School has started in Swaziland!
This incredible blog was shared recently by one of our partners in Nsoko, Swaziland, Erica Zeiler. Her words tell the story of WHY it is so important that we provide an education for impoverished Swazi children.
I remember my first day of kindergarten in Colorado…standing outside in line waiting to go inside the classroom. I would like to say it’s because I realized the unbelievable opportunity that I had in day 1 of a FREE, quality education in America. But really, I remember it because the kid behind me in line was so nervous that he threw up into his brand new backpack. I wish that I would have realized all of that time how privileged I was to have an opportunity to go to school, an opportunity to have teachers who cared to do a quality job teaching, who cared to invest in our lives, a blessing to have parents who pushed me to do my best. It hits me in a different way every year, but as I help hundreds of kids prepare to start a new school year here in Swaziland, I realized again this morning another reason that these kids amaze me… At their effort, their perseverance, their trust & dependence, and their hope…that through getting an education, their lives will be different than the generations who have gone before them. Here is a glimpse into the reality that I was unaware of when I rode a school bus each way to school in Colorado…
{Photo: Shiny New School Shoes by Erica Zeiler}
– Two of our best students at a carepoint get up at 4am each morning to do their chores (fetch water, cook over fire, take care of animals) so that they can leave by 5am to walk to school each morning. They walk over 4 miles to school, go to school all day, and then walk 4 miles home in the afternoon to do more chores & study.
– Many of our students walk 1-2 hours each way to school, often in really hot temperatures (it’s supposed to be over 100 this week), or not dressed warm enough for the cooler weather (in the 50’s).
– One of our students failed first grade last year because she had to stay home so many days to take care of her half-brother who was about 6 months old while her mom worked.
– One of our students is successfully working her way through high school…and last week a doctor told us that she is so blind she should probably have someone help her cross the road because she can’t see oncoming traffic far away.
– One of our students worked piece jobs in the farms over his summer break so that he can pay for the transport fees & uniforms for his child-led family.
– One of our students stopped going to school last year because his mom is too sick to care, and he has been going back & forth between extended family members who don’t want to parent him but will give him a place to sleep. He is back in school today…and he is 8 years old.
I hope that Erica’s words give you a glimpse into the life of a Swazi child, and that they help you understand just how important it is to provide school fees for these precious children. We are THRILLED that in 2014, for the third year in a row, we were able to raise the funds for ALL of the children at our carepoint to go to school!!! This is no small feat. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who gave toward this $7,500 need. You are investing in the future of some very special children, and I promise that you are a hero to them!<