Swaziland

The Kingdom of Swaziland is a small, landlocked country in southern Africa. It is one of the world’s last remaining absolute monarchies with King Mswati III ruling by decree over his subjects who mainly live in rural areas and maintain traditional ways of life.

Drought is common and causes food crises which threaten hundreds of thousands of Swazi citizens, already crippled with the world’s highest known HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 26.3%.

World Vision Swaziland was officially established in 1987 and World Vision Ireland began working with the communities of Shiselweni ADP in September 1999. Click here to read more about Robert Shabangu who inspired us with his entrepreneurial skills and the successes of 2011.

Sponsor Trip to Swaziland

Over the years, sponsors have constantly said “If you’re ever organising a trip to an ADP, please count me in!” So finally last January we sent an invitation out to see who would join us in our inaugural field visit to Swaziland.

We ended up with 12 intrepid explorers! The Daring Dozen spent the next few months fundraising to cover their costs and give a cash injection to Shiselweni (€4,950 each which was “not easy but not nearly as bad as imagined”). And then we were off, early in November 2011.

It was one of those trips that I was so grateful to be part of. The group gelled instantly - it was like being on a road trip with a group of old friends. We had so much fun doing some touristy stuff and basked in the height of summer when everyone at home was embracing winter.

But the reason everyone was there was to see what World Vision’s work looks like up close. We spent two days in Shiselweni ADP, meeting sponsored children – which was very special - and hearing extraordinary stories of ambition and brilliance. The bit that blew everyone away was how positive the whole experience was - we were left full of admiration and awe for the staff and community there.

Swaziland was such a success that we are going again in November 2012. Please email me at judith_gilsenan@wvi.org or call 01 498 0800 if you would like to be part of this unforgettable experience or click here for more information! 
 

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