I was keeping this trip to eSwatini a secret because some of
our Swazi kids have FB and I didn’t want them telling Mazwi I was coming for
his surprise birthday party. But now
that the party is over, I can tell you what I’ve been up to so far!
1.
Mazwi’s birthday! His actual birthday isn’t
until the 26th, but I wanted to throw it early to add more surprise.
He had 40 family and friends there to celebrate. Bongani helped a couple of my friends cook
the meat (TONS of it – pork, brats, and chicken) and there was a big cake and
lots of music! My favorite part of the
day was when Mphilo (his sister) would only give out candy to those who were
dancing in order to liven the party up. Mazwi made
me giggle because he conned a 5 year old into dancing and made him bring back
the candy! Ha! Everyone left with full bellies and big smiles. Happy 16th
to the beautiful young man who holds my heart.
2. Delivered aid! I drove all over Malindza Village
with our partner Nomfundo to deliver school shoes, solar kits (solar lights
with a Bluetooth enabled speaker and a USB port to charge a phone), and
emergency food aid to all 19 of our sponsored high school children there.
3. Building chicken coops and rain catchment systems
at child-headed homes! One major problem
in Malindza is the lack of water. There
aren’t streams or ponds like near eLangeni.
Our solution is to harvest the rainwater by affixing gutters to their
homes which drain into a very large tank.
The children also have no one to take care of them and no money to buy
things they need. So, we have been providing
them with a chicken coop in order to raise hens and sell the eggs. All of the
materials for these 5 projects (2 coops and 3 rain catchments) will be delivered
tomorrow and building will start immediately after.
4.
House building! One of our boys was out of
school for many years after his mother died. When he started school again with your
scholarship, his uneducated uncles became jealous and kicked him out of their
home. Luckily, his grandfather gave him
a piece of his land so we’re able to build him his very own house registered to
his name that no one will be able to kick him out of! He’s in form 3 (Sophomore year), loves
volleyball (he even volunteers teaching young kids how to play at the neighborhood carepoint) and is excited to have his own place equipped with a rain catchment
system and a chicken coop! Can’t wait to watch him continue to thrive without
the family challenges & homelessness he was facing previously… Go Mthokozisi, go!
Kait arrives in the country tomorrow! Can’t wait to pick her
up from the shuttle station. Until then,
I have a couple of requests.
WE NEED WATCHES: our high school children like
to have watches to time themselves during their national exams. Any kind and any colors, they just need to
keep time. Lots of the kids are requesting
analog, but I am sure digital would be fine too.
WE NEED COMPUTER MICE: We have 10 laptops to
start a computer lab at Phonjwane Primary school. But they have a “pointing stick” to use as a
mouse and those are very challenging for small children to operate. We’d love to offer them external computer
mice instead. Any kind will be great!
The things above can be mailed to 9 West Hazel Dell
Lane Springfield IL 62703. Or if you’d
like to send money to buy these items locally in eSwatini, you can donate
online (www.ifightpoverty.org/donate.html)
or mail a check made out to GHFP to the address above. We will send you an IRS
receipt for your taxes.
Siyabonga kakhulu THANK YOU SO MUCH for helping us help the kids!
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