Loes Van Hest teaching Mvutjini NCP children about sustainability

I began by measuring BMIs at the NCPs in Ekuzukekeni and Ezulwini, where I discovered a significant difference between the two. After measuring the BMIs, I also focused on a school in a rural area, Lamgambhi. Despite their different environments, Ezulwini and Lamgambhi had one thing in common: around 40% of the children in both schools were underweight. I wanted to find out why, as the conditions at these two NCPs are very different.

Loes measuring BMIs at Lamgabhi NCP

I gathered information from teachers, staff, and other people I met during my internship in the neighbourhood. After identifying the reasons for the underweight issues, I created a suggestion report. In this report, I provided advice and suggestions that All Out Africa can implement in the future.

I learned a lot from my internship. I developed skills in creating effective schedules, setting priorities, and establishing boundaries. I was given the freedom to determine what I needed to achieve my goals while receiving the necessary guidance and support.

Ekuzukekeni NCP children having their lunch

I experienced the culture in various ways, observing the differences between city life, peri-urban areas, and rural areas, and how these environments affect the residents. I learned that each environment has unique challenges, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. However, one thing remains important across all areas: raising awareness about issues like healthy living, especially understanding what is and isn’t healthy and the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle. There’s no better place to start than at an early age, at the NCP.

Written by Loes Van Hest – Early Childhood Health and Nutrition intern 

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! 

View from the window of the airplane at sunrise. Landing in OR Tambo, South Africa

Our first impression of this wonderful country was set during the Lobamba tour. Sanele, an All Out Africa Tour Guide, guided us through the village where local people would kindly welcome us and offer us a sip of their traditional beer. I must admit it was not exactly tasting like the beers I´m used to drinking in Belgium, but it sure was an experience, without any doubt. Another great happening that day was our visit to the national museum to get to know the history of this country with its culture and traditions better before starting the volunteering adventure.

Anna, Simona, Alex and myself sharing traditional beer during our Lobamba Tour

The day after this so-called ´Orientation Day´, the six of us (Eleanora Cimadom, Anna Vanhaeren, Linde Colle, Simona Mambrin, Sabrina Miniotti and myself) woke up early to begin our trip to the Kruger National Park. For me, this was my first safari. I can tell you with great confidence, there´s not a single doubt in my mind that this was my last. I fell from one amazing feeling into another. To see wild animals in their natural habitat from that close gave me shivers all over my body. It was magnificent to be able to spot The Big Five and many more. I will forever remember the early sunrise game drives with our coffees in one hand and our blankets in the other to keep us warm in the jeep, or the many great stories and even greater laughs we shared at the bonfires in the evening. Tired but with hearts full of gratefulness, we returned to eSwatini to initiate what we´re here for in the first place: volunteering.

Eleanora, Anna, Linde, Simona, Sabrina and myself on a safari game drive.

I was placed on the Childcare Project at the Ezulwini NCP, together with Simona Mambrin from Italy – who had already become such a good friend of mine over this short period. We got lucky to volunteer in teacher Gugu´s class. She has the purest heart and truly cares about the children she teaches. Every single day we would arrive at the NCP and get overwhelmed with the sweetest hugs from the children. I will never forget the sentences “teacher, teacher, pick me up!” or “teacher, I missed you so much!”. In the blink of an eye, I had fallen in love with every single one of the little kids I got to teach. It´s unbelievably rewarding to see the kids grow through the exercises and to be able to be there with them through their journey. Especially when being able to help the ones who need your assistance the most, it´s such a heartwarming feeling to see their faces light up when congratulating them on their good work.

Writing exercise at the NCP

Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, the volunteers would go all together to the Elangeni NCP to help older students individually with their homework. First, we would do at least one hour of homework with them, and after the homework is done, we would play games. Some days, we would invent a whole quiz with different types of games: some educational, some just for fun. The girls were always enthusiastic to see us and at the same time, so eager to learn from and with us.
During our free time, we did a whole bunch of activities in the region. For example, we visited the handicraft market, the Swazi Candles factory, the Yebo Art Gallery, went for a biking tour at Mlilwane National Park, hiked the Sheba’s Breast, participated in karaoke at the restaurant near Lidwala Lodge, went for a spa day with the girls, to the movies, to the cute coffee shop nearby, and so on… We also signed up for the ziplining on our second weekend. Such a memorable experience! I felt like a bird flying through the mountains, so freely and without any worries on my mind. No worries, only good vibes and fully enjoying the moment we live in.

Myself, Eleanora and Simona at the peak of Sheba’s Breast

Every year, the people of eSwatini celebrate the Umhlanga or Reed Dance ceremony. When I first heard about it, I got so excited to see it with my own eyes! I felt so lucky to be in the country during this impressive ceremony. Dressed in traditional clothes, I showed up there and immediately got overwhelmed by the number of girls dancing and singing together. Everyone was so enthusiastic that I just could not manage to stop smiling. There was such a nice atmosphere of people in the crowd hyping up the girls that were dancing and singing. All the bright colours of their beautiful clothes together were just amazing to see. Right when I thought it couldn´t get any better, the king showed up. This was such a memorable day for me.

Simona and I during the Umhlanga or Reed Dance ceremony in Eswatini.

Last but certainly not least was the trip to Tofo, Mozambique. Being there felt as if I had just entered some hidden paradise. I am very much a beach person, so my first swim in the Indian Ocean was for sure a core memory for me. I enjoyed every single second of my time there. On our first day, we cruised by sailboat to Survivor Island. Let me tell you, it´s not given this name without a reason. People there live in a very primitive manner, but not a single person is complaining. I got my hair braided and drank out of a fresh coconut; I even climbed a palm tree – although I have to admit that I wasn´t even close to reaching the end of the tree to grab some coconuts. The next days were filled with an ocean safari where I snorkelled together with a whale shark only approximately 2 meters under me. As you might imagine, the adrenaline rushed through my body. At that exact moment, I realized I was dealing with a once-in-a-lifetime experience here.

Eleanora and I drinking coconut water in Tofo

The surfing lesson afterwards was also so much fun. Since it was my first time, my only goal was to just stand up on the board for more than a split second before losing my balance and falling off. In fact, I underestimated myself and managed to surf until the point my board reached the sand again. Such a good feeling! We ended our last evening with a sunset cruise and were able to look back on some unforgettable days when we got to meet the friendliest people. Tofo: I will be back one day to expand my surf skills!

Taking off for an ocean safari tour in Tofo

Written by Elisabeth Sucaet, who signed up for Kruger to Coast 

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!