Festive Season

It’s that time of year again where Swazis take a break from their life and just go at it for the next couple months. What I’ve learned from last year is, don’t plan anything at the end of your third term. From December to the end of January, Swazis know how to let their hair down and have fun! School is out, departments are closing and best of all—it’s hot as _____.  All a person wants to do is be outside and enjoy the nice weather. It isn’t as hot as it was last year, but there have been plenty of days where you want to soak yourself in the pool all day.  There is a braai (cook out) for anything and everything. I especially love that my birthday falls right in the middle of it all.

Last week I had yet again another huge party. I was saying good-bye to 25 and moving one step closer to 30 (yikes!). Several of the PCVS came out, and all of my Swazi and South African friends made an appearance. Glasses were broken, tables were destroyed, pools were invaded, and the crowd was happy. We had some special guests, my friends who are DJs from SA came out to play, which was really exciting. By 2 am, the country club told us to go home, and since I am a broke volunteer who has no money to bribe with, I had to follow.

The following week was Ingcwala- it is a Swazi holiday whereby the country celebrates the first fruits. It’s a very big cultural event which centers on the king. In actuality, Ingcwala lasts for an entire month. The king goes into seclusion, a bull is killed by the bare hands of a young male, and there are water people who go door to door seeing if you have broken any of the traditional rules, like painting of the fingernails… gasp! Ok, maybe you need to be here to get the whole picture, but it’s pretty cool.

Before all these cultural celebrations took place, I had my school’s Christmas pageant. I wouldn’t be a good teacher if I didn’t brag about how well they did! Look at the pics below to see just how cute my kids are. 

Now finally, it is time for my vacation…… I told my mom I was going to Cape Town, but just like the good daughter I am [not]….. I didn’t tell her I am actually going home to America! As I am typing this blog, I am sitting in the Joburg airport. I have 23 hours of travel ahead of me. So in about 24 hours, I am going to be surprising her at the house. Be sure to check-out my next blog, when I post a video of her reaction!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Books for Africa

Once again, I am helping with an amazing project called Books for Africa (BFA). Last year I was a recipient of receiving 1000 new books for my high school’s library. This year I hope to get another donation of books to my primary school. This will only happen if PC Swaziland raises enough funds. By doing so, 30 schools and communities across the country and thousands of kids will benefit.

The books will be free, high-quality books from United States donors, and each organization receiving the books will be responsible to raise 1,500 rand (about $150 USD – a big amount for most schools!) to help ship the books, in addition to providing a library room, shelves, labeling supplies, and a designated librarian. It is a hefty commitment on their end! However, the Peace Corps volunteers in Swaziland still need to raise $7232 (the rest to be covered by Peace Corps) to cover half of the cost of shipping the books to Swaziland. That’s where you come in – can you help raise money to support education in Swaziland?

Here is more information about the need this project addresses:

The Kingdom of Swaziland currently has the highest HIV prevalence rate worldwide at 31% (for men and women aged 18-49). Engaging the next generation is seen as an important factor for decreasing that rate. Research indicates that high HIV rates are often correlated with populations faced with poverty and low education. Attending school in itself is known to provide some protection for youth, as research indicates that in-school youth are less likely to engage in risky sexual behavior.  Allowing students access to leisure reading materials not only decreases their free time to engage in risky behaviors but also increases their English abilities.

Increased English skills will enable students to fare better in school, creating improved opportunities for the student and their family to escape poverty through employment.  English is one of two official languages in Swaziland and fluency in English as essential for attending university or obtaining a high employment position. Despite this, many students do not have access to English reading materials outside of loaned school textbooks, limiting their chances for English practice to school hours.

 Books for Swaziland will enable 30 schools and community organizations to establish libraries, touching approximately 60,000 students in the next ten years. This is nearly 6% of the total country population! Books for Swaziland will train a librarian for each school, approve a library program plan, and deliver over 1,000 quality children’s, young adult, and information books to participating organizatios. The result of this project will be an increase in literacy and English proficiency among students, as well as increased chances for students to obtain university admission or gainful employment. One library at a time, Books for Swaziland hopes to bring students out of poverty for a brighter, HIV-free future.

I am asking family members and friends to commit to donating monetarily to this project (if you’d like to send books, I can give you the shipping address for the organization in America). We will be fundraising from now until December. If you feel strongly about helping improve the quality of education and opportunity for Swaziland students, or if you just love me and want to help me out, here are a few ideas for making donating fun and easy:

• Just go online and donate. Easy-peasy. Click here to find out about donating.
• Ask a class at school or church to fundraise. ‘Loose Change for Literacy’ is a great theme and you can compete between classrooms or between guys and girls. The winners get bragging rights, and if you are feeling generous, a party.
• Make donating to this project your end-of-year, tax deductable donation.
• Host a small event with friends and ask everyone to chip in. Maybe you bake homemade lasagna or make dozens of pancakes and charge $15 a plate, or maybe you throw a Vegas-themed party where all winnings go to libraries.
• With the holidays coming up, combine fun and fundraising. Try hosting a holiday baked goods competition at work where buy-in is $20 and the reward is eternal glory, or ask your boss to make Books for Swaziland your company’s charitable beneficiary for this year.

As always, thank you for your encouragement and support of our work in Swaziland. I have seen the difference a book can make in the life of a child here, and I want to make that possible for 30 new schools this year. Thank you for helping make that happen!