Khamboke Orphan School

Khambhoke Orphan and Vulnerable Children School (Swaziland):

Background:

In a country where 42% of the population of Swaziland is HIV infected, it still came as a shock that the number of AIDS orphans who lived in walking distance from the Mamba homestead totaled 487. Since Sipho and his family completed this door-to-door survey in 2003, a thriving school and many projects to support and maintain it have come into being. SOLID and friends of SOLID have contributed significantly to this unfolding.

In Nov. of 2008 Candace Cole and her husband Eric Field, along with teacher Mary Stebbins returned to the school to help with the next steps in developing a medical clinic and with the school. We hand delivered the second installment of SOLID’s pledge of the total of $5000 for 2008. So much had been accomplished since our last visit three years ago!

The school:

Kambhoke OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children) School will be renamed Sidvu Kame School this spring at the official opening. The ceremony will mark the coming to fruition of a successful solution to what was once thought to be an insurmountable problem. It is proof that the self will and direction of even one person or a small family, joining hands with others from afar, can make a huge difference.

This little school offers the missing link to the education department and the government of how to care for Swaziland’s huge population of children that cannot get to or afford to be in the regular system. The model set up by the Mamba family, careful to involve all levels of community and government, has done the lion’s share of preparation. It is hoped that by 3 years time the school will become officially given over to the government to manage and provide a template for many others of its kind.

The children who graduate will begin a life skills training program, starting with sewing for the girls. They will be using the machines purchased by volunteers Josette and Nancy. They will learn a trade, make a small amount of money for the school to purchase ongoing supplies and eventually be able to earn a living. The boys will learn agriculture in a program taught by Dumisane, a dedicated volunteer who will oversee the agricultural program and orchard.

A few short years ago one could have seen the young boy who had been living and eating with the animals at the homestead of his grandmother, (an old women hopelessly overwhelmed with their care and feeding,) and refused to go indoors or socialize. Now we are met at the gate by throngs of children playing and singing. They are wearing uniforms made possible by the sponsoring of Josette De Batista and Nancy Brown who funded the material, machines and then worked very long hours to sew the uniforms for the children.

Teacher Mary Stebbins worked with both teachers and students this year to complete a spectacular permanent art display of the children’s work. It forms the culmination of teaching and modeling of the process of care and use of equipment and supplies, classroom management and organization, innovative teaching strategies the teachers can use when resources are scarce.

We look forward to the further development of the skills program in agriculture and sewing and the support to teachers. . It will be a valuable contribution to the lives of these children and their caregivers.

Medical Project:

Our intention this year, in keeping with the requests of the Mamba family, was to amass medical supplies and equipment so that the children could be treated and cared for but also so that other groups or visiting health care professionals and medical resource deliverers within Swaziland could be attracted to the school for more regular care of the children.

SOLID donated $1200 worth of Supplies and Equipment, (such as a Blood pressure machine, otoscope, auroroscope stethoscope, antibiotics, antiworming meds, vitamins, and a variety of medications covering most of the common disorders seen in the area.) Eric designed a medical and office space, which will be built in the future.

Emma Mamba, Sipho’s wife was trained in the categorization and use of the mediations. She has already liaised with regional health care providers and is both interested and able to look after the day-to-day complaints of the children. The children will be wormed every 6 months. A compendium was compiled while for her referral. She has attended basic first aid courses and will attend others. She has also started to visit members of the community to determine what their medical needs are. The large cupboard that Meron Moroz from SOLID arranged for is now finished and once transportation can be found, it will become a locked cupboard for the medications and supplies.

Several of the children examined had signs of possible Shistosomiasis. This parasite known to be contacted through exposure to moving water is endemic in parts of Swaziland. Plans were made with privately funded Baylor Clinic will come to assess the children for this and if found to be present, education and alternative practices to prevent the disease can be undertaken.

Long terms Plans:

A permanent medical clinic might be housed in the small brick building that now lies empty. It would be near the entrance to the homestead, school grounds and easily accessible to the caregivers. The renovations for this building would be approximately $15,000. In the mean time temporary quarters for the medical clinic will be in the skills centre. Perhaps the greatest need at this point is for a vehicle:

• Both of the main sites for obtaining food and supplies are a full day’s trip on the bus and even then there is no capacity on the bus for transporting goods. The buses are crammed with people with no space for luggage let along supplies.
• When food runs out, and the deliveries of supplementary emergency food from WHO do not arrive, there is no way to “go get” emergency food supplies.
• Children whose medical needs are beyond the scope of the local resources must be transported to the nearest hospital.
• The stumbling block for use of funds, such as those SOLID has given for purchase of equipment, rain coats for the children etc. is that once purchased there is no way to get them to the homestead.
• Hiring a truck or delivery service is extremely expensive.