Imagine being 10 years old and having to walk 10km each way to school every day. Imagine having your only meal of the day at school because your parents have died and the community that looks after you has no means to feed you. Imagine having an ambition to be a policewoman or a nurse but no longer being able to go to school because your parents can’t afford the school fees of between £30 and £60 per year. These were some of the stories we heard first-hand on recent trips to Swaziland.

Project 1 – Swaziland Primary School

Thanks to your support we have built a kichen, provided Maths and Science Equipment, cmputer equipment and have repaired classroom roofs (so no more wet and ruined exam papers!). Thanks to a grant from the Allan and Nesta Fergusron Charitable Trust we are also putting electricity into the classrooms and teaching accommodation so that light and heat is available for the winter months. We have also supported over 100 children through school in 2009 and will continue to do so in 2010.

Project 2 – Sustainable Garden Project

Through the Claypotts Trust we are supporting a sustainable garden project in a very poor rural area of Swaziland. We are paying for the clearance and fencing and will be providing seed and fertilizer. This will mean that the children, many of whom are orphaned will be able to get better nutrition

Project 3 – Desks and Chairs

We found a school where children were crammed into classrooms, sharing desks and chairs and yet there were two empty and locked classrooms at the school. We have equipped two classrooms with desk and chairs at Mangwaneni school in Mbabane and now the children are in an environment in which they could learn.

An experienced headteacher came to us as he had started at a new school only to discover that he and his teachers had no desks, chairs or filing cabinets for the children's records. We have bought them this furniture and now they can teach.

Project 4 – Building a pre-school

We are supporting the Vusumnotfo community project with the building of a pre-school. The school has been running for 5 years in a temporary structure that is inadequate and insecure. We are partnering with them to build a new school that will allow children aged 3-5 years of age to learn in a stimulating and safe environment.

Project 5 – Shipment of school furniture

In the UK we are currently getting rid of a lot of school furniture and books as we refurbish our schools. We are paying for a container of this furniture to be sent to Swaziland at the end of August. If you have any books or clothes for primary school children please let us know as we should be able to include it in the container.