Our Final Exam!!!!

Liina and I went with our boss, Busie, and another friend Pontso out to check out a new community that Hands at Work as been introduced to. We were going out for a few days to talk with the care givers, find resources, talk with the community, and spend time praying about if this is a community that would be considered the poorest of the poor. We had a heard only a little bit about this community, and we were not exactly how we would stay, but we were up for anything.

We were blown away how majestic the landscape was. We were way up in the mountains right next to the Swaziland border. In some ways, it looked like Africa with cows and live stock roaming next to the roads and around, and then of course mud huts with thatched roofs. We went to meet the caregivers and see what they were up to. We were able to go do some home visits with them and see what the situation was on the ground. Liina and I went to different places, but both had some hard visits as the situations of some of the grannies, patients, and orphans broke our hearts. One of the biggest problems is that most of the places in this community don't have water or electricity. Because it is so rural, it is always on the bottom of the list when it comes to helping this community develop infrastructure. Also there is no work and most people are very unskilled which creates other issues. With this community being near the border, it puts the young girls at risk as there are many trucks waiting at the border. With no money and no food many young girls put their bodies on the line and at a huge risk just to bring some food home for the family. Also HIV/AIDS has spilled over from Swaziland as people travel back and forth across the border. Because of HIV, it has devastated the family homes as so many parents have passed away. In one of the schools, over half the students are orphans or a vulnerable child. The school is doing some amazing things to try to help, but it never seems to be enough.

After several hard days, we found many resources that would be a huge encouragement to this community. We are not sure how Hands at Work can really help, but this is definitely an area that would be the poorest of the poor. I am was amazed how much the care givers sacrifice to do what they do. For the last 9 years this home based care has been helping the community with no help from the outside and the volunteers there have never received any compensation for all of the hours and years they have been serving. They have hearts of gold. True servant hearts!