As promised, more on Swazi; We will focus on Care points:

Different Philosophies of Orphan Care:

1. The African Dream Village- approach. Large orphanage for 10,000 kids.
    Check out Wall Street Journal article. This concept damaged the westerner ability to do orphan care on a public basis.
     Now must avoid certain terminology and go very slowly.
2. Hwane Farm- Kevin Ward, the founder, takes orphans out of homestead and puts into homes on his farm under his guidance but with a Swazi caregiver. 8 kids to a home. All are sponsored to go to school and receive skill training.
     Focus on the remnant.
     Hopes to see these orphans become the future leaders in the country when all others have passed.
     Kevin has tons of favor in this country. Does not care about the idea that if you take orphans from land they lose the right to the land. He worries about the ancestor worship expectation and what good is land if you die there.
     His project is also partnered with Teen Challenge and therefore offers rehab options.
     Kevin now has a clinic on his property that services the needs of the orphans onsite and those in the community.
     Self-sustainability projects can be found everywhere on the property.
    
3. Community approach- Mike Pratt, a representative, does not take kids out of homesteads but rather built a community center where he provides skill training and fun activity. If they need help on agriculture or homestead repair or school he comes to help and trains in this. He has an emergency shelter on property where a child can stay for 3 days max to get out of an abusive situation but no beds are there. Don’t want them to get comfortable.
     IF they leave land they lose rights to land.
     He does not worry about the belief that chiefs want community to care for orphans, so they stay on homesteads to worship the dead ancestors buried there.
4. Abandoned Babies Homes- Robyn Pratt or ABC in Bulembu.
     The idea here is to take in abandoned children until they are able to be adopted by foreigners or local Swazis.
     ABC in Bulembu has helped adopt out dozens of children now.
    
5. Children’s Cup- Ben Rogers, the director, has a detailed system for caring for children in urban areas in

   Swaziland.
     His care points range in quality depending on if he is able to acquire the land he builds on.
     His premier points include medical attention, clean water, educational programs, daily food, and occasional programmed activity.
     CC is meeting the needs of orphans except for housing.
     You can help many more this way, but what do you send them “home” to each time they leave?

6. Bulembu Village- Pete Johnston, the director of Swaziland Valley of Hope in Bulembu, has worked to obtain an abandoned village and turn it into a center for orphan care and ministries to be based.
     There are 1200 homes in Bulembu and a hospital, schools, clubs, and businesses that could be used to benefit ministry.
     Teen Challenge, Jack Aranda (home for girls being abused), ABC, Kingdom Builders, and Empower Africa are all based in Bulembu already.

AIM and CHC are leaning toward a rural version of Children’s Cup and Mike Pratt’s ministry styles, but this does not mean we accept the philosophy that goes along with these ministries.
  We recognize that a care point system is expensive to get up and running, but you can provide for so many more children this way.
  As AIM/CHC partners with other orphan ministries and the staff continue to entrench themselves in the community we will begin to unfold a plan for housing orphans as well.
  A possible partnership with Swaziland Valley of Hope is something to pray about for the housing need.