Access Services - Creating Better Ways To Serve People With Special Needs

The Ekwetsembeni School in Mbabane, Swaziland

The country of Swaziland regularly faces challenges brought on by drought and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. These challenges have resulted in an ever-growing number of orphans and homeless children. Those that have special needs face the added challenges of deep-seated cultural stigmas.

These children are in desperate need of support. Everyday freedoms that we take for granted, like traveling to school, can be difficult and dangerous for children in Swaziland. Many of them have been attacked and abused en route to school. The Ekwetsembeni School administrators have long sought a way to build a boarding facility to keep children out of harm’s way. To make matters worse, students’ families do not have adequate food. For many students, the only meal they eat during the day is at school.

It is our goal to help the school’s administrators enhance student’s lives by teaching self-help skills. Thembi Dlamini, the school’s head teacher, has asked for experts to organize leadership-training programs. The school provides lessons in the culinary arts. The support we’ve provided has helped them to purchase stoves and refrigerators. They now have cooking and baking lessons and are learning about everything from cleaning and laundry to the environment.

Our work is vital to the lives and futures of the individuals we serve. We’re focused on healthy living and supporting social, emotional, spiritual and physical needs. It is our hope that these children will become self-reliant upon graduation. We would like to continue supporting the Ekwetsembeni School to give these children a chance to lead fulfilling lives in their communities. You can partner with us to have a lasting effect on the life of a child.