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 

Martin conducts computer lessons

Today, we had our first computer lesson with 20 youth who are part of the All Out Africa Enterprise Development program. These lessons include basic computer introduction, website creation, how to run a business online and website hosting. 

The computer lessons are conducted by our partner Prime Digital Technology PTY Ltd, Prime Digital Technology is a full-service tech solutions and digital marketing agency based in Eswatini Southern Africa. “We hope and believe that these lessons will help their businesses thrive and help them run efficiently,” said Martin the Founder of Prime Digital.

Enterprise students during computer lessons

We are delighted to see the progress that the program has had, a special thanks to our partners for making all of this possible your support never goes unnoticed. 

SIYABONGA KAKHULU! 

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! 

Under 15 boys Basketball tournament pre-Covid 19.

Our Sports Development Project in Eswatini aims to improve the well-being of disadvantaged children and youth within the semi-rural Swazi communities, through sports, play and education. The aim is to engage these children in activities that stimulate and focus them and keep them fit and healthy, while at the same time building their confidence through physical activity.

All our social projects are guided by the SDGs and this include the sports development program.

The contributions of our sports development program to the SDGs is outlined in this overview below:

Goal 1. End poverty

With the unemployment rate at over 40% in the Kingdom of Eswatini jobs are hard to come by especially for the youth. Our sports development program acts as a platform to create some employment opportunities and lift some Emaswati out of poverty leading to larger economic participation in the country, this is both through direct employment on the project and through empowering kids with the social and life skills necessary for a self-reliant and sustainable livelihood. Lastly, it helps immensely in raising awareness and facilitating the mobilization of needed resources to alleviate poverty through partnerships with local and international bodies.

Goal 3. Good Health and Wellbeing

The Kingdom of Eswatini has the world’s highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates, with approximately 31% of the population being infected. In 2010 it was estimated that there were close to 200,000 orphaned children in the Kingdom due to HIV/AIDS. In most households, children go through some hardships which disturb their mental health and engaging them in sports helps them ward off depression. Our sports development program helps in reducing the risk of contracting diseases by strengthening cardiovascular and physical health and can contribute to tackling and preventing emotional and psychological stress. We run weekly sports days for pre-school aged vulnerable children at community Neighborhood Care Points (NCPs) in Eswatini. With activities including playing ball games, relay running races, sack races, dance games, Hoola hoop games and more, these activities have a positive impact on the children and healthy adolescent development and well-being.

Neighbourhood Care Points (NCPs) weekly sports days pre-Covid 19.

Our weekly football league for Under 13 and Under 15 boys has been a viable platform for health and emotional wellbeing,  particularly to disseminate information on sexual and reproductive health, alcohol and substance abuse, as well as communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

Goal 4. Quality education

Our weekly sports days at the community Neighborhood Care Points have been very helpful in improving learning outcomes by fostering academic performance and achievement, leadership abilities, educational opportunities and life skills to be used beyond school including the workplace. By taking part in sports and physical activities alongside school, students are exposed to the sport’s key values, including teamwork, fair play, respect for the rules and others, cooperation, discipline and tolerance. The children and young people at our neighbourhood care points benefit tremendously from the sports project because the skills we equipped them with are essential for future participation in group activities and professional life and can stimulate social cohesion within communities and societies. We also organize afternoon homework clubs to assist struggling young teenagers with their homework and grades to improve education for those that need it.

Goal 5. Gender equality

We host a weekly football league for Under 13 and 15 aged boys, a football knockout tournaments for Under 15 girls and a Basketball tournament for girls and boys. These have been a powerful platform for advocacy and raising awareness for gender equality.

Under 15 Girls Basketball tournament pre-Covid 19.

Goal 10. Reduced inequalities

We invest in the education of vulnerable children and support women and girls to participate in sports at the junior level and we develop policies to reduce inequality at various levels. Our volunteer programs are aimed at cultural immersion to improve understanding and tolerance and create opportunities for those stuck in a poverty trap.

Goal 17. Partnership for the goals

Through our sports project, we have been able to build and strengthen the relationship with our local (Hhohho Regional Football Association, schools, communities, the government of Eswatini) and international partners (BOOST, Volunteers) who are continuously helping us achieve the goals mentioned above.

NCP children with a sports volunteer pre-Covid 19.

The 17 SDGs were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. In the next few months, we will be sharing how our volunteering programs and the work we are doing, helps to support each of these 17 goals.

The beginning of the trip

For those who don’t know, I took a second big trip to South Africa and Eswatini. This trip was not only travelling, it included also volunteering.

So first thing first.

Back home, I was searching if it was possible to travel and to my surprise it was possible. But it was a bit harder, I was searching for countries and there it was: a volunteering project. The project involved a little bit of travelling and volunteering. I was curious and clicked on it and after reading the itinerary I was so excited and decided to go for it!

The first day

On the first day, I had a great experience. It began with a warm welcome at the airport from our best All Out Africa staff member Bob. And a first great experience with the other volunteers and the staff in the Kruger Park. From the first moment, the group was so close. I had the best time and a lot of inside jokes. I was sad that I had to leave the stunning place and the staff with all their wisdom about nature and animals. And I will miss the funny stories. 

A special thanks to Adriaan our ranger. Or shall I say, Andrew? But also Phayo, Bob and Roland for this great experience. Most of all for your patience with us with our silly and weird questions, we had a great time. 

A group photo at Kruger Park National                     

Volunteering project

Then it was time for the next experience where we came for the volunteering, in Eswatini, one of the smallest countries in the African continent with stunning scenery. We had a second big warm welcome from the All Out Africa and the Lidwala lodge staff. Lidwala Lodge became our second home, a beautiful lodge surrounded by a lot of nature.

After settling down, we had two orientations and followed by a guided tour in one of the most famous and iconic residential villages Lobamba. It was finally time for volunteering. And there it was: our first day, It all started with the Kombis (the public transport) it is so different from home, but luckily Eunice the NCP coordinator was with us for guidance.

A group photo captured after our Eswatini orientation

The bus is very small and it is called a kombi, If you need a kombi,  you just stand near the road and wave at the kombi. The kombi stops for you and you say your stash (drop off place) and you get in. Sometimes you have a place and sometimes not. The first time it was a little bit scary, but luckily the people were so helpful and always keen to help, especially when we were wearing our volunteering shirts.

Eswatini mode of transport (Kombi)

Back to the story, together with Femke my NCP buddy, we went to our NCP for the first time, which is in Mvutjini (in the beginning, we didn’t pronounce it right and that gave us a lot of laughter). We were in shock the first time at our NCP, to be honest. It was so different from home, we came to realize that we were so privileged. Besides a lot of love from the teacher, the school didn’t have much, they have to work with almost nothing because they rely on donations.

Children playing at Mvutjini NCP

NCP which stands for neighbourhood care point is an informal preschool, most of the underprivileged and orphans in the Kingdom go to an NCP for education and there are eight NCPs that are supported by All Out Africa. One of the interesting things about the NCPs is that the teachers are not professional teachers but they are passionate about working with children and want to give them a good future. You can say the teachers are volunteers too. At the NCPs they are not only providing pre-education, but they also provide meals for the children and do sports with them. They get a chance for a brighter future. I love to be a part of that. I know I can’t change the world, but every step helps.

An obstacle course race at the NCP

Preparing a meal for the NCP children

The workshop

I was thinking: how can I do more? I know about the development of children. Back home, I have a degree and I am a specialist in the development of children from 0-6 years old. After a lot of thinking and discussing with the other volunteers, we found a solution to help a little.

We had the idea to make a program with suggestions for the whole school year. Together with the other volunteers, we set up a book to teach children how to write. The staff from All Out Africa was happy and asked if we can do more with this project. So the project became bigger and bigger. Together with Eunice, the NCP coordinator, we came with the idea to give all the NCP teachers a workshop. I was so excited because I love to host workshops.

And there it was: a workshop about the development of pre-writing and the stages. The biggest and most important message was how a child learns through play.

The day of the workshop was here and I was so nervous because I had to host a workshop in English which is not my first language. That day, we had to face a big problem. This day there weren’t driving Kombis. So the staff had to improvise. Simise (Marketing Coordinator and Team leader) and Michael (Building and Sports coordinator) had to drive all the volunteers to the NCP”s and collect all the teachers to Lidwala Lodge where we hosted the workshop. So it took a little bit longer until I could start with the workshop. The nerves got me, but then there was the lovely Tiphiwe (she works at the office and every day she has the patience to listen to me for a nice little chat). She was comforting me. During the workshop, Simise (the team leader with the funniest laugh) was supporting me.

NCP teachers during their workshop

During the workshop, every minute I felt more and more comfortable doing it in another language. We had a good conversation and exchanged knowledge and experiences. It was a nice workshop. The teachers were very happy and asked a lot of questions. They were so curious and were willing to learn things. It was a big pleasure to meet all the teachers and give them this workshop.

Lastly, I want to give a big shout out to the other volunteers to help me set this up. And a big thanks to All Out Africa for giving me this opportunity. 

Myself, Simise and the NCP teachers after the workshop

It is so beautiful to see that there are people in this world that are willing to help the unprivileged. And that they give them a chance. A big compliment to the staff from All Out Africa, that they are so dedicated and took us, the volunteers, under their wings for this big impression.

Group photo with All Out Africa staff and volunteers

If you want to know more about All Out Africa, donate or volunteer. Just look at their website or feel free to approach them with questions. If you want to know more inside information from the volunteers about this experience, the staff from All Out Africa can help you to get in contact with me or the other volunteers.

Thank you and best wishes,

Written by Shirley Ramkhelawan

Click here if you would like to know more about our Safari tour, or our Volunteering programs.