I was in Swaziland in 2004, I met beautiful children who have changed my life
for the better… Here’s a glimpse into
this story:
Within the first week of arriving in Swaziland
in southern Africa, I met a lady who changed my life. I share with you a story from my journal:
September 2004: It is transitioning into the
season of spring in Swaziland. My team
leaders walked to the fruit market to gather fruit for the arrival of our
team. They noticed a lady standing
between two fruit stands purchasing fruit for children who come to her house
for a meal and informal lessons. She
invited my team to ‘come and see.’ So,
we loaded up a van and headed 3 miles uphill on a path orphans and vulnerable
children take every day to a small shelter made from tree bark and
aluminum. This single mother of three
tries to keep the children as long as she can each day, knowing that many of
them go home to some horrible situations when they leave each afternoon.
We
heard the longing in the lady’s voice for help to care for the little ones who
walked daily to her home. When we saw the innocent spirit of the children, we
wanted to do something to relieve the stress of the mother and care for the
children. During the first few months,
we taught the children as they circled around me on the ground and found ways
to purchase food when there was none.
Knowing that these children needed an accredited education, I worked
alongside a team member to raise funds for twenty-two students to attend a
recognized school. With the help of the United
Methodist Temple in Port Arthur, TX, students at Port Neches Middle School, as
well as many friends and family, we met our goal to send the children to
school!! In order to ease the children’s
transition from learning at the care center to a school environment, I worked
within the school to teach and tutor the children. Currently, the care center in Mhylanya serves
at least seventy-five children and functions as an informal school for both children
and adults, a tutoring center, and a feeding center with a small orchard.
these same children still need funding for school. The majority of the children are currently in
grade 5 and 6!! The headmaster works
with them to keep them on level; she is a huge blessing. She works really hard around the clock to
care for all of her students and has wonderful teachers who help her. She, along with other teachers, has taken in
orphans themselves. So… my goal is to
raise funds for 22 students this Christmas!!
Because of the exchange rate, each child’s tuition is $100. They are also in need of uniforms, which is
$50. Please pray about sponsoring a child –
knowing that 100% of your money will go directly to the school to pay for the
tuition and uniforms. If you can only
feel led to pay for the tuition, please only pay for tuition! My team member, who has been in it since the
beginning, is still living in Swaziland.
If you write a check to me, I will put it in her account, and she will
take it to the bank to pay for each child’s school fees and make sure that they
get uniforms!!
Molly
Kacal
3611
University Drive, Apt 21M
NC 27707
254.216.3046
[email protected]
