The Kingdom of Eswatini

"Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest." Luke 9:48

Hello and God bless you

Here is our team that went to Eswatini last week. We are a mix of new people like me and leaders from Hands at Work. We stayed together in the Service Centre house from where the Eswatini Service Centre team is based to work in the four communities where they have established Care Points. At the Care Points community volunteers (Care Workers) from local churches serve to provide the three essential services for vulnerable children. A hot, nutritious meal everyday, so children don't go hungry. Support to enable and keep children in school, to help them gain a better future and basic medical care to ensure good health.

From this picture you can see that Eswatini is a beautiful rural land of mountains and rolling hills. A tiny country that is sandwiched between the borders of South Africa and Mozambique. These close borders make children vulnerable to human trafficking and abduction for all sorts of grievous reasons. Villages can be very isolated and some children walk two hours to reach school and then walk the two hours home every school day. This means some students may leave home at 5:30 AM in the morning to get to school and it is no easy walk. The dirt roads are steep and winding and bad weather or heat make it very difficult to walk. Children can also be sent home from school if they arrive dirty. Imagine having to walk home again straight away! Care Points provide an early morning meal before these children start their long journey.

Please pray for...

• Nathan, a five year old boy who lives with his grandparents, as his parents are not around to care for him. His home is a long way from the Care Point and it is too far for him to walk alone. Pray that the Lord provides a solution for the Service Centre team and Care Workers, who wish to find a way for him to have a good meal everyday and be able to play with other children at the Care Point.

• Samantha, a 14 year old girl who is bright with excellent English and who was eager to read her school books with me. Samantha is one of five children whose mother has disappeared due to family tensions. Her mother is a second wife and so Samantha cannot rely on the support of a father, as multiple marriages are common and yet means to support children are rarely available. Samantha is vulnerable to drop out of school due to unstable family dynamics and lack of parental support.

• My team's community stay this weekend. My team will be paired up and supported to stay three nights in the home of a vulnerable family. We will each stay with a Child Headed Household, which means siblings raising themselves because there are no parents or other relatives to support them. We will have the opportunity to walk in their shoes a little and understand their story, as well as learn the rhythm of their daily life. Hands at Work leaders have assessed and prepared all these community stays and will be close at hand to make sure all goes well. As you can imagine this will be a deeply impacting connection with precious ones that the Lord wants to shepherd with his care.

The names of children have been changed.