Recent Road Trips

A few weeks back we saw Thabiso along the roadside (as we often do) on his way to school. David and I were heading to Good Shepherd Hospital. Thabiso flagged us down and it turned out to be report card day as the first semester of school for the Swazi children had come to completion. Thabiso asked David if he could go with him to get his report card, of course David complied. So there were, David and Thabiso and all the other Swazi children with a parent or guardian lined up to receive their grades. Thabiso was very proud of himself for having attended school for a full four weeks without missing a day. Much to our surprise Thabiso had done quite well in school given that he had missed most of the first half of the semester. Not that he didn't come close (see David's blog for more information on the trials and tribulations of Thabiso, davidinswaziland.blogspot.com) to missing a day or two but we were able to get him to school late but better than not at all. His teachers and the headmaster at his school told David how very impressed they were with Thabiso's new-found ability to get to school on a daily basis, pay attention and do well.
As a reward for his good behavior David and I told him that we would take him anywhere in Swaziland to celebrate. Which generally means going to Simunye Country Club to go swimming and have lunch or dinner. The country club is associated with the large sugar cane company of the same name that is about 50 kilometers outside of Siteki. Instead of choosing Simunye, Thabiso asked if we would take him to Big Bend to visit his little brother Machaha. After Thabiso's mother died he went to live with an aunt here in Siteki and his little brother Machaha went to live in Big Bend with his grandmother (gog0). Often Thabiso has commented on how he misses his little brother so we of course were more than willing to comply with his request. After getting permission from his aunt, Make Sacolo, we planned our trip and brought along two of Thabiso's cousins. The following are some photos from our trip to Big Bend.





Thabiso, always wanting to be in the front seat and very anxious to learn how to drive. Fortunately, that will be several years off. In the back seat is Lindelane, Thabiso's first cousin on his father's side of the family. Thabiso is now being raised with seven of his cousins. The family is headed by his auntie Make Sacolo, Thabiso's father's sister. She often comments on how much Thabiso reminds her of her brother who died when Thabiso was a toddler.








Thabiso with his brother Machaha. In the back ground is their gogo. They live in Big Bend on the grounds of another sugar cane company. The gogo is raising four of her grandchildren (in a one room home) she had four children of her own, all of whom have now died. The remainder of the grandchildren are spread out around Swaziland. On this visit we found out that Thabiso had four siblings, we had only known about three up to this point.





Me holding Machaha. It was so sweet how quickly he came to both David and I. You never know how much a child will remember. I am sure that it helped that Thabiso was with us.















David with the boys; Buhlebezwe (on the left) the kids call him Mkhulu (which means grandfather) because he is so much taller than the other children. Lindlelane on the right and Thabiso in the center.















David and the boys at the entrance to the sugar cane company grounds.

















Thabiso saying goodbye to Machaha, who looks none too happy at the moment. Yes, it was absolutely heart breaking to have to see them part again. Hopefully Machaha and his gogo will be coming to Siteki soon for a check up at Good Shepherd Hospital. Machaha has not had any testing done since his mother's death. We have arranged to cover transportation costs and medical expenses thanks to some generous donations.






Our next road trip was this past weekend. We went to Bulembu, which is in the northwestern part of Swaziland on the South African border. Bulembu is the sight of an old mining town. Formerly, there were some 10,000 residents there until the mines closed (the Havelock asbestos mines) about 10 years ago. Overnight it turned into a real life ghost town with only about 100 residents and dozens of abandoned corrugated iron houses and Art Deco buildings which are nestled into the mountain sides. It is a beautiful setting and very remote. A group of concerned investors from South Africa, Canada, America and Swaziland bought the whole town and are transforming it into an all-inclusive town that will support orphans from across Swaziland. There are over 200 children there now and there will be space for two thousand orphans when it is completed. The children will be housed, clothed, fed, receive medical care and schooling right in the town. It has everything needed to raise children in a safe setting and is staffed in a large part by volunteers. The school and the housing is by far some the very best that we have seen in Swaziland. The organization is a non-profit set up to meet the needs of Swazi orphans. You can read more on their website, bulembu.org.
During our home based care visits we often encounter orphans. Most of these orphans are absorbed by relatives or the local community. Sometimes the children will remain in their own homesteads without any direct adult supervision, local persons in the community will check in on them periodically. Other times they are left completely alone, making them very vulnerable. There are some 60,000 orphans in Swaziland, which is an overwhelming social concern. In order to find out more about Bulembu David and I took along some of the other HBC team members and made the 3 1/2 hour journey (each way)up and over many hills, mountains and bumpy dirt roads. It was exhausting but well worth it.



Some of the school house buildings. The school is staffed by volunteer teachers from the United States and Canada. The children speak very good English but unfortunately their SiSwati is lagging behind.










Deborah Maphosa, Valerie Kulangero, Promise Maphosa and David taking a tour of Bulembu.











A new playground being built by volunteers. In the background you can see employee housing, further up on the hillside is more housing for the orphans. Generally there are eight orphans per two bedroom house with a make (mother) to oversee them, teach them how to care for themselves, prepare their meals and provide emotional support. Families of children are not separated, they are always housed together.








Some the children playing soccer and other games in one of many playing fields on the grounds.














View of one of the hillsides in Bulembu. The houses are painted many different colors making for a scenic view from the school yard.











A mural outside one of the classroom buildings. Left to right, Promise, Valerie, Deborah and myself.












A list of the students names in one of the classrooms. Note the beautiful Swazi names interspersed with the new Christian names.















Inside one of the classrooms. This school decor is leaps and bounds ahead of any other school we have seen so far. Most school rooms in Swaziland have little or nothing on the walls, very few books and certainly no carpeting as there is here.
















David's newest friend, Timothy. He just wanted to be held the whole time that we were with him in his new home.

















Another one of the children posing for a picture and saying goodbye. The kids like having their picture taken almost as much as David.














This is one of the Makes, or surrogate mothers, who live with the children. The children are divided into homes of eight children per house. Bulembu strives to keep siblings together. The Makes in all ways act as mothers to the children, providing love and emotional support and teaching life skills, such as cooking, cleaning and taking care of themselves.








Hopefully we will be able to refer many children to Bulembu. It seems like a good solid alternative to living without any family or structure. We have to contact a social welfare worker and take them to the homestead of the orphaned children in order for them to process the case, which can be a lengthly process. David will be following up with a social worker on Monday to address the needs of a couple of homesteads in our area with many orphaned children in need of support and a safe haven.
Peace,
Scott