Action Four Africa (Swaziland)

Nkwalini Genesis

Action Four Africa (Swaziland) update 28 July 2008 Action4Africa.com

You may wonder why this is titled “Action Four Africa” where our website is Action4Africa.com. The Swaziland Government does not allow numbers in a registered company title, so they changed it at the time of the non profit being completed. The Walter Project is now listed as the first project under Action Four Africa. When God put this idea in my head to put in water and power for this one community with orphans, I was not projecting any action beyond that. As you know, God has His own agenda and we don’t always know the details from the beginning! But He keeps it interesting!

The Walter project is complete except for our paying the last cost for the teacher’s duplex which is about $8900---I say ‘about’ as the exchange rate between USD and the Swaziland Emalengeni fluctuates as do all currencies. During my last trip to Swaziland in Oct/Nov 2007, I spent a good deal of time in meetings and around the project as the transfer was made to the Swazi Nation. This was primarily with the Regional Education Officer, Elliot Nkambule, and Prince Chief Ngebsceni Dlamini whose Chiefdom includes Ngculwini, the site of our project. At one such meeting with their staffs and many of the residents, we formalized the exchange when I presented the keys to the borehole building (water well pump house) to the Chief. He thanked me for my work and all the donors who had made it possible for the children in this community to have clean water, toilets and showers, food from the gardens and education for children who had never been to school. This was a very exciting time for the people and for me too.

At the Chiefs request I spent much time with the women of the community explaining how this new entity would work and how they can be a part of making their venture successful. They couldn’t wait to get to work to help the orphans and work on their own to feed their own families. It is difficult for us to realize that people don’t know how to garden or do some of the other ordinary activities of life. We must remember that this country, as so many others in Africa, have lost two generations to AIDS so there are few older people who can teach the life skills. An old person in Swazi is 45 to 50 years old. You can imagine how odd I seem to them---believe me I do stand out among them!

July 31^st the UN will have completed vacating their emergency agriculture and food program, FAO, in Swaziland which affects 60,000 farmers and over 80,000 orphans. This is hard for me to accept, as these folks were beginning to thrive with the counsel and assistance from FAO. John Weatherson, originally from the UK, whom I have worked with and been counseled by on our project, is the FAO director. The UN office in Rome closed the emergency program in Swaziland and wants to move John to Ethiopia to do the same work there. John’s family and life are in Swaziland where he has lived over 30 years. He wishes to remain in Swaziland and take over the management of Action Four Africa (Swaziland), the non profit completed in 2007, of which John and I are Directors along with attorney C. John Littler. This requires more funding, and commitments have been made from sources in South Africa and the EU. We will continue to do what you and I and many others have been doing over the past 3 years---to provide teaching and assistance with sustainable food sources, water projects using solar power in out of the way communities, and shelters for orphans (not orphanages) which will provide safety and comfort for daytime use. We will support the Junior Farmer programs in 26 schools. This program, begun by John some years ago, is within the existing schools. The children divide their time each day between classroom studies, and learning and growing a garden. Each child prepares the soil, plants and cares for his or her own garden. Then as food matures they can take the food to their own family along with getting a proper classroom education. This has already shown results in the individual families growing their own gardens where the children live.

You may be wondering how you and I fit into this plan for the future. I will select projects as we go along that we may make donations towards and feel it is “our” project. I feel at this time we need to be putting water wells in areas where there are large areas of orphans, and that is in every corner of Swaziland. Adults die from AIDS, and children die of intestinal disease or starvation. We can help these kids to life and prosperity as we already have in one area. I will appreciate any questions, comments or suggestions as we continue on to serve others less fortunate than ourselves. The Swazi Nation as I have come to know them, want to learn to help themselves and they are grateful for our every consideration. In Swaziland there is a highly visible program for teaching about prevention of HIV/AIDS. The young people of pre teenage and teenage years I talk to know what they have to do to survive and thrive and lead their nation. We can help.

These are our Christian brothers, sisters and grandchildren. I ask you to make a family decision about how you can help in funding for the continuation of our “people helping people” in Swaziland. My thanks to each of you for your prayers, your good wishes expressed to me, and for the money you have donated and will donate in the future. Bonnie Van Schaick