I
know this is long and overdue and maybe a long read but please take the time to
go over it all and see what all your support, prayers and thoughts have
accomplished here in Swaziland.
This could not have been possible without my family and friends behind
me…
So…Swazi Time: Where you believe that if something can get
done today at a certain time then it most certainly can get done at the same
time the next day, or even the next day.
That
is what I have been on when sending out updates and letting all my friends and
family know how appreciated their support is. Along with Swazi time, the limited access to Internet,
transportation never coming, and the ever-busy life of a Peace Corps Volunteer
does not help get this accomplished.
What does help is all the support that everyone has given me over the
past almost 2 years here in Swaziland.
In just under a month I will have been here in Swaziland for 2 years,
and August 28th will be the end of my Peace Corps Swaziland
service. A lot has happened over
the last 2 years here in Swaziland, in Southern Africa and in my small
community in southern Swaziland. I
would like to try and express my gratitude and a brief update of all that has
been accomplished here and where I will be going come August 2016.
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| GLOW Camp 2016 at the Flash Mob with my counterpart and the girls from the high school |
In
March I was blessed with a visit from my family here in South Africa and
Swaziland that I will never forget and will be one of the best family vacations
we have been able to spend together.
When they arrived we got to spend 4 days in Cape Town, South Africa
enjoying some real coffee, great food, flushing toilets and a washer and
dryer. Yep that was my favorite thing! We went to the wine country, the
penguins of South Africa, Cape of Good Hope and Table Mountain. After leaving Cape Town we got to spend
the rest of the trip in Swaziland traveling around and enjoying a great meal
with my host family. I took them
on game drives in Hlane Royal Game Reserve, went zip lining through Malolotja
Park, watched traditional Swazi dances and a visit to the cultural village,
lots of shopping and great food, and finally a visit to the Apartheid Museum in
Johannesburg before they left. It
was such a great trip and the highlight was my family getting to meet my host
family here in Swaziland and them getting to see my community I have spent the
last 2 years in. We visited many
of my projects, had an amazing home cooked meal from my “make”, met some of my
students and teachers I work with and experienced “real” Swaziland.
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| My Swazi family meeting my family for the first time |
The
preschool is moving forward with new projects being completed all the time and
kids being able to attend school for the first time. All of this could not be accomplished without all your
support through prayers, letters and financial contributions. We recently completed a garden at the
school to provide nutritional food for the kids and their families. There are tomatoes, butternut squash,
spinach, cabbage, carrots, beetroot, and onions planted. A new veranda was built to provide
shade for the kids and provide a place for morning meetings. New tables along with cubbies and
bookshelves were built and the kids love being able to have a place to put their
bags every morning when they arrive.
We also put in a tippy-tap which is a hand washing station near the
toilets to promote good hygiene and sanitation practices. In December we graduated the first
class of 22 students and in our second year there is almost 40 kids in
attendance. I was blessed to hear
from one of the parents how her child who graduated from the preschool was able
to attend a good primary school because of his education he received. The small success stories like those
and people coming up to me expressing how they have changed and benefited are
what keep me going in the hard times and why I love what I am doing
currently. The next stages for the
school will be to build a kitchen and playground for the kids once we are able
to collect enough funds and donations.
This will allow the school to eventually be recognized by the Ministry
of Education here in Swaziland and have them support the school for
sustainability. It will provide a
salary for our teacher and hopefully hire another teacher, provide food for the
kids and allow them to attend the school for free. Currently the parents pay E50 a month or E150 a term, which
is about $10.00 or $30.00 for the entire year. Many parents cannot afford this so they volunteer at the
school with projects like gardening, cleaning up the yard, cooking or any other
help needed around the school. I
am looking forward to seeing the development and future of the preschool and so
proud of my teacher, the parents and community for all they have accomplished.
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| Preschool graduation in December 2015 with our teacher and Pasture Valley |
Another
project nearing completion is the new library at the Primary School. This month we will be receiving 1000
books from Books for Africa to put in the library and give the kids their first
opportunity to explore the culture of reading. Books for Africa could not have happened without your
donations and now 30 new libraries in Swaziland will be opening at various
primary schools, high schools, preschools and communities with 1000 new books
each. The primary school I work
with is very excited for the new books and to see the children immerse
themselves in a new world. We have
recently completed the painting in the new room all Dr. Seuss themed. The new tables and chairs look amazing
in the room allowing seating for 45 students. We also purchased a new computer for the library as well as
a television for movies and presentations in the library. All of the material and renovations
were done from a grant that myself and my counterpart at the school proposed
with Peace Corps Swaziland. The
new library will serve over 350 students from ages 6 up to 15 at the primary
school. It will be the first time
most of them have had access to books and been able to experience and see
oceans, planes, Dr. Seuss, Harry Potter and all the World has to offer using
the television and computer. This
will be the first library my community has had access to and will help the
youth of my community gain a better education, progress their English and have
a chance to see a brighter future.
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| Primary School Library painting before the shelves are installed |
The
final projects I have been able to work on are developing BRO (Boys Reaching
Out) and GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) clubs at the high school in my
community. Currently the boys club
has around 20 members attending, while the girls have almost 30 girls in
attendance. We meet every few
weeks and discuss topics such as HIV/AIDS, SRH (Sexual Reproductive Health),
Self-Esteem, and other various life skills relevant to the youth of
Swaziland. One of the main goals
of the clubs is to promote gender equality and educate the youth to make
healthy life choices for their future.
Some of the things we do at clubs are grassroots soccer games, art and
crafts, skits, drama, songs and other hands on activities to teach them. Recently 3 girls from the GLOW club
attended the annual GLOW camp in the capital city of Mbabane. They spent a week over their school
break along with 60 other girls from various clubs and communities in Swaziland
learning more about how to be a leader in their communities and Swaziland and
what it means to be an empowered women in today’s society. A flash mob was organized promoting female
empowerment and taking a stand by the girls, skits were done and guest speakers
were brought to the camp as well as college and career support and advice for
the girls. It is an annual camp
similar to the BRO camp each year that is organized and put on by Peace Corps
Volunteers here in Swaziland. My
boys club has been able to send 6 boys so far to the BRO camps, which address
similar issues and teach the boys how to be strong supportive men here in
Swaziland. The GLOW and BRO camps
have been highly successful camps since they started here in Swaziland. I have had the privilege to see the
inauguration of the first ever BRO camp here in Swaziland in May of 2015 and
helped put together a manual for all the BRO clubs around Swaziland to use as
an aid for their clubs. The boys
and girls I work with in the clubs have become very important to me and seeing
their future success is very rewarding.
I have been blessed with seeing a few of the older members in the clubs
take leadership positions, improve in their schooling and be able to work
towards a brighter future.
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| BRO Camp in December 2016, the 2nd annual camp in Swaziland |
Finally,
the big announcement is that I am privileged to be extending my stay here in
Swaziland for another year of service.
When I started the Peace Corps process I couldn’t imagine being away for
2 years in a developing country and if I could even accomplish it. When I arrived in Swaziland and moved
to my community I was ready to be done and was thinking 2 years is way to long,
I will not make it. Time passed
slowly at first and before I knew it I was having my parents visit Africa,
projects coming to a completion and thinking about our COS (Close of
Service). So, I will be working
with a NGO here in Swaziland in the capital city of Mbabane called Young Heroes. I will also be taking a PCVL (Peace Corps
Volunteer Leader) position in Communications for Peace Corps Swaziland. This opportunity came about from the
relationships I have been able to form, my passion for working here and seeing
all that is still yet undone. I
studied International Relations in college in the hopes of one day working with
a NGO (Non-governmental organization) and international development including
non-profit work. This opportunity
is huge in helping me see my goals and continue doing what I love. A little about Young Heroes is that it
is a small NGO started by a former Peace Corps volunteer here in
Swaziland. They focus on providing
sponsors for OVCs and Child headed households including food, clothes and
schools fees. They also do
leadership and life skills camps for youth and provide technical training for
out of school youth and children who are between high school and college who
cannot afford university but have skills in demand. My position with them will be marketing, fundraising and
social media presence as well as program development. MTN Bushfire is one of the largest music festivals here in
Africa and is put on by House on Fire here in Swaziland. It is a major fundraiser each year for
Young Heroes so I will be working with them as well on developing more of their
presence at Bushfire. I am looking
forward to this new opportunity and seeing how we can improve and develop more
of Young Heroes programs. My
position with Peace Corps will be to serve as a Communications liaison with
volunteers, staff and improve our online presence. I will work with Peace Corps Swaziland on managing the new
website and other social media. It
will also allow me to help with updating trainings for volunteers and improve the
working relationships with volunteers and staff. All of these opportunities will allow me to continue to
improve programs and success here in Swaziland on our goal to eliminate
HIV/AIDS and give the children a brighter future. I don’t know my next step and what will happen after this
year but I do know that I am where I am supposed to be and doing what God has
in store for me. In the words of
JFK, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest
appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” I want to thank you again for all your support
through prayers, letters, care packages, messages, monetary and most of all
just showing your care.
“All my life I have seen where you’ve taken me. Beyond all I have hoped and there’s
more left unseen. There’s not much
I can do to repay all you’ve done so I give my hands to use.” –Jeremy Camp
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| Family together at Mantenga Falls in Swaziland |
Here are some links and resources to help with donations and
future projects here in Swaziland as well as learn more about my work and
Swaziland. We continue to need
support with library projects, boys and girls camps, various education funds
and just overall Peace Corps work here in Swaziland.
http://swaziland.peacecorps.gov/
https://www.gofundme.com/cjkamhb8 (Help fund a friend in my community attend university)
https://www.gofundme.com/swazilandpreschool (Support the preschool project here in my community)
http://www.youngheroes.org.sz/index_home.php
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