An aspiring bean farmer Melusi Phiri presents his business idea

As many of you may know, in present-day Eswatini among the youth there is an unemployment rate ranging from 40%-70% throughout the kingdom, something that has only been exacerbated by the covid pandemic. Whilst attending the classes, I have tried to do my best to research and present ideas that may be of relevance to my classmates, ideas centred around building a profitable and efficient startup. Below is a passage taken from the research I did for the class.

‘When you start a business it is important to look for potential investors. They can be useful for a number of reasons. Firstly, they will provide seed capital to start the business. Secondly, they assist in business planning for a startup. Thirdly, they are profit-oriented, hence they will ensure that capital is invested in the correct way and can be consulted with. There are a number of investors in Eswatini who offer such services. The Small Enterprises Development Company (SEDCO) is a Government supported organisation established in 1970 with the mandate to create, develop and promote Small, Micro & Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) throughout the Kingdom of Eswatini. This makes it one of the largest and most reputable investors. The Industrial Development Company Of Eswatini (IDCE) is another example of a well-known lender that offers agricultural, corporate and SME, Small and Medium enterprises, and loans.

SME loans are targeted and suitable for every sector of the economy for purposes of funding goods or services required by the business. An example of the terms for an SME loan from Industrial
Development Company of Eswatini are:
Minimum: E10 000 (Swazi Lilangeni)
Maximum: E1.5 million
Repayment Period: 3 – 5 years
Security: should be able to cover 100% of the total debt

Promoter’s Contribution: a minimum of 20% of the total project total cost

Although attracting investors is important for any startup, my research has not been restricted specifically to this in my time here. The topics in the past three weeks have ranged from the importance of networking to the standards for morally right and wrong conduct in business, such as the battle of legal vs ethical. A lot of my research centred around how to conduct and submit a coherent business plan, as this is what the majority of students here were most absorbed with, in the last few weeks. I managed to highlight different aspects of an effective business plan; such as the importance of primary and secondary research in a SWOT analysis, and all-encompassing competitor analysis.

Mr Mike Roach shares his experience and guidance with the young entrepreneurs

This is not to say that when conducting my research everything proceeded steadily 100% of the time. Although most of the time proceedings ran smoothly, the most notable obstacle I encountered was finding ways to keep the points that I was expressing relevant in the context of Eswatini. In order to help myself accomplish this, I found what helped me most was identifying examples of entrepreneurs who had succeeded themselves in the kingdom. Eswatini has a history of creating successful entrepreneurs itself, most notably the likes of Sanele Dlamini and Phiwa Nkambule. Sanele Dlamini established her clothing retail and beauty business, Flexy, from a need to create an economic future for herself; Despite graduating with a Bcom degree, she found that after university she couldn’t find reliable employment. Now she collects fashion pieces from all around the world and sells them in Eswatini and a few surrounding countries such as Mozambique and South Africa. On the other hand, Phiwa Nkambule is a technology entrepreneur and internet activist best known for co-founding Riovic and leading it as its CEO. He previously founded Cybatar and sat on the board of the Royal Science and Technology Park in Eswatini. In June 2018, Phiwa was named in the Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list of most promising entrepreneurs in the technology category, and in October 2018 named in Destiny Man’s Power of 40 lists, a list of 40 trailblazers under the age of 40.

The Honorable British High Commissioner was pleased with the business ideas shared on the day.

Having already heard the ideas behind the businesses here, I feel assured that some definitely have the facilities to become successful in the future, following in the steps of these two. Ideas ranged from selling electrical services to exporting poultry abroad as far as the UAE as well as developing a mobile system where patients are more easily able to track their daily symptoms; thus grossly helping medical professionals in diagnosing ailments quicker and supplying cures more efficiently. What has become clear in my short stint is that this is a deeply resourceful group of young adults who definitely want to ameliorate their future, and I have felt fortunate to learn from them and try to help them in any way I can.

Nonetheless, this summary wouldn’t be complete without me mentioning one of the highlights of the past 3 weeks, having the opportunity to have Mr Kim Roques, Mr Mike Roach and the honourable British High Commissioner, Mr Simon Boyden share their experience and guidance they had for the young entrepreneurs. I honestly believe that their words struck a chord with the young adults in the group and that they will heed their advice in the near future. I would not be surprised that if I was to return in 5 years’ time, I would see many of these businesses prospering with the effort having been put in.

Written by Pama Alexander, Microfinance intern 

Breathtaking views of the Jozini Lake

The Royal Jozini’s vegetation is predominantly mixed acacia bushveld; fever-tree riverine forest, Marula forest, open savannah plains, craggy mountain escarpment and the seasonal flood plains on the shore of the lake which offers wonderful game viewing.

Interns on a game drive learning to identify various wildlife at Royal Jozini

The diverse topography from the top of the Lebombo mountains to the lake results in a wide variety of habitats and ecosystems that support an abundance of biodiversity, including 450 species of birds and larger wildlife, including elephant, buffalo, leopard, rhino, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, waterbuck, bushbuck, kudu, jackal, hyena, crocodile and hippo.

Herd of elephants at Royal Jozini

What activities will the intern be involved in?

Interns will experience hands-on field research relevant to the conservation of the savannah ecosystem of Eswatini within a larger trans-frontier conservation area. Participants in this project may assist with a range of activities depending on the time of year. The project is focused on ecological research and hands-on conservation, in the private Royal Jozini game reserve. Activities will include biodiversity surveys concentrating on rodents, ungulates, predators, birds and vegetation as part of a long-term savannah monitoring program. This will involve field walks and drives into the bush to set up camera traps or Sherman live traps and other harmless biodiversity surveying techniques and then revisiting these and recording information on the animals and plants observed.

Interns having a bonfire night

Hands-on conservation tasks may include fence patrols and maintenance, erosion control, alien invasive plant removal and community outreach.

Interns removing alien invasive plants at Royal Jozini

Other activities may include threatened species surveys and computer data entry and assisting with camp chores. Participants will learn wildlife field survey techniques, learn to identify various wildlife, gain conservation experience and will have the opportunity to observe and discuss a range of current issues facing conservation in Africa.

Accommodation and meals

Participants will be living on-site in a private camp on the reserve, accommodation will be in 2-man tents, fitted with mattresses and pillows. Three meals a day will also be provided, some on a self serve basis and others cooked for them.

2-man tent, fitted with mattresses and pillows at Royal Jozini

If this looks like an internship that you would like to be a part of, email us at bookings@alloutafrica.com with a little bit more about you along with your CV. We would love to meet you and get started!

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.

Here in the picture above are processing a  rodent caught in the trap where, it is measured, tagged (picture below) and released back to the environment. Most interestingly when checking the traps is being careful when you lift and open the trap to see what is inside, there can be a snake (scary and dangerous) and sometimes ground-feeding birds (always exciting).

Ear-tagged rodent

The Avian Genome Project continues successfully and you can tell by the facial expression when we catch rare target species like the African Jacana that was caught in Simunye (see pic below).

A researcher after catching African Jacana that was caught in Simunye

The project continues to be so much fun, even when we catch non-target species that are difficult to catch with our nets, like wow (see photo below). The smile said it all when we caught a Little Sparrowhawk at The Mbuluzi Game Reserve.

A researcher after catching a Little Sparrowhawk at The Mbuluzi Game Reserve.

This project continues to be so much fun. Last week we were joined, young scientists. It is so encouraging a heartwarming to see youngsters developing love, show interest, appreciate what we do and wanting to get involved. All in all, we love what we do, we love to research, nature, we are for biodiversity conservation.

Researchers collecting samples from different birds across southern Africa.

To learn more about our 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.