Orphanage visit, part 2

The orphanage/children’s home (not all the kids there are orphans) is definitely in a beautiful, if somewhat inaccessible, spot. There are beautiful views from every direction. The home was started by the South African couple just a few years ago. They began with basically nothing, and now there are about 8 or 9 buildings. These include a girls’ dorm, a boys’ dorm, an infant house, a dining hall/kitchen, a school, a church, a guest-house, the teachers’ house and the directors’ dwelling (unless perhaps that includes guest premises; I’m not sure). Thanks to volunteer labor and outside support, the place has really expanded. Margie works in the infant house, which is one of the newer buildings. It houses children up to age 6, and I think there are 12 little ones there right now. We got to meet and play with them before moving on to tour the rest of the facility. Quite a few of the children are AIDS orphans, and some of them have HIV. A few of those have not survived, especially if they developed TB along with HIV – that double whammy is too deadly. The children with HIV do receive anti-viral medication from the Baylor University clinic in Mbabane, which focuses specifically on treating HIV-positive children and their families. The orphanage relies on local donations of food like eggs and produce along with monetary support from Christian groups both inside and outside the country. The school that’s been built serves the whole area and as it is charity-run, it doesn’t have to charge school fees. That helps the poor families in the area afford to send their children. The church was built by a specific evangelical denomination (maybe Assembly of God), Margie said, but the orphanage insisted that the church be non-denominational; after some disagreement, the sponsoring church group agreed, so any Christian group can use the structure for services. I was quite impressed with the efforts that are being made and the dedication of Margie and the other workers there. The children seemed well cared for and happy, if a bit isolated. But then, I think many children in rural Swaziland are pretty isolated.