I am from a small town in The Netherlands

What project did you sign up for?

I signed up for the Kruger to Cape project. During this project, I will do four weeks of volunteer work. The volunteer work I do is doing sports with children at local Neighborhood Care Points in Eswatini.

What do you do for a living?

Currently, I am in a gap year. Last year I graduated with a bachelor of Business Administration.

What does volunteering mean to you?

Helping other people who need it the most. Getting experience in a field that i like. Also getting to know the local community better.

Reason for choosing All Out Africa?

I booked this program at a Dutch organization called ‘Activity International’. All Out Africa and Activity International are partners.

How is your experience as a volunteer, what is your day like as a volunteer?

It is great to be a volunteer because every time I go to a school the children are always happy. It’s great to teach sports and teach children to be social. Every morning myself and other volunteers go to an NCP where we help the sports coordinator with activities for the children. In the afternoon we have a homework club, here we help primary school children and teens with their homework and play games.

Swimming lessons with the Mvutjini NCP children

Sports day at Mlindazwe NCP

Want to know more about Bjorn van Heertum’s volunteer program? Click HERE to read more about the program. Click HERE to check out Bjorn’s travel blog! 

All Out Africa volunteer helping a primary school child with his school work pre-COVID.

Education in Eswatini (Eswatini) before COVID-19

Education in Eswatini (Eswatini) before COVID-19 was widely accessible but left plenty of room for improvement. Adult literacy in Eswatini was 88% in 2018 which is well above the average of 65% in sub-Saharan Africa, but below the average of 98% in Europe and Central Asia in 2018. The quality of education needs improvement. In southern Africa, 80% of ten-year-olds are not able to read and understand a simple story – known as learning poverty. Enrollment in High school in Eswatini is around 82%  and of these the dropout rate is about 14%. A major challenge for the parents and guardians of many high school students in Eswatini is the relatively high cost of high school education. Unicef identifies a number of challenges in Eswatini contributing to the high drop-out rates of high school students, including:

• pregnancy,
• the high cost of secondary education,
• high levels of sexual violence, and
• Continuing use of corporal punishment of school children.

Education in Eswatini (Eswatini) and COVID-19, a lost year

In March 2020 the Government of Eswatini (in line with many other countries) declared a state of national disaster owing to the Coronavirus Pandemic and closed down a range of operations including schools. Schools in sub-Saharan Africa shut for an average of 23 weeks. However, schools in Eswatini remained shut for a whole year.

Children from Ezulwini Neighbourhood Care Point.

While efforts have been made to offer some form of education to the thousands of children needing it in Eswatini, lack of access to devices and the high cost of the internet (one of the highest in the world has prevented most children from learning during this time. We have lost a year of education in Eswatini. What is the impact of this? It has yet to be determined but is likely a devastating blow setting many children in Eswatini at a distinct disadvantage.

The impact of a break-in Education

For now, the impact of the school closures in Eswatini on children’s education is not known. A study of children affected by an earthquake in 2005 in Pakistan found that classrooms closing for 3 months resulted in children falling behind by one and a half years. Eswatini should focus a concerted effort on catching up on the lost education of the past year and capitalize on any opportunities to improve the level of education.

Hope for Education in Eswatini

At All Out Africa, we believe that pre-school education provides an essential foundation for successful school learning. We work together with the Ministry of Education, communities and some of our loyal past volunteers to help provide quality pre-school learning for disadvantaged children.

We believe that completion of school is important for all. We would love to see a solution for the high cost of high school education in Eswatini. Tackling this should really be a national priority. We do work together with communities and schools to identify children in need of sponsorship and try to source donors to support their attendance but this is a tiny drop in the ocean and a better long-term solution by the government is needed.

All Out Africa volunteer assisting with teaching at the Neighbourhood Care Point pre-COVID.

We believe that apprenticeship or field-based learning is an essential element of successful tertiary education. We believe that learning by doing is the best way to develop real career skills and to help address the challenge of youth unemployment we run an internship program that connects interns with career opportunities. Interested in supporting this project? Interested in being an intern? Interested in employing an intern?.

An intern during an internship placement pre-COVID.

We also run a field education facility in Eswatini for environmental studies (the Savannah Research Centre) and work with the University of Eswatini and the University of Florida to support tertiary students to carry out field-based learning activities here. We also run a field education facility in Tofo, Mozambique (the Marine Research Centre) and work with the Edwardo Mondlane University and Louisiana State University to support tertiary students to carry out field-based learning activities here. We train Swazi’s and Mozambicans here to become skilled local ecologists which is an important need if we are to address the environmental challenges facing the region. Interested in supporting this project?

Savannah Research Centre team setting up a motion dictator camera. (The photo was taken during the pre-COVID period).

We welcome anyone interested in supporting or getting involved in these projects to help improve education in Eswatini and southern Africa.

With the school closure, children have been left with no choice but to stay home and only visit the NCPS daily to get meals not only for themselves but also for other family members. Without a word being said, their eyes speak nothing but appreciation for the meal, despite that the menu hardly changes as this is the only meal received per day for most of them.

Our NCP children receiving a well-balanced meal.

The organization has also not been spared from the effects of COVID-19, as more than 50% of the staff members had to be laid off due to lack of funding to sustain their employment. At least the much- needed hunger relief project has grown dramatically and is getting food to those who need it most. Although the sports program continues, with the tragic loss of Menzi Masina it has been a challenge to pick up where he left off.

The late sports development coordinator Menzi with NCP children

Activities have also been adjusted to meet the covid-19 requirements. While doing ad-hoc visits in the various communities, one cannot help but realize how hard these vulnerable communities have been hit.

All Out Africa staff making food deliveries to the affected families

Women are seen selling wares with no one to buy since most people lost jobs and that no tourists are visiting the country. This activity also puts these women at risk of contracting Coronavirus and as such, the NCP is informed daily by a community member that has unfortunately been lost to COVID-19 and All Out Africa is constantly engaged on how the children who are left with no parents can be assisted. The media has been left with nothing much to report on except for the increased cases of gender-based violence, child labour, teenage pregnancy, and malnutrition. This has come to expose the role played by schools and teachers in society, it helps society make informed decisions.

NCP Teacher handing over pencils.

Investing in education is the best response to the uncertainty that will grip our world for many months or perhaps years to come. We are hopeful of schools opening up again soon and our NCPs becoming fully operational again. We greatly look forward to when volunteers can once again travel to assist in these projects.

To apply for this project, or talk about how you can get involved, please email bookings@alloutafrica.com

It has been incredible seeing so many people exploring Eswatini since lockdown, and the increased interest and enthusiasm for enjoying beautiful places in Eswatini.  However, many are only visiting for a day, and our Pop Up Camp Service means that staying overnight is another option.  We know that many are not used to camping and our service means that we take that worry away, and enable you to enjoy time with your family or friends.

Why do people want to use our Pop Up Camp Service?

• Spend time with loved ones doing activities that you enjoy, or trying something newer, rather than setting up camp. Often groups are only away overnight so time is precious.
• Get the experts to do it if you don’t feel as if you have the skills or experience to set up camp properly, or are worried that you might damage the tents if you have never done it before. It removes the stress; you are heading for time away, after all.
• Get the experts to do it and save your energies for exploring and hiking, making the most of your campsite destinations.
• Avoid that inevitable argument – we’ve all been with our loved ones when that happens!

So what does the service involve?

• Transport of the kit to and from the place of your choosing (the great thing is you decide, we don’t tell you where to go).
• Set up of tents, in a nice layout, with mattresses and pillows ready for your guests to use.
• The takedown of the tents after you have departed (we ask that this time allows our team to have time to take down camp in daylight hours).
• Cleaning of tents and kit in line with COVID19 standards, so you don’t have to worry about this.

What about meals?

That is totally up to you.  Like at our Bushfire Campsite people can bring their own braais, use facilities on-site (depending on where you decide to visit) or use local restaurants (if there is one on-site).  This means you can arrange meals that suit your budget and food that suits your tastes giving groups the flexibility over timings and how they split cooking and shopping.

What do we ask our guests to do?

Apart from letting us know when you plan to travel, the number in your group, where you want to go and the type of tents you would like, all we ask is that guests adhere to a few things:

• Don’t smoke in the tents.
• Don’t set fires within 5 meters of the tents.
• Move your own belongings in and out of tents.
• Don’t keep food inside tents – as this encourages wildlife to visit, and you really don’t want a monkey rifling through your belongings!
• Respect the rules of the lodge, campsite or reserve during your stay, including adherence to COVID19 protocols.
• Take away your rubbish or put it in the designated bins helping to keep Eswatini beautiful.

Where can we stay?

It is totally up to you, but there are some great camping spots in Eswatini with access to a range of activities as well as western-style toilets and shower facilities.  For example, Wide Horizons Retreat has fantastic night sky views, an interesting sculpture trail and hiking routes, and Lidwala Lodge has a small swimming pool, climbing frame for kids, and the Sheba’s Breast Hiking Trail.  We can set up anywhere in Eswatini so let us know what works best for you and your group.

So how you do make it happen?

Once you have spoken to others in your group, get in touch with the All Out Africa team.  Please email tours@alloutafrica.com and we will get in touch.  We are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am -5:00 pm.