action as it is the only way to achieve the results that we all want to see, and we stress the word four, as it represents the four things we need to do for these children.   The 130,000 orphans and vulnerable children are generally split into 700 groups where they currently receive limited support in terms of some free food, and extremely limited care and support from volunteer care givers from the community. As there are 55 electoral districts in Swaziland, that means there are approximately 12 or 13 groups per districts, each with around 185 children needing support. Group sizes vary, but are constantly growing, placing greater demands on communities already strained due to rising food prices and increasingly unpredictable weather conditions for food crop production due to climate change. Our 2009 vision is to work with 12 groups, one from each district, and provide over the period of one year all the four needs listed above. The cost of providing all needs at each group will vary, according to many factors, including such factors as ground water availability, distance from a power source, types of existing structure for shelter and education and so on, and it is impossible to give an estimate at this time of what a full assistance program will cost. However, if I was asked to give a rough estimate of a likely cost per group, it would be in the region of $10.000 to cover the provision of a water supply and the establishment of a sustainable food production garden. There after, a needs assessment would establish what facilities would be required for the provision of schooling, which would have to be a separate fund raising initiative, as costs of school construction are considerable. There are of course groups who require more modest assistance, in the form of simple fencing for already established fields, they need to hire a tractor to plough the land, and they need seeds and fertilizer. Such assistance can cost between $1000 and $2000. Apart from working with the orphan groups we would like to offer support to some community groups, mainly composed of women, who already have established gardens, and who support orphan groups in their community with food. Such assistance normally involves the financing of land preparation and the provision of vegetable seedlings, and perhaps some assistance with water supply. Such assistance normally requires funding of around $3000, which will ensure a full supply of nutritious vegetables over the late autumn, winter and early spring period April to October. During 2009 we would like to work with 5 or 6 groups in the Dvokodweni district of Swaziland, and would estimate a total budget for such assistance of around $20.000. Of course, there is always the odd homestead, perhaps headed by an elderly person, a sick person, or even an orphan, where assistance is required, and such assistance would be provided when cases are identified. The cost of providing such assistance normally does not exceed $1000, as it usually caters for costs of land preparation and the provision of seeds and fertilizer, allowing the homestead to move out of the extreme poverty zone, and total reliance on donations of food. Our focus in all cases is to develop capacity and sustainability, helping people to help themselves. To undertake all this work and have solid results to show after 12 months we therefore need to form partnerships with individuals, companies, churches and any groups to raise funding in the region of $150.000, which would ideally be $12,000 per month. As funds come in we will commence work, and trust that the provision will be fulfilled over the 12 month period. What a task! We have made the decision to have no fixed residential dwelling, but to be fully mobile, which will involve the purchase of a strong, self contained caravan with cooking and washing facilities etc and with associated canvas tent extensions, together with another vehicle well suited to the rugged conditions in which we will work. We will establish camp in all communities where we will provide assistance, and be on site until all works are completed. We humbly request your assistance to help us meet the financial needs of purchasing this vital field equipment, which we estimate to require funding of $30.000, for both the vehicle and caravan etc. At this point in time the most urgent issue is the caravan plus tents, which is vital for us to be able to commence our projects. Used caravan units which would suit our work are available in South Africa for around $10.000, and used vehicles suitable for towing this unit to site and for other duties are also available for between $10.000 and $20.000, depending on condition. The overhead costs of our operation will be kept to a minimum, and this will be made possible by our remaining in the field, therefore not incurring rental charges for housing, offices etc as well as reducing fuel costs. We will provide constant feed back on our activities through our web site at Action4Africa.com and, most importantly, we would encourage greatly that donors visit to see at first hand the work that is being undertaken. I hope this may be possible for some of you. I have worked with the poor in Swaziland for 30 years, and have a clear understanding of what needs to be done through constant inter-action with many communities. I enjoy excellent relations with government authorities at all levels, and so support for our intended activities is total, as evidenced recently by a meeting I had, together with Bonnie Van Schaick, with the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister assured us of his continued interest and support for the activities we have planned. I am presently on a short term contract in Ethiopia for FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) where I am working in poor farming communities in all nine regions of this vast country. My intention is to return to Swaziland as soon as possible and work full time on the projects I have described above. Through the great generosity of some donors much has been achieved over the past year or two with the establishment of a school for orphans in the Chiefdom of Ncgulwini in Swaziland, and more recently the provision of farming inputs to both the elderly and some orphans in the Velezizweni and Mahlangatsha, where the crops planted during Bonnie’s last visit are now reported to be growing so well, and families will have food to eat this year. However, it is necessary that this work continues. We humbly request that you consider being our partners, and by being so you will leave a lasting legacy in a part of the world that needs our help so desperately. May God richly bless each one of you. Without the full time commitment of Bonnie in all this, nothing would have happened to date, and I pray that God will bless her abundantly as she works with you over the coming months.  Without your participation, interest, compassion and generosity, the poor people we have helped would not have made the progress they have. Together you have all made a big difference to so many lives. I really look forward to an exiting year ahead, and look forward to meeting many of you as time goes by. John Weatherson, Co-Director and Operations Manager December 2008.