Observation - Education

Education is very expensive for the average Swazi family. We know a family with boys ages 16,15, & 11 and a girl 13. From our observation they are considered on the high end of middle class here. They do not have enough money to send them all to school. Guess who is left out. The 13 year old girl. Also from our contact with the family she is a very bright, intelligent child.

The average cost per child is between $500 to $1000 per year depending on the school and grade. Also all children must have uniforms. The average income per family is $3000 to $5000 per year.

This country will not progress as it should until there is free education at least through grade 7 which would put Swaziland on equal footing with South Africa. There are way too many children not in school.

The facilities for education for the most part are very poor. There is often not enough desks, chairs, or books.

Athletics might often be over emphasized in the U S, but other than soccer we see very little here in Swaziland.

We who have been involved in sports realize that it is good for our health and often gives young people something to do. The adolescents have hormones raging and they lack this outlet. We believe this adds to the promiscuity and of course the HIV/AIDS problem.

It would neat if the SNU Soccer team could come over and play against some of the Swazi club teams.

Observation - Agriculture

Our first GO TEAM last July-August was designed to minister in 4 areas. There was a Medical team, an Education team, a Compassionate Ministries team, and a Construction team. HIV/AIDS has been declared as the number 1 problem in Swaziland. There is much starvation happening with more predicted in the near future.

Could we on some group partner with the Swaziland Department of Agriculture to look into a possile solution? Could they try soy beans, which takes less moisture than corn (maize).

The above picture is how many out in the Bush still plow their fields. Some have tractors but there are still many that can not afford them. Some communities have a community tractor.

Observations on Irrigation

With a better retaining system, Swaziland could utilize the climate. The Winters are mild enough that food could be grown all year long with irrigation. Crops that thrive in cooler weather could be grown during the Swazi Winter. Warm weather crops can be grown during their Summer. This Summer almost no area of the Country was without adequate rain fall. This has been the best year of rain fall for quite a long time. With the right rotation of crops most good farming areas can grow 2 crops per year. This is already happening in smaller garden plots. It would be good is agriculture training were added to the University curriculum.

Hey, by the way today was the first day we have not used the fans since early November. It was a beautiful Fall like day for us. We love this weather.

Have a team from BFC coming in Friday so things are getting quite busy.

Water

Picture of Maguga Dam

We are planning to give you some observations from our view point about Swaziland. You have read in our blog a lot about the shortage of water but we have found that there is no shortage. There is just a need to have a better, consistent controlling and containing what they have.There are only 3 Dam Systems that we have observed. We have visualized many other areas where a system of dams could be helpful. More wells (Bore holes as they call them) will help, but the long term solution would be something more like the Tennessee Valley Authority or the Lake of the Ozarks systems. With the right systems this country could support 2 times as many people.

Visa Update

Thanks for your prayers. We now have the permission to stay here until we come home in April. Government in Swaziland moves at their own pace and we just need to adjust. Anyway we are not illegal in this our 2nd home. Thank you all for all your prayers and support. We are praying for you.

Testamonies

What a morning! Jim Copple, Bernie Murphy, Chris Ringwalt and Jerry Lambert are here from the US doing assessments dealing with our Swaziland Partnership. We sat with a Support group for HIV/AIDS. Jim ask questions and 3 of the people volunteered to tell their story. A 52 year old man with a family was diagnosed in 2003. He went for testing because he was very ill and was having trouble seeing. At the time he did not suspect that he was positive. He then had to go to South Africa because Swaziland did not have ARV's for treatment at that time.

A lady with the name of 'Happy' and that she showed all over her face became a care giver for the HIV/AIDS Task Force in 2004. She was tested as she was encouraging others to do and was positive in 2005. Her husband didn't want to test or have anything to do with it so he skipped out on her and the children.

Another shared that she (a Mother of 12 children with 8 living and 7 grandchildren) tested positive in 2004 after becoming quite ill. Some of her children will not be tested due to not wanting to know the truth. Listening to her share made us feel that she is very concerned about each of her family.

Some of the challenges each one shared was the lack of food that is a must in order to take the ARV's. Also the stigma among the community they live in and among their family members. They shared the challenge of getting to the Hospital where they receive their ARV's.

All seemed open to share about their situation and tell others about the need to be tested. They shared about the positives of the Support Group where they can openly share what they are going through and feeling. They help one another if there is lack of money to get the proper treatments.

One of the projects that is being started here is a garden plot where these people can raise some food for themselves and also can see the extra to the community for profit. The gardens are started by loving people from the US who donate money to fence in the gardens, and buy seeds for then to begin.

Mary Magagula and Evelyn Shongwe the Task Force Directors gave them clothes that had been sent here from the US and some food. They were given a Relay to Life shirt 2003 from Ohio and all put them on immediately.

Fall Day

What a beautiful day. Fall is in the air. During the last 4 months we have had a lot of rain. It would be cool for a day (70's) while it was raining, but the next day it would be back up in the 90's or higher. Over the week-end we had a lot of rain, which is not good for the dirt road back to our flat. Today it was partly cloudy and partly sunny (take your pick). The humidity is down and the temperature stayed in the 70's. This is probably the beginning of the dry season. In Swaziland the rainy season is during their summer and the dry season is during their winter. We discovered in that in the Southern part of South Africa (about 800 miles South of here) their rainy season is during their winter. It was quite dry when we visited early in February. We were certainly in a lot of rain as we came back closer to Swaziland. This is the first time we have experienced such consistent weather patterns. Where we have lived in the USA you could have moisture or dry weather almost any time during the year.