… First two projects to benefit over 500 emaSwati
BY PHUMELELE MKHONTA
MBABANE– History in the making!
This is how the launch of the partnership between the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) and World Vision Eswatini was described today.
To seal the singing of the Memorandum of Understanding, EEC splashed E952 000 to World Vision for two projects which are to empower 100 youths in Agriculture and to revamp and maintain a pre-school which will service over 400 children and the high school-going pupils.
Tinah Mukunda, National Director World Vision Eswatini, said it gave her such joy to be at EEC today, representing World Vision Eswatini on the prospects establishing a lasting and mutually beneficial partnership.
“Today we celebrate the start of our partnership which is set to start with ambitious project namely: the Goat Production project and Malindza Pre-school Rehabilitation project. Having first approached EEC in December last year, the electricity organisation promptly responded and asked World Vision to submit a youth job creation and employment proposal, with a tried and tested formula, as well as education programme with wide and long term impact.
“It is from this end that we shared the Youth Economic Empowerment Goat and Malindza Pre-School Project proposals. I must say that it is very pleasing for World Vision Eswatini to receive this kind donation and we look forward to launch these projects on behalf of the Sigwe, Ndzevane, and Lubulini youth, as well as the Malindza Refugee Camp pre-scholars who will be the main beneficiaries of the partnership between EEC and WVE,” said the National Director.
She went on to say they would all know how COVID-19 and the recent political unrest had resulted in increased unemployment, saying most affected in this was the youth, who, as able-bodied young people, were frustrated by the inability to find employment.
“As World Vision, we are therefore looking forward to bringing that much-needed change for at least 100 youth members of the aforementioned locations through income generation. We expect this to benefit about 1 200 people in their families, including children.
“The project participants will be linked to market systems and trained on financial management and savings groups. In all our interventions, as World Vision Eswatini, we support community development, with a view to finally benefit the child. We are a child-focused humanitarian organization.
“This partnership, therefore, gives us a great opportunity to live out our mandate of alleviating suffering and reducing vulnerability amongst the most vulnerable. Allow me to point out, though, that, as great and as appreciated as this contribution by EEC is the need on the ground is great,” she said.
Mukunda then said as such, they hoped that other entities would follow EEC’s excellent example and also contribute towards a better future for the youth and children of Eswatini.
“To the board and Management of EEC, I would like to assure you that, at World Vision Eswatini, we always strive to pay due diligence to our responsibility of providing proper financial management, team implementation supervision on the ground, and reporting to our donors and partners alike. As such, the same can be expected by you.”
EEC Managing Director Ernest Mkhonta said while the primary mandate of their organisation was the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the country, they also had an obligation to be a good corporate citizen and this we do through our CSI programme.
CSI stands for Corporate Social Investment.
Mkhonta said their aim as an organisation was to improve our impact on the GDP of the country and their strategy, Vutsela Reloaded 2022-27, clearly indicating that one of the drivers of this objective is their contribution to the community they lived in through their CSI initiatives.
“In order to achieve this objective we have identified three focus areas, that is; agricultural programmes, support to small businesses lacking capital and small-scale construction.
“Our intention is to improve the quality of life in the communities we operate our business in, hence these focus areas. The COVID-19 outbreak has had dire impact on emaSwati living with poverty, aggravating their situation even further.
“As if that were not enough, in recent months we have experienced extreme weather conditions. This has resulted in heavy rains and extreme heat which have damaged shelter (houses, schools and other public shelters), killed livestock and damaged crops in our fields. This, in the short run will also have an impact on the poverty ratio in the country; in fact the poor will be poorer. It is therefore important for us, to align our CSI initiatives to the needs of the people living in the communities we serve, hence the focus areas I have stated above,” said the managing director.
Explaining the partnership, the MD said, it pleased him today that they were handing over our support to World Vision Eswatini for two programmes that fall under at least two of these focus areas; agricultural programmes and small-scale construction.
He then revealed that their support would be to the tune of E952 731.
“E792 731 will go towards a goat farming project under Sigwe and Lubulini Constituencies and it is set to benefit at least 100 unemployed youth. These young men and women will be taught the skill of livestock production and will be given their lamb to rear. The success of this project will not just benefit the youth involved but it has potential to benefit their families too and in extension boost the economy of their areas. This project reminds me of the old adage that goes “if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.
“The remaining balance of E160 000 will go towards the second project, that is the Malindza Refugee Centre Pre-School repairs and maintenance. This project falls under the small constructions focus area. At least 400 children are set to benefit from this structure. We have also been told that not only the pre-school children are set to benefit but also those in primary and high school will be secondary beneficiaries as the library facility will be opened to them as well.”
The MD said he believed that this donation would go a long way in alleviating poverty in these areas and assist in improving the quality of education of the children attending Malindza Refugee Centre Pre-School.
“We are aware that there is still a lot that needs to be done but this is a step in the right direction, and we are delighted to be a part of it. “In conclusion, i would like to thank world vision Eswatini for identifying these projects and allowing us to be a part of them. While we have an idea on the programmes we would like to partner in, we do not have the technical expertise, and we are only able to meet our CSI objectives through partnering with organisations like world vision.”
