| Educational Sponsorship for Orphans and Vulnerable Children |
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We support 420 orphans and vulnerable children who were earmarked in 2005 at three primary schools, being Mahlanya Primary School, Mphetseni Primary School and Kwaluseni Infant School,our core schools. From that original list of children, we are tracking them into high school.
All children sponsored by the EFA programme are verified orphans. We also support 50 kids through private donors. |
11kids from our local community, who are very needy children. Our two teachers and 2 volunteers from the community teach the kids to swim and do craft projects with them and given the children the foundations of ECCD.
Workshops conducted to build up capacity with our core schools:
Motivational Workshop for Grade 7s who needed to repeat.
Budgeting refresher with Mahlanya Primary School head teacher
Literacy workshops (inhouse at Malkerns Valley Primary School) for all Grades 1-3 teachers.
Literacy workshops for Grades 1-3 teachers and Head teachers with Reading association
Librarianship skills workshop for 2 teachers from each school –Fundza
Workshops on all forms of abuse – held at schools for teachers facilitated by Ministry of Education
Lifeskills/motivational workshop to Grade 7s – run by the Ministry of Education School inspectors and guidance and counselling staff
Guardians workshop (limited numbers – Mahlanya Primary)
4 classrooms built for Kwaluseni Infant School
1 kombi purchased to assist with transporting students to school (5 km of unserviced road to school)
1 computer and provision of paint for inside classroms - Mahlanya Primary School
In 2007 we had 78 students attending 15 different high schools
Sivan Rozenblum, our volunteer who spent one year with us. She made an enormous impact on all three schools – She ensured that the literacy project took root in the classrooms of all Grades 1 – 3 , guiding and assisting teachers where necessary. She worked with Grade 6s and 7s in their library periods to improve their English and in the afternoons gave extra lessons / lifeskill classes. Sivan has established a child profile for each student at these schools, so we could be aware of very needy students who may need further support.
Core readers published by Heinemann were supplied to every student in Grade 1-3.
150 desks and chairs, 10 teachers desks were supplied to Kwaluseni Infant School
and clean drinking water accessed through a borehole and playpump (donated by Dr. Colin and Dienie Stewart/ Playpump SA)
New drain dug for teachers houses at Mahlanya Primary School.
Mnjoli Primary School
We earmarked Mnjoli Primary school for support which is a very poor school in mid Swaziland, a drought stricken area
Entire school uniforms purchased for 304 students, 150 desks and chairs, 4 teachers cupboards, 5 teachers desks, one 10 000 litre water tank, and we paid a deposit for a borehole to be drilled with Min of Natural Resources.
Sivan Rozenblum put aside most Saturdays to give the Form 1s extra lessons.
In 2006, 37 children attended 12 different high schools within the Ezulwini/Manzini/Bhunya corridors. These are our feeder schools and so have started to establish a closer relationship with them through building up their infrastructure.
We sunk boreholes at Lobamba National High school and Lobamba Lomdzala High School. At Lobamba National, we also supplied a pump, wiring and water stands.
We drilled at St Mary’s High School, but unfortunately yielded no water.
At Ezulwini Community High School, we provided a security fence and gate around the perimeter of the school property. Swazi National High School needed their water/pressure pumps repairing and all were rewired and recabled.
Built 3 classrooms and 10 pit latrines for Mnjoli High School to start operating in 2008.(many children from this area could not access a high school at all, as the nearest high school is a 12 km walk)
As Lobamba Lomdzala High School is our feeder school for two of our core primary schools, we provided all reference books for all students in Form 1 and 2, and science equipment and supplies required by the school.
Projects:
It has been our concern that most high schools do not have feeding schemes for their
students.
Lozitha High School
We teamed up with management of Swaziland Beverages to supply a fortified and protein enriched maize based drink (enahewu). One litre was supplied to every student throughout the third term of 2006 (520 students) School nurses came to measure and monitor scientifically the impact on the students’ health. This project was a resounding success. Attendance and academic results improved dramatically and the students insisted that the project continue into 2007. This has now been included in their school fees for 2007.
Somnjalose High School
The deputy head teacher offered to use her spare time to cook for our 6 privately/efa sponsored students. We supply some of the ingredients, Amicaal (local town board) supply maize, teachers now contribute where they can, and the school agreed to supply the facilities/electricity for the project. The number of students by the end of the year being fed rose to 17 and teachers have remarked on the difference it has made to their self esteem, health and school performance. These students now feel free to approach the deputy head teacher on social problems. We linked up the Deputy Head Teacher of Lobamba National High School with Somnjalose to share ideas on school feeding.
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