Why Swaziland?

As of 2004, Swaziland had the highest HIV infection rate in the world, leaving behind an estimated 100,000 orphans in a country with just under 1 million people. With AIDS taking so many of the family breadwinners and parents, too many orphans are left to fend for themselves. They are hungry and malnourished. Boys and girls resort to exchanging sex for a meal. Provision of basic necessities give the children hope for a better future and prevents abuse.

What We Do


Creating sustainable projects to provide nutrition and other needs of orphans
Starting irrigated vegetable farms to provide nutrition for orphans and to teach farming skills
Educating the local community about HIV/AIDS through trained church volunteers
Providing clean water through wells to improve health and disease resistance for the entire community
Empowering the female caregivers through small business loans (in partnership with Africa Works).

 

 

Download the 2009 AFAC Brochure

 

 

Holistic Mission

Holistic Christian mission is based on the example of the first missionary, Jesus Christ, and on the work of Paul and Barnabas as they traveled to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. When Jesus taught, he also healed and restored people to a place of social, religious, and economic viability. Jesus also went to share the good news with the people on the margins of society; the poor, the outcasts, and the vulnerable. He welcomed children and women in a society that welcomed neither.

We believe that because Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God and demonstrated it through his restorative acts, that we must follow his example.

To learn more about a Biblical foundation for this type of mission work, download Heidi Lum’s paper entitled, “Good News for the Poor”.

 

Current Projects

Mayaloza
Began in early 2009 with 800 laying chickens, producing more than 500 eggs per day. This project has been feeding more than 30 children with nutritious eggs every day. They had dug a mile-long irrigation ditch for the vegetable farm that is producing beets, cabbages, onions, and other nutritious vegetables. All of the orphaned children cared for through this project are now going to school. The church has networked with 10 other churches in the area and are working together to identify needy orphans and share resources so that they can together care for more children. This will be the first place we will start with economic empowerment of the caregivers through our partnership with Africa Works.

Hlobane

Hlobane Church corn mill is operating 3 days per week and feeding orphans in the church. Their Preschool (held in the church building) has graduated its first class and has begun its second year. The Medical clinic (held in church building and staffed by Swazi government) is still providing access to medical care. In addition, the church building is used as community gathering place. The Grocery housed next to the corn mill provides the only access to fresh bread and other food in the village. The corn mill is an income-generating project that is helping the church feed and care for more than 20 orphans.

Nsindatje
This project was begun with a clean water well. Now two pregnant cows will soon to deliver calves and start producing milk for the more than 20 orphaned and vulnerable children they care for in their village, in addition to providing milk for the surrounding area. Their poultry farm is up and running with 400 laying chickens producing more than 200 eggs per day. And over the summer, a vegetable farm was planted that now feeds the orphans of the area and is used to teach them farming skills. Mango, orange and papaya trees were also planted. We are very excited to see the orphaned and vulnerable children benefiting from good nutrition. The children are much healthier than when we first began.

Mgambeni


Mgambeni Church is husbanding 200 broilers and 20 indigenous chickens. The broilers are sending 10 children to school and feeding them. The indigenous chickens are feeding the orphans eggs. (They're getting tired of eggs!) Well pump was installed in March 2009 and now the entire community has access to clean water! The church now uses the well for drinking water and to irrigate the new vegetable farm begun next to the well. With the help of Children's Cup, the poultry farm and the vegetable farm, more than 130 children are being fed nutritious food. Many of them are now going to school. The church has networked with 5 other churches, and together they have secured a piece of land from the local chief, where they are preparing a large commercial farm that will provide for even more of the community's 700 orphaned children.

Training
David Simelane, our country coordinator has undergone thorough training in developing Pastors Networks and HIV/AIDS and orphan care through our World Relief partners. David is now in the process of developing Pastors Networks, HIV/AIDS and orphan care training.

Poultry farm training for all three of our poultry farms took place at the end of January. The Mayaloza Church hosted workers from Mgambeni and Nsindatje for the three-day intensive training given by our commercial poultry farming partners.

Micro-Financing

There is trememendous need for economic empowerment of women to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Through our projects, we are caring for and protecting orphans, but we also need to give women economic opportunity if they are to resist trading their bodies for food to feed their families. To this end, our Partnership with World Relief's Africa Works (AW) has begun. Registration of the non-profit organization in Swaziland is under way. Advocates will sit on the Swazi AW board. We now need significant funding to invest in the first project. We would also appreciate the engagement of business people willing to mentor new entrepreneurs.