“In this community, many children do not go to school or pre-school because they do not have food. Many others are not able to afford school fees. I cannot afford to send my children to pre-school because My husband lost his job.
Some children suffer from lack of parental love. We have seen neglected children left to find their own food, and at risk of sexual abuse from adults who could potentially infect them with HIV.
This happened to me too: Although my parents didn’t neglect me as a child, I suffered abuse from adults, including neighbors, my teachers, and the pastor of my church.
Siphiwe Nxumalo, a World Food Program (WFP) volunteer in Eswatini, returned to his home country to help orphans and vulnerable children struggling with poverty and neglect.
a safe place for children
Before we built this neighborhood care point, this building was full of criminals. It was used to store stolen goods, and the walls were covered with violent graffiti images.
We have created a safe space for children. When we renovated the structure and opened the Care Point, crime went down in the area. We are not professional teachers, but use online resources, such as classes on YouTube and educational apps.
We want them to develop an entrepreneurial mindset from a very young age, teaching them how to avoid widespread crime and create opportunities for themselves.
hot meals, five days a week
About 75 children come to this care point. These centers originally targeted children under the age of eight, but we welcome children of all ages, including those whose parents are unable to send them to school, children with disabilities, food Children in urgent need.
with the support of wfp, we are able to provide hot meals five days a week. Every month we are supplied with corn, beans, rice and oil. wfp We have also been given farming equipment, and have set up a vegetable garden where we grow beans, spinach, lettuce, and other vegetables.
I didn’t realise, until my friends pointed it out, that I always talk about kids and how to help them. So, I am at right place. I have found my calling.
Eswatini: An HIV hotspot
Eswatini has one of the highest HIV prevalence in the world: 27.9 percent of the adult population live with the virus; 71 percent of children are orphaned or vulnerable; And one in four children has lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS.
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Orphaned and vulnerable children are at increased risk of experiencing violence and abuse, HIV infection, malnutrition and reduced access to education.
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Neighborhood Care Points can be found across the country. In 2023, WFP plans to support 800 of these care points with regular food distribution and agricultural inputs.
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Local volunteers ensure that children have access to essential education and health care, recreational activities, and healthy food.
Find out more about WFP in Eswatini Here,
