Working with vulnerable children in Swaziland

COUNTRY: Southern Africa (Swaziland, Mozambique & South Africa)
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Lucy Coles

The fourteen Antips volunteers on the Southern African Combo have had a fantastic, and very busy, two weeks since the last update. We have spent the fortnight in Swaziland at our respective NCP's (Neighbourhood Care Points), which are small community-based preschools where children come for a basic education and two free meals each day.

The older NCP's have classrooms and some resources whilst others are simply housed under a tree. The kids are beautiful and an absolute joy to work with. Most of them are aged between two and six, and they are all so happy to have new 'teachers' to play with! We are in groups of three at the NCPs and travel each morning by kombi van, which can sometimes be an adventure of its own, returning to the lodge for lunch. Our afternoons are either spent planning lessons, improving our siSwati or visiting the RFM hospital in Manzini.

Our hospital visits have understandably created some mixed feelings as they are a very challenging aspect of the placement. A small group of volunteers goes to the RFM hospital in Manzini and heads to the children's ward with a big bag of toys, which are often only simple things like balloons, but evidently bring joy to the kids. Their conditions range from broken bones to tuberculosis and it's a great privilege to be able to visit the children and brighten up their day. Quite a few of their mothers have also commented that they are incredibly grateful for our visits.

Aside from that, we've also managed to fit in quite a bit of sightseeing and exploring in the local area. Most of us have been into the capital, Mbabane, at least once for new clothing, a meal or just to have a look around. We're very lucky in that Lidwala is only a short distance away from the Gables, which is home to the only cinema in Swaziland as well as a large supermarket and a great steakhouse, where the staff (and a few Antips volunteers!) dance while you wait for your meal.

On Sunday the rainy weather finally cleared up in time for our ziplining tour. We drove out to Malolotja, a beautiful national park, and stayed the night in very comfortable little huts before zip-lining through the valley the next morning. For those who haven't heard of zip-lining, the general idea is that zip-liners are attached by a harness to a series of metal cables which are strung between platforms over a valley. Never fear parents, the safety precautions were excellent and we all had a great time. On the way back, we also stopped at the world's oldest known mine, at a glass factory and at Sibebe, the second largest rock in the world!

On Wednesday morning we were driven to the Mozambican embassy in Mbabane to get our visas for next week's trip. Afterwards, we were taken to the Mantenga cultural village for a fantastic show of song and dance, followed by a tour of a traditional Swazi homestead and then finally lunch and a swim by the Mantenga waterfalls.

The mood here is definitely bright as we're looking forward to our upcoming trips to Mozambique and Pretoria - stay posted!