Some of the Kids at Numsas food kitchen

These are some of the fortunate orphans in this district as they are fed one meal each day keeping many of them alive. Numsa and six other older lady's (Go go's) cook meals for up to 200 children, some might have both parents but be in dire poverty, some might have sick or dying parents,others might be orphaned once (one parent died), and many over 120,000 in a country the size of Wales, are twice orphaned often with not even aunty's or uncles to look after them. Many of these children are vulnerable to abuse both physical and sexual. They also sometimes cheated out of their inheritance by unscrupulous relations, or neighbours. One of the things that happens is children will leave their districts and head to the city's in search of food and a better prospects, sadly they often end up in worse situations. But meanwhile they will often loose the land of their parents and ancestors, to neighbours. So the work that the Go go's are doing by looking after the orphans in the areas they were brought up in, is not only keeping them alive, but ensuring that they keep the homesteads that they were born into. There are many ways that different groups are going about trying to help the overwhelming orphan population in Swaziland, we at Africa Equip feel this is a really important way, and so we try to do what we can to help the Go go's, to to help the vulnerable, in their communities.
A urgent recent request we have had from Numsa is for clothes, shoes, & blankets for these vulnerable children. So Zwakele Gindinza (Africa Equip coordinator in Swaziland) is organising for all the children to have there sizes for clothes and shoes taken so we can try to get some help with clothing parcels for them. We will make room in an already packed container as we believe this is so important. Also the building shown her behind the lady cleaning out the pot was completely destroyed in a fierce storm last Month.
We are currently getting quotes to find out how much it will cost to rebuild, (the pic of the storm damage on the left was taken at night so is not the best, but you can still see the results.) We know that she lets a number of the orphans sleep in the kitchen building on the floor her other buildings are already full of orphans just to keep them of the streets. But we have not heard of anyone being injured when it collapsed.
We currently are not involved with the costs of feeding these orphans. But would like to. We would also like to help set up a small school room the children are currently taught by drawing in the dirt with a stick.

If you feel inspired to help us organise the clothes parcels or the rebuilding of the kitchen, the regular food parcels or the future school. please contact us as soon as poss. Remember that no one made a greater mistake than the preson who did nothing because all he/she could do, was a little.!
Brett

brett@africa-equip.org