Manzini and Mhlambanyatsi (Swaziland)
The Project runs for 10 weeks. It is the earliest Tenteleni project with volunteer Project dates from Monday 9th June to Friday 15th August.
The Kingdom of Swaziland is a country steeped in rich traditions
with stunning scenery from rolling hills to wildlife
sanctuaries.
As a very religious and traditional country with the only remaining
absolute monarch in Africa, Swaziland is often overlooked by its’
more renowned bordering countries. However, this striking Kingdom
makes the project location particularly exciting, with a unique
blend of traditional and modern ways where ancient culture and
customs are inextricably woven into everyday life.
Although Swaziland is classed as a lower/middle income country,
income distribution is skewed resulting in widespread poverty. The
socio-economic situation is one for concern in Swaziland and the
country has recently declared a state of emergency as it struggles
with the HIV/AIDS crisis, one-third of the adult population is
infected and UNAIDS has ranked Swaziland (alongside Botswana) as
having the world’s highest HIV prevalence rate.
Manzini and Mhlambanyatsi
The Tenteleni Swaziland Project is currently operating in two
equally exciting locations that remain strikingly different:
Manzini and Mhlambanyatsi. While the bustling little city of
Manzini remains the industrial epicentre of Swaziland and
Mhlambanyatsi sits within the heart of the beautiful Usutu Forest,
both locations suffer from overcrowding and few resources in
schools.
The Project
The Swaziland Project was researched in 2003 and successfully
launched in 2004. The 10 volunteers and 2 Project Coordinators will
be split between two different locations, Manzini and the Usutu
Forest, which are approximately a one hour drive apart. All
placements are currently operating within primary schools and on
some occasions volunteers may find themselves left alone in the
classroom due to under-staffing. This project is suited to those
happy to work in smaller group sizes in and with extreme cultural
sensitivity to the very traditional ways of life which remain
wonderfully preserved in Swazi culture. The dates are also usually
better suited to those who will not be graduating on the year of
the project, as the earliest of the Tenteleni projects, it runs
from approximately mid-June to mid-August over 10 weeks.
Placements
The project runs from June to August, so volunteers will be joining
their placements in the second of the three terms in the Swazi
school year. All the placements in Swaziland are in rural primary
schools and volunteers will work in groups of twos or threes in
each school. Placements are Monday to Friday and a working day is
roughly 7am- 2pm, though this may vary from school to school. There
may also be opportunities to become involved in the community
through other exciting projects that will be up to each volunteers
own initiative to organise.
The Swaziland project currently operates in the 5 following schools:
Usutu area:
Bhunya Primary: The largest primary school in
Usutu with over 600 pupils. Classes are also very big, but
assemblies are sung loudly! The schools pupils especially enjoy
sport, with most Wednesdays dedicated to either playing football or
netball, or shouting your support for the team from the sidelines.
Last year the volunteers helped introduce a library which we hope
to build on in future projects. The school faces many problems, but
is facing in the right direction and the school greater appreciates
the effort volunteers put in.
Mhlambanyatsi Primary: A comparatively well
organised school, complete with a home economics class room (not
probably what you’re expecting!), classes vary in size from 20 to
30. They often have teacher shortages, but the children are keen to
learn look forward to the yearly arrival of the volunteers.
Torgyle Primary: A tiny school set in a small
homestead in the middle of a forest in the middle of nowhere. Class
sizes are small due to many people moving out of the area. This
perhaps the poorest of all the schools and the age of pupils varies
dramatically, giving volunteers quite a challenge. This school is
closest to the Usutu forest accommodation so volunteers will not
need to take the bus. The buildings of the school are generally in
poor condition and the population of the local area is declining as
more and more people move out.
Manzini area:
Mafutseni R.C. Primary School: Mafuseni is the
closer to the city of the two schools. It is in an area of extreme
rural poverty, and is severely under equipped, making this a very
challenging placement. The teachers are extremely welcoming though,
giving volunteers the opportunity to develop worthwhile and lasting
relationships.
Ka Bhudla Primary School: Ka Bhudla is in an area
of extreme poverty, however, the head teacher of the school and the
schools committee are excellent at securing resources and funding
for the school, resulting in a new building being built by a
Japanese organisation and new furniture donated by the American
government. Class sizes are still huge but teachers are generally
well motivated.
Volunteers based in Manzini will have the opportunity to volunteer at Neighbourhood Care Points (NCPs) two afternoons per week after school. These NCPS provide care, meals and non-formal education to younger children and out-of-school youth in the peripheral areas of Manzini. The Care Points are run by highly motivated staff with a strong commitment to the welfare and education of the children. They tend to be quite well staffed and equipped in the classroom. Volunteers’ role at the NCPs is to engage with the children in play and other activities. Volunteers in 2007 cited their involvement with the NCPs as one of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of the Project.
The Swaziland Project packs are available to current volunteers by registering a website account. To register, click on the link at the top of the page and create a new account. All packs are then available through the Volunteer Information page.
Useful Links and Resources
Books
A History of South Africa – Leonard Thomas
Illustrated History of South Africa – Readers Digest
Unwinding Threads - a collection of short stories from female
authors across Africa
South of Limpopo – Dervla Murphy
The Ukimwi Road - Dervla Murphy
Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela
Disgrace – JM Coetzee
Cry, The Beloved Country – Alan Paton
Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe
The No. 1 Ladies´ Detective Agency – Alexander Smith
The Kingdom of Swaziland: A Profile – Robert Davies, Zed Books,
1985
Visitor´s Guide to Swaziland – Marc Turco, Southern Book
Publ.,1995
Obscure Kingdoms – Edward Fox, Hamish Hamilton, 1993
Swaziland Jumbo Tourist Guide – Hazel Hussey, Jumbo Publ., 1995
Websites
www.gov.sz/home - Swaziland Government website, posts ´latest
issues´ from gov. newspaper, Swaziland Today. Can subscribe to
weekly government newsletter on this site.
www.ananzi.co.za - South African search engine
www.africahere.com
www.africaonline.com
www.dfid.gov.uk
www.royalafricansociety.org_Africa
(PBS) http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/index.html_Africa
Recovery
http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/_UK
Foreign Office www.fco.gov.uk If you are planning on travelling
around check the foreign office travel warnings first for the most
up to date information
www.times.co.sz - Swazi national newspaper
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/wz.html - World
fact book entry, Swaziland.