INTRODUCTION: One of the 13 year old kids we sponsor named Sizo invited us to his church for a special surprise. So, all of us girls pile into the van and trek to Grace Christian Fellowship Church to see what he has in store for us. We sit through a beautiful service titled "I am a Winner" about how everyone can be a "winner" if you put your faith in God - no matter what you have done or what you have failed to do in the past. I thought about how it applied to our children we sponsor as they have risen above the horrible hands they have been dealt and continue to thrive despite their many every day obstacles.Then the pastor introduces our group to the church stating that we are Sizo's "special friends" and calls Sizo forward. Sizo takes the microphone and says that he owes his future to his sponsors in Indiana and how lucky he is to have us in his life and then dedicates the song "You Raise Me Up" to us and proceeds to sing beautifully a capella. Of course our service-learning team goes crazy snapping pictures, taking Flip video footage, and frantically wiping the tears off of our faces so we dont miss a single moment.
I wish these kids I met years ago when I was living in Swaziland had even a fraction of a clue as to what they do for me every single day... THEY raise ME up to be a better person - less selfish, more giving, more loving, and truly inspired. My life is more purposeful because they are in it.
Day one - MAY 10th: My bladder the size of a peanut is never a good thing on the journey from Indianapolis to Mbabane, Swaziland. After climbing over a sleeping Kait the whole 18 hour plane ride, we spend the night in Johannesburg only to wake up to have a 5 hour drive to Mbabane and there are....NO toilets in sight for miles. Behold! We finally see a tree!! So, Kait and I had to have our friends (and drivers) Pam and Amilcare stop so we could run through a field of burs to squat behind the only tree we have seen to give us some privacy. I spent the rest of the drive picking burs out of my pants, shoes, and....undergarments, but WE MADE IT!
Immediately upon reaching town, we went to Selula Sandla Orphanage to play with the kids. It is against Swazi culture to seclude and stigmatize children who have lost their parents by placing them into traditional Western orphanage facilities, but the country makes an exception for Selula Sandla because most of the children here are HIV-positive. The caretakers are trained to provide proper nutrition and to look for health indicators of HIV-related infections. Also, it is strategically close to Baylor's Pediatric HIV Center where all of the children are treated with ARVs (anti-retroviral drugs). Minus some tattered clothing, they actually appear to be the healthiest kids in town due to their 3 meals a day (including protein!!) and constant access to healthcare facilities. Our team painted nails, colored, made bracelets, sang songs, and rejoiced that the kids who have suffered so many health challenges in their short lives were all momentarily healthy.
Future GHFP Goal: This orphanage has no means of transportation and no nearby playground facility. The only time children are able to leave the small compound is to go to Baylor for HIV treatment or to school right down the street. The Program Coordinator asked us to build them a small playground with a slide and some tire swings. Who wants to help? We already have a Swazi automotive company willing to donate the tires and perhaps other building materials (thanks to Pam!!). We are planning a volunteer crew to go next summer (late July 2012) to build the playground, and a subsequent crew immediately afterward (early August 2012) to paint the playground and a HOPE mural.
MAY 11th: Unpacking and organizing 1,000 pounds of donations is quite a chore! We were lucky to receive brand new medical supplies from OWENS AND MINOR, food packs from KIDS AGAINST HUNGER, books from HALF PRICE BOOKS and Christine & Lia's church, toothbrushes, sanitary pads, shoes, clothes from HANCOCK TELECOM, art supplies from FOLLETTS BOOKSTORE, stuffed animals, school supplies, vitamins, etc. As always, I told the girls they should not bring anything they did not want to leave behind in Swaziland - even their suitcases! Usually I ask the girls to meet me with empty bags so they can fill them with donations I have acquired. This time, the girls went above and beyond and found the donations themselves! My favorite was Lia and Christine telling Folletts Bookstore on Purdue's campus that the one single t-shirt they were going to donate was not going to be sufficient and subsequently getting much more! :) Way to go girls!!
The students went on safari today at Hlane Royal National Park so Kait and I could get some business done. Swaziland is a very traditional country and there are formalities that have to happen before a team is welcomed into a village. We met Bheki (eLangeni Village Facilitator) at the Primary School where we spoke to the headmaster to receive permission to work with the kids this week and received the bill for Celimphilo (more about her later) and Gcinile's 2011 school fees. Then, we hitched a ride to the Secondary School where the headmaster took us on a tour. When I first toured the school in 2007 there were two structures in place (one without a roof), 1 teacher, 1 grade available (form 1 or freshman year) and no electricity or running water. Now all 5 forms (grades) are available and there are 400 kids with about 10 buildings including woodworking, textile and design, agriculture, and listening lab! The headmaster is amazing and works hard to acquire donations and support from other countries and his hardwork pays off for the kids! I was amazed to see that some of the kids spend their own money to ride public transportation from their homes in the cities (Mbabane or Manzini) 30 minutes each way into the rural village to go to school - this speaks a lot about the quality of school. The only downfall to this school is that the reason why they are able to provide such a stellar education is that they will not allow OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children) who cannot pay the school fees to enter. Many rural schools will allow orphans to attend despite their inability to pay but that dilutes the education for everyone because there is no money for good teachers, or textbooks, or computers. That is why Anne Fogler and I started raising money for orphan education funds a long time ago - these kids are getting an education at eLangeni that will allow them a better chance at escaping a life of poverty. May 12th: This morning we woke up for breakfast to the smell of fish sticks - Kait's favorite!! We then went to the Manzini Market and sweated our butts off (I thought it was Winter in Swaziland??) while supporting local artisans. ((Give Hope, Fight Poverty (ifightpoverty.org) has many Artisan Direct products you can purchase to support the women artisans as well as GHFP programs. You can purchase these through our eNewsletter or by hosting a Party for a Purpose.))
Afterward, we went to the Swazi Cultural Village where the students are able to learn more about Swazi tradition and culture, watch traditional Swazi dancing, and hear incredible singing. The highlight of the day was watching the monkey's raid our van. Kait and I tried to save the day by chasing them away, but they took one look at the peanut butter crackers in Kait's hand and decided to charge after us instead. Kait didnt want to "encourage their negative behavior", so instead of throwing the crackers at them and hightailing it out of there - she decided to go an alternative route and.... shoved them down her pants. I am sure this episode will end up on YouTube as the students so kindly got it on tape.
Then we went to Lobamba Clinic where we met up with my friend Nelly who is an HIV-positive Expert Client. She is compliant with her medication and takes great care of herself emotionally and physically, so the government pays her 850Rand/month ($136 USD) to work full-time at the clinic encouraging others to get tested and counseling them when they are positive. She also helps with checking compliance of patients by counting pills and educating them on how to properly take their pills and what nutrition is necessary to stay healthy. We went on a tour of the clinic and learned about the successes and challenges of their small facility. There are 8 nurses on staff, a number of Expert Clients, and ZERO doctors. There used to be a couple of doctors from Zimbabwe but they have since quit. Due to the lack of a medical school in the entire country and the poor wages doctors are paid compared to Swaziland's surrounding countries - there are VERY few doctors (most on a short stint from the US, South Africa, or Europe). So the nurses alone see over 250 patients per day. They frequently run out of supplies and their days are filled with patients too sick for them to be able to treat with their limited medical equipment. (Thank you to OWENS AND MINOR for their generous donation of gauze, syringes, suture needles, hospital gowns, slings, splints, and gloves - this was truly a blessing) They are in the process of building an HIV testing lab on site so that they will no longer be required to ship their bloodwork to South Africa for testing. They also hope to be able to treat HIV-positive children and infants. (Right now Baylor is the only facility equipped to do so)
May 13th: Kait and I took the students to meet the Princess Chief of eLangeni today. She had just a short time because she had 3 funerals this weekend for family members who passed away. In a country with the shortest life expectancy in the world (32 years of age), loved ones dying is frequent and painful. During our short visit, the Chief explained her role in the army and her training as a nurse and midwife. She is also a leader in HIV prevention for the nation - such an AMAZING lady. She was very happy to see that I have returned with a group again because many people promise to do so but don't.
Future GHFP Goal: The Chief explained to us that for her students to be competitive enough to go to college, they need to be computer literate and this needs to start at an early age. Most children do not have electricity and have never even seen a computer until high-school. She asked that we supply the Primary School with 4 or 5 computers loaded with English literacy programs so the children can learn English, learn to type, and learn about how to use a computer. Who wants to help???
We then went to eLangeni Primary School where we dropped off donations of books and school supplies. Kait taught the 5th graders how to do a weaving project that all of the kids (and the Swazi teacher) enjoyed. Then, we played with them during the morning recess. This recess allows time for some of the neediest children to receive a free breakfast. All children receive a free lunch consisting of porridge or mealies (ground corn meal). For many of the kids, this is the only food they will eat for the entire day.
Proud of her weaving.
Finger-licking good!
The 5th grade class holds up their masterpieces!!
Then we headed off to the Secondary School (high school) where the headmaster held an all-school assembly in our honor. It was so amazing to see all of the kids again. The headboy (senior class president) welcomed us to the school and stated on behalf of the students that they were happy to see us. Then the school's quartet (including our very own Sizo - first picture below) sang a couple of songs for us. Then they asked us if we prepared any songs for them...although the students offered to sing "Row row row your boat", I told the headmaster we unfortunately were musically challenged.
All-school assembly
Then our sponsored orphans took us on a tour of the school - the Purdue students were impressed as they saw the opportunities available at arguably the best high school in the country. Then, we sat in the computer lab to talk with the students. Each student said what year they were in school and what they wanted to be when they graduated...their dreams - accountants, doctors, nurses, teachers. I am so happy that we are playing a part in helping them come true!! When the students were asked if they had any questions for us, Sibusiso raised his hand and said "Only to ask if we may say thank you". Then their eyes lit up when they saw the bags of donations with their names on them. It is amazing what a couple of bags of KIDS AGAINST HUNGER meal packs and a pack of crayola markers means to the kids in eLangeni!! We told the Msibi's and Maziya's that we will be coming back tomorrow to pick them up to go to town. The kids rarely ever get to leave their village and little Celimphilo has only been to Mbabane to take her little brother Mazwi for his HIV treatments. Sizo said "I am so happy I can hardly contain myself". Then he asked what time we were coming to pick him up because he wanted to look sharp!! :)
May 14th: Today was a day of many firsts for our kids! When Pam and I went with our kombi (mini-bus) to pick up the kids for a day in the town, they were all anxiously waiting in their finest clothes. We took them to the mall where we met up with Kait and the Purdue girls and went to Mr Price for a shopping spree. The Purdue girls all pitched in some of their own money to make sure that Nosipho, Nomfundo, Sizo, Mazwi, and Celimphilo all got to select a new outfit and pair of shoes. The kids were very excited!
Mazwi and Celimphilo (Celie) Maziya in the Purdue girls' sunglasses
The kids holding their bags of new clothes and shoes at Mbabane Mall
Seeing Mazwi smile melts my heart. It happens much too rarely.
The Msibi's showing off their new outfits!
The clay masterpiece.
Celie working hard at her storyquilt.
Mazwi would not put the DoodlePro down for a minute!!
Goodbyes are always heart-wrentching. A year is SO long in a child's life (and mine!)!! We said our goodbyes to the Msibi's and Kait and I promised to be back next year. Then Kait, Kristen and I drove Mazwi and Celimphilo back to their house. It was pitch black because they do not have electricity. We stepped inside to show them the toys and food (KIDS AGAINST HUNGER) we brought for them - they LOVED the teddy bear, barbie, light-up truck, and clothes. Just when we were getting ready to leave, a drunk man appears at the door and approached little Celie. He said something in siSwati and Celie replied with a short tone. I still wonder what words were exchanged. It was time for us to go, so we waited for the man to walk away and made sure he wasnt lingering around before we left. As I was walking back to the car, the tears would not stop pouring down my face. Are Mazwi (7) and Celie (13) scared of being alone? Does that man commonly come around at night? Does anyone prey on the little kids alone in the dark house? I cried for them but I also cried for the tens of thousands of other kids in Swaziland in similar situations. The child-headed household phenomenon is increasing with the HIV prevalence and these children are easy targets for theft and abuse.
May 16th: Today we went to the SOHO Welcome Center to paint a LITSEMBA ("hope" in siSwati) mural with the pre-schoolers that Art With a Heart teacher Kristen Busenbark marvelously designed. Since we were only equipped to paint with 5 pre-schoolers at a time (imagine all 50 with permanent acryillic paints in their hands!!!!), I was the designated kid-go-getter. Along the way on one of my trips, I saw the teacher's son who I met on the last trip in November. He is about a year old now, remembered me, and immediately he wanted to be picked up, but I saw that he had completely peed through his pants... So I grabbed a random sweatshirt I saw lying on the ground and wrapped his booty up in it. Hopefully no one was planning on wearing that in the near future!
There are many needy kids at the Welcome Place. One of the girls about 16 was there in the morning to bring her little brother (age 3) to school. She said that her mom and dad left them alone and she had no idea where her parents were. A little girl was born with only one eye. There was a little boy who was albino and had severe skin and eye problems. The needs were overwhelming in this rural village so far away from towns.
She is in need of a glass eye.
After the mural was completed (it turned out BEAUTIFUL, thanks Kristen!!), we played games with the kids. I decided that duck, duck, goose was easy enough for pre-schoolers, but they never quite got the hang of it. Getting them to form a circle was easy enough, and they knew to stay seated when I tapped them on the head saying "duck", but when I got to "goose" it was total chaos! All 50 pre-schoolers immediately jumped up and chased me all over the school yard until one of them tackled me and the others piled on top. Getting yourself free of 100 pairs of little hands is not an easy task!! Prince Fikeveni Dlamini stopped by to check out the SOHO facility. He is originally from Swaziland but moved to Indiana to pursue a degree at Purdue. He has always been a major supporter of any endeavor that SOHO has done and is a true blessing to his people back home in Swaziland.
Pre-school mural painter. All of these small pieces were put together to form the masterpiece.
Singing their morning prayers.
It feels so overwhelming every time I come. I know that the VERY little I have been able to do over the last number of years (with your help!!!!!) has changed their lives but there is SO much more I want to do for them and SO many other orphaned children I want to add to our team. That is why my friend and business partner Kait Mariutto and I decided to start our own nonprofit: Give Hope, Fight Poverty (ifightpoverty.org). In the Selula Sandla orphanage earlier this week, I saw a sign with a Mother Teresa quote: "We, ourselves, feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." I know I am partial, but I am certain that even if these children were but single drops of rain... the ocean might as well be completely dry without them. They are my inspiration to be selfless... to live simply so others can simply live.
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