On our visit to Swaziland in May we were introduced to Sinenhlanhla by her headteacher. Sinenhlanhla is a vulnerable child struggling at home living with her parents and 4 siblings. Her parents try hard to find work but this is not always possible. At school she is a bright happy child who is getting on with life.
However she has great difficulty walking due to a joint disability in both her feet. This could be greatly improved by special shoes made to adjust her balance and general contact with the ground. Unfortunately Sinenhlanhla only had normal shoes which were not even her size. The charity immediately got involved with Sinenhlanhla’s condition and is now in the process of having special shoes made for her. In addition, a sponsor has been found who made a commitment to support her at school and ensure her shoes adjustments are made as she develops. And here she is having casts made for her first pair of remedial shoes.
During the Trustees’ May visit to sponsored children, it was discovered that twin sponsored girls were having difficulties with their home life. They were living in a threatening environment which was dramatically affecting their personalities and could lead to their being vulnerable to a number of issues.
The charity immediately consulted with both SOS Childrens Villages and the Salvation Army who together developed a plan to move the girls into secure accommodation with a caring guardian the expenses being met by the charity.
The ‘Hotspurs’ are a boys 14-16 year old football team attached to our Malagwane Care Centre.
The boys are either at school or helping with tasks around the Centre
such as gardening or the bee keeping project.
On our latest visit we were fortunate to secure a full football kit from Liverpool FC. The Club donated 12 sets of socks, shorts, tops and track suit tops which were distributed to the Hotspur Team. The boys were delighted and could not wait for their next game which would be played in full kit. They currently did not have a kit and played in various coloured shirts.
We look forward to seeing how the new kit enhances their performance and thank Liverpool FC for their generosity.
Soroptimist International of Stockport is funding a project called Sew n Sow.
The Sew element has been to provide the ladies of the community of Msunduza Centre with two
industrial sewing machines and training. They are now producing school uniforms and have made all the pre-school children at the Centre a uniform. They have started to make a small profit which they are ploughing back into the running costs of the Centre.
A classroom of PIES children wearing uniforms made by the local women.
The sow element is to have a vegetable plot where they can grow vegetables for use at the Care Centre and any surplus will be sold off. Due to the drought situation they have not been able to start on this although the Salvation Army has made a secure plot available for them to start when the rains eventually come.
It has been an exciting year for Partners in Education Swaziland as we develop our partnership with the charity SOS Villages and work towards opening a new centre in Malagwane on the outskirts of Mbabane.
Concerned that there were an increasing number of vulnerable children requiring our services but whose needs were not being met, we took the decision to open a new Care Centre which supports the local community in neighbouring Malagwane and in particular will feed around 50 vulnerable children.
A site in Malagwane was identified which required appropriate Government approvals and site preparation.
Following this work has commenced and the basic building structure is in place. Much of the construction work has been undertaken by the community. We are now raising the funds to pay for internal works such as sanitation, kitchen and general furnishings. Private donations together with donations from Soroptimist and Rotary Clubs in the UK have been received to assist with the construction work.
It is hoped to open the new Centre in early 2017. In the meantime an emergency feeding station has been established for the children and meals are currently being provided for about 60 per day. The menu usually consists of rice or porridge with vegetable soup, beans, peas and spinach or cabbage. This has made a huge difference in the lives of the children of Malagwane.
As with the Msunduza Centre, the new Centre will provide an early childhood care and development programme each day ensuring pre-school children receive breakfast and lunch. In the afternoons the Centre will provide lunch to other needy children.
Members of the community will help at the Centre as volunteers cooking meals and providing basic education to pre-school children. It is anticipated that in time the Centre will become self-supporting which will enable us to utilise our finances to help other needy children.
Work has started……..First course of bricks are laid.Taking shape…..
The construction process has been running smoothly and the people of the community have been giving support when they can. It is hoped that construction of the Centre will soon be finished. We are now waiting for the electricity to be connected – and then it will be all systems go!
As with the Msunduza Centre, the new Centre will provide an early childhood care and development programme each day ensuring pre-school children receive breakfast and lunch. In the afternoons the Centre will provide lunch to other needy children.
Members of the community will help at the Centre as volunteers cooking meals and providing basic education to pre-school children. It is anticipated that in time the Centre will become self-supporting which will enable us to utilise our finances to help other needy children.
