Jan 5th – back to “reality”…whatever that is.
The team finally finished their long journey home and
everyone was excited to get back to their families and “reality” – except
me. No matter how long (or short) I’m in
Swaziland, when I get home, it feels foreign and somehow wrong… wrong that I go
to the bathroom in potable water when kids are thirsty, wrong that my dog is showered
in more love (and eats better!!) than some children. I hate myself for being one of the haves, as
if I struggled more – somehow the kids would struggle less. I have a 14 hour drive back to Denver
tomorrow and I’m hoping I can keep my thoughts positive – such as all we were
able to accomplish due to your generosity, donations, and support!:
1.
SOLAR
LIGHTING PROGRAM: For orphaned
children living without electricity, alone, in the rural mountain areas –
darkness can be scary and dangerous! Thanks to generous private donations and
sponsorship from WInGS – we were able
to purchase:
a.
Generic solar panel kits that each support 3 LED
lights and USB cell phone chargers for 16 hours/day at maximum capacity for 10
years
b.
Portable solar lanterns that will allow for
safer night traveling in the rural darkness
c.
And we are piloting one larger construct-your-own
solar product that will power not only lights but also larger electrical
products like radios, TVs, etc.
2.
ANTI-BABY
DUMPING CAMPAIGN: The GHFP participants were able to partner with Malindza
community leader Maseko, Heart for Africa, and the Swazi Deputy Prime Minister
in a national Anti-Baby Dumping awareness builder. We learned that since May, 22 babies were
found dumped in latrines. Some of these babies had breathing problems from
surviving in the unsanitary conditions and others had permanent head trauma
from their drop. Malindza is introducing
a baby safe to the country in hopes of offering women a safe and anonymous
alternative to dumping babies in fields and latrines.
3.
ORPHAN
EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS: This year due to generous donations from countless
donors we were able to expand our orphan education scholarship program to
include 16 children. (3 of our GHFP kids
recently graduated bringing the total kids = 19) We are thrilled to now have orphans in
eLangeni and Malindza communities with 14 in secondary school and 2 in primary
school! Thanks to everyone for allowing us to grow – we hope to continue to
include more deserving children in the future!
4.
TREES OF
HOPE PROJECT: We purchased and
planted almost 100 trees including litchi, mango, grapefruit, lemon, lime, paw
paw, banana and avocado. These trees
were planted at child-headed homes, eLangeni Primary School and eLangeni
Secondary school. They will provide a
sustainable food source and a means for income-generation by selling the
surplus. Thank you Power of One Foundation!
5.
FENCING/POULTRY/FARMING
PROJECT: The headmaster at eLangeni Secondary School graciously offered
GHFP a plot of land on the school grounds for our children. We planted 20 fruit-bearing trees and they
are also cultivating vegetables and reproducing chickens on this land. We also purchased poles and fencing wire to
protect our land from grazing goats and cows.
Our orphans will work on this land outside of school and benefit
financially and nutritionally as well as learn vital skills pertaining to
successfully producing their own food.
*Thank you Power of One
Foundation!
6.
CELL
PHONE PROJECT: Communication is key to survival in the rural areas. During this trip one of our children had an
allergic reaction to a wasp sting and his older sister had to run to a distant
neighbor’s house to borrow a phone. The
doctor said that if it had stung closer to his throat rather than above his eye
– it could have cut off his air supply and been lethal. We were able to purchase all of our
child-headed homes a cell phone with ample air-time to last until we return in
June. We also purchased an abundance of
air-time for Bheki (our village coordinator) to enable him to call and check up
on all of our children and send us a monthly report. A MoneyGram wire transfer takes only 10
minutes to reach Swaziland in case of an emergency.
7.
ARTISAN
DIRECT PROGRAM: We purchased
hundreds of dollars worth of jewelry, batiks, masks, and crafts from our rural
women. We offer these products for a
donation that will not only provide an income for the women, but the remaining
money will go toward GHFP orphan programming.
Check out some of the goods online: http://www.ifightpoverty.org/african-artisan-direct.html
or schedule a “Party for a Purpose” with us.
I am already looking forward to returning in June! We still have a few spots left on our June
and July 2013 trips, check out our website for more details: http://www.ifightpoverty.org/take-action.html
You can also show your support by:
- Spreading the word about our programs and website to your
friends and family: www.ifightpoverty.org
-
By “liking” us on facebook: www.facebook.com/GiveHopeFightPoverty
- Hosting a Party for a Purpose (artisan direct, painting, bar/restaurant, boutique - options are endless!!)
- Hosting a donation drive (contact us for our most immediate needs including: children's books, medical supplies, school supplies, art supplies, and luggage)
This is the end of the blog until June when we return to
Swaziland. But I will leave you with an
excerpt from a letter one of our 14-year old orphaned boys wrote to me:
“I’m going to run out
of words on how I’m going to thank you for everything you’ve done for me over
the last 6 years. You have made me a human again by showing me light when in
darkness. May the almighty God open the
flood gates of heaven and let the blessings flow over you. You have done more for me than any other
human. I’m glad that God brought you to
shed light to my troubled soul.”
This thank you should be directed toward YOU, our
supporters, our donors, and our GHFP friends.
Without you, we would not be able to help children like Sizo… and without
you, we cannot grow to help supporting more incredible children like Sizo.
Thank YOU for showing ME light, love, and hope for a better future for these
amazing children. Until June, xoxo annie (anniefightspoverty@gmail.com)
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