Featured Video: Swaziland (Nov 2008)

Current Projects Mayaloza Mayaloza Church is now husbanding 800 layer chickens. The eggs laid by these chickens now send 20 orphans to school and feed them. The number of children benefitting from this project will continue to grow. 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. Nsindatje Nsindatje Church Dairy farm had been operating well and was feeding 20 orphans. Their only cow died at the end of March 2009 from a poisonous snake bite. The community is reeling in disbelief and mourning the loss. One dairy worker has completed training with our commercial dairy farming partner, and a second worker is starting training now. We will want to purchase another cow for them as soon as the training is complete. The farm pasture irrigation is working well. The entire community is benefiting from the clean water well installed in late 2007. The community is noticeably healthier. The Poultry Farm has just begun operations with the arrival of new chicks on Good Friday. 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! 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. 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 Care and feeding of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC’s) through local churches Self-sustaining projects with churches to provide nutrition and other needs of orphans Vegetable gardens to provide nutrition for OVC’s and to teach them farming skills HIV/AIDS Awareness and Prevention Clean water through wells and irrigation projects

About Us | Media | Blog | Partnerships | Donate Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use ©2009 Advocates for Africa's Children. info@afachildren.org Phone: (808)391-9777 P.O. Box 283 233 Honolulu, HI 96828 Website by HANDi. S.D.G.