BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– The World Vision Eswatini (WVE) spent about E383 million on vulnerable children and communities for the year 2022.
This was revealed in a report posted on their website yesterday.
The total committed funding was E383 660 135 (US$21.424 million) compared to E463 225 429 ($25.871 million) in 2021 when the new strategy cycle started according to the organisation’s 2022 annual report.
The slight decrease in funding received was mainly attributed to a decline in Gifts-in-Kind, as well as a reduction in grants responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as revealed in the report.
The 2022 financial year marked the second year of WWE’s five-year strategy implementation and it had six significant goals where the funding was pumped.
The first goal of the organisation was to achieve universal access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation and hygiene for 137 400 people in World Vision programming areas by 2025.
Towards improved access to clean water in the communities, the organisation reached a total of 27 151 people.
This had been achieved through the construction of 11 medium-large community water supply schemes and nine school water supply systems.
The second goal was to break the cycle of poverty for the most vulnerable households by strengthening families’ capacity to provide well for 109 000 vulnerable children by 2025.
In improving the livelihood of vulnerable families, the organisation facilitated financial inclusion, the establishment of income adequacy, and the promotion of food security initiatives for the families to provide well for their children.
Building on the savings groups’ engagements, a total of 11 615 households have been supported to start small businesses. The value chains promoted were honey production, beef, piggery, goat production, vegetable production, and various non-agricultural business enterprises.
The third goal was to contribute towards the elimination of new infections, improved health and nutritional status of 122 000 vulnerable children (0-18 years) campaign activities, and women of childbearing age by 2025.
In an effort to contribute towards the elimination of new infections, improving health and nutritional status of children (0- 18 years) and women of childbearing age, the organisation has been able to achieve all set targets as stated in the report.
The fourth goal was to attend to child rights violations, lack of essential social media platforms.
Services like birth registration, a conducive learning environment, child protection services, and address challenges facing children, like poor spiritual formation, gender inequality and lack of inclusion of children with disabilities in programmes by 2025.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, a total of 5 720 children were supported to get birth certificates through the national Birth Registration Mop-Up Campaign.
The fifth goal was to provide on-the- ground aid and assistance to affected people through immediate emergency aid response when disaster strikes in order to protect children, save lives, reduce suffering, protect livelihoods, strengthen community resilience and promote peace.
The sixth goal was to have sexual violence against children in Eswatini eliminated by 2022.
In order to ensure young people are informed about sexual violence against children, equipped with information to prevent and report it, the office reached 50 420 youth through community-based
Over 700 000 people were also repeatedly reached with the ‘It Takes Eswatini to End Sexual Violence Against Children’ Campaign messages through local radio, newspapers, television, World Vision Eswatini’s social media platforms, as well as their campaign ambassadors’ personal social media platforms.
Chairman of the Board of Directors Hezekiel Nsibande said in recent years, the advancement of the organisation’s goals and mandate had been met with challenges, resulting from epidemics such as COVID-19, as well as social unrest.
“Despite all this, I have been encouraged by the resilience shown by the WVE leadership, staff and volunteers. The determination to serve communities and ensure child well-being, against all odds, has truly been a marvel to see,” he said. Nsibande said the organisation had continued to achieve its strategic deliverables and this had been observed during field visits conducted by the Board, backed by live testimonies from beneficiaries of World Vision’s programmes.
