Christmas in Swaziland :: 2013
The vast majority of the precious children in Swaziland will not celebrate Christmas this year. 95% of them will not get a gift at all, or even eat a special meal on Christmas Day. When I think of how lavish our Christmas celebrations are in America, I’m appalled at the difference. Most families spend hundreds (or thousands) of dollars on gifts for their children, decorations for their home, and every kind of delicious treat you can imagine! Yet these precious children in Swaziland will go without…. unless we do something about it!
Our partners in Swaziland are planning a Christmas party for each of the carepoints they serve. The children who come to these carepoints are orphans and vulnerable children whose lives are deeply affected by poverty and HIV/AIDS. They face hardship, death, and disease on a regular basis, but at these Christmas parties, they are free to just be a kid! The parties will be a time of celebration, games, and songs for the children to participate in. This year, there will even be a jumping castle for the children to play in! Each child will eat a special Christmas meal, with sweets as an added treat. They will also each receive a Christmas gift, which will include toiletries, school supplies, candy and other goodies. As you can see from their smiles above, this is the highlight of their year!
But this won’t happen without your help! The carepoint we sponsor through The Sound of Hope is called The Anchor, and it is in Nsoko – one of the most impoverished areas in the country. Last year we raised enough money for 200 people to attend this special Christmas celebration, and we want to make sure they can all enjoy the celebration again this year.
Here’s a short photo slideshow of our Christmas party from last year…
Swaziland Christmas Party 2012 from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.
It’s up to us to be sure our partners have the funds they need to make every single child in Nsoko feel special this Christmas!
It costs approximately $10 to provide a special meal, dessert, and a gift for each child. Just $10 will let a little boy or little girl know that they are loved and special this Christmas.
These funds will also allow us to provide a special gift for the Gogos (Swazi Grandmothers) who volunteer at the carepoint every day. These women sacrifice their time and energy to cook hot meals for the children twice a day, and we’d like to show them how much we appreciate them this Christmas! Last year we were able to buy them each a new washtub and fill it with a blanket, soap, food, and other neccesities. They were thrilled!
Our goal is to raise at least $2,000 to cover The Anchor Christmas Party. Anything above and beyond that amount will insure that any extra children who show up are provided for, or it will fund another Christmas Party at another carepoint. PLEASE give to this cause! Consider giving $10 in honor of each of your children, or for each person on your Christmas list. It’s such a small amount, but it will make a big difference to these sweet kids!
**We shared this need online a couple of weeks ago, but it still hasn’t been funded. So today we’re coming to you – our awesome blog readers – to ask for help! Please help us fund this by our November 10th deadline! <