Child participation, Eswatini

Our Work

The transformational development programmes implemented by WVE include the following:

  • Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)

Goal: To achieve universal access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation and hygiene for 137,400 people in World Vision programming areas by 2025.

Every child deserves and has a right to use safe water, access sanitation and live in a clean environment. The WASH Technical Programme ensures improved and equitable access to potable/safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene facilities for households and vulnerable groups, and also ensures capacity building for behaviour change. 

  1. Access to water: Access to basic potable (drinkable) water remains a challenge at communities across the country. During the year under report, World Vision contributed to an improvement in water access from 62% to 72% at supported communities or constituencies. Over 27,000 people gained access to water in the last 12 months, meaning these children and families walk less than 30 minutes round trips to a water point.
  2. Collaboration for sustainability: The organisation continues to foster collaboration in its approach to delivery of services at communities. In the reporting period, World Vision engineers, through the technical oversight of the Department of Water Affairs, designed and constructed 26 water supply systems, ensuring the use of clean renewable and gravitational energy. A partnership with Eswatini Water Service Corporation also helped rural communities receive safely managed water services, benefitting 6,596 individuals from ten constituencies across the country. Sixteen (16) schools were also supported to construct systems for potable water, benefiting over 8,000 children.
  3. Climate-smart innovations: Cautious of the environmental risks posed by climate change, World Vision is supporting communities with sustainable solutions for water access; thus 90% of all the projects in this fiscal year were powered through solar energy.
  4. Sanitation and Hygiene: Improving sanitation at community-level remains a key component in establishing systems to assure access to potable water. Over 25,000 individuals had access to basic sanitation facilities in the last 12 months, representing 88% coverage at supported communities. The organisation has also supported communities establish handwashing facilities as part of the campaign to improve hygiene and contribute to reduction of morbidity. Over 38,000 people were reached with hygiene messaging and support to establish handwashing stations.

  • Livelihoods and Economic Resilience

Goal: To break the cycle of poverty for the most vulnerable households by strengthening families' capacity to provide well for 109,000 children by 2025

World Vision continues investments that guarantee socio-economic empowerment and sustained livelihoods in communities. The organisation provides solutions that are
adaptable to the contexts and community-driven for sustainability. These efforts have assured that 55% of adults are earning an income and can provide consistently for their
families. In supported communities, 27% of the caregivers were identified as able to provide well or adequately for all the basic needs of their children in the current year.

  1. Financial inclusion: Enhancing financial inclusion for households, the organisation has established and supported functionality for over 2,799 savings groups, with over 20,485 members. The organisation's efforts have ensured that 31,967 children benefit from the Savings Groups initiative through proceeds received to cater for the basic needs of their children, including access to education, food and shelter. World Vision has ensured that at least 37% of households at supported communities have alternative and risk- diversified sources of income and also have means to save money using a bank or credit union.
  2. Climate smart interventions: In promoting climate-smart agricultural production, farmers were empowered with vegetable, crop, and livestock production techniques as well as production inputs. The organisation trained 5,392 farmers on improved sustainable and climate-smart agricultural techniques to assist communities grow crops that are resilient to climate hazards/ stresses. World Vision has ensured that 62% of individuals from supported communities have access to diversified foods for improved health and wellbeing. The organisation continued to promote application of improved/sustainable natural resources management practices (including farmer- managed nurture regeneration - FMNR) amongst members of producer groups, reaching over 69% of the 6,358 newly established producer groups in the last 12 months. Additionally, 190 households were sensitised on disaster risk-management and community disaster-preparedness plans developed.
  3. Livelihood's trainings and business skills: World Vision provided livelihoods training to 3,226 individuals: with 2,762 trained on business or entrepreneurial skills The organisation also supported graduation of over 400 vocational skills-trained youth during the year under report.

 

  • Health, Nutrition & HIV

Goal: To contribute towards the elimination of new infections, improved health and nutritional status of 122,000vulnerable children (0-18 years) and women of child-bearing age by 2025.

The Health, Nutrition and HIV Technical Programmme has, over time, increased investments in the delivery of HIV preventive interventions at community level. WVE is currently implementing grants funded by PEPFAR through USAID and Global Fund through CANGO. The organisation continues; however, to direct efforts towards maternal child health interventions, delivered through time-targeted counselling (ttC).

  1. HIV prevention: In the reporting year, 17,585 children and adolescents completed structured curriculum trainings and mentorship sessions on HIV prevention. Over 90% (n=16,342) constituted adolescent girls and young women. The organisation continued to support efforts towards reaching 95:95:95 and, as such, have collaborated with
    health facilities to track viral load coverage amongst enrolled children and adolescents living with HIV (C/ALHIV), that is 1,196 enrolments in FY23. The organisation managed
    to sustain routine testing at 96% and viral load suppression at 95% for all enrolled CALHIV in FY23. Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) were prioritised for HIV testing, reaching 2,574, with 95% accessing services. In FY23, 10,179 OVC were reached with HIV prevention messages, including 1,988 caregivers who were also mentored on early childhood development and parenting interventions. OVCs were referred for testing and 100% (n=610) were initiated on ART and further provided adherence support through enrolment into support groups (Teen Clubs). Tracking of drug-pickups at community-level was conducted through household visits.
  2. Maternal and child health: The organisation made investments on child and maternal health, focusing on interventions towards early childhood development and antenatal care. Over 13,000 children were reached with early childhood development and antenatal care interventions. WVE, collaborating with rural health motivators (RHMs), provided growth monitoring interventions and facilitated referrals as required. Pregnant and lactating Mothers were provided with messaging on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), antenatal care, breastfeeding, etc. In supported communities, 97% pregnant women attended antenatal and postnatal services: 96% of pregnant women delivered at a health facility; and 92% provided exclusive breastfeeding to their children. Children aged 12-23 months (94%) received age- appropriate immunisation according to national standards, with an observed reduction in morbidity cases amongst 0-23-month-olds.

During the year under report, 10,657 children under 5 years were attended and referred for different ailments, with only 14 Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) cases identified and managed. Ensuring programme continuity and sustainability in WVE-supported communities, the organisation trained Rural Health Motivators (RHMs), Home Visitors and Peer Educators, with 1,379 of these cadres successfully completing a competency-based training course. Growth Monitoring and Promotion (GMP) interventions have been implemented for identification, referral and reporting of malnutrition cases.

  • Community Engagement and Sponsorship Plan (CESP)

Goal: To attend to child rights violations, lack of essential social services like birth registration and 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 programming.

WVE continues to provide sponsorship support to children with identified needs in all area programmes.

  1. Faith and Development: In FY23, 156,127 children participated in spiritual nurturing activities, including Bible Camps and Sunday School sessions across the 17 Area Programmes where WVE had programming presence. This has been done through partnerships with church institutions, including AWANA (Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed), a tool for spiritual nurturing of children through Bible Clubs and Sunday School teachers, as well as schools.
  2. Through support provided by the organisation, 82% of households reported good community cohesion; 86% boys and girls (12-18 years) reported experiencing God's
    love, and 80% boys and girls (12-18 years) consistently participated and engaged in Christian spiritual activities.
  3. Child Protection: On birth registration, the reach has been highly improved, with a total of 7,422 children supported with acquisition of birth certificates across the Area Programmes. This was achieved through collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Social Welfare during Mop-Up Campaign reactivation. WVE collaborates extensively with the office of the Deputy Prime Minister (DPMO) - Department of Social Services, the Ministry of Justice to deliver child protection services and also advocate for children's rights. In FY23, WVE supported three (3) policies related to allocating, increasing, or defending government funding to address ending violence against children for 456,000 children across the country.
  4. Violence Against Children: As part of child protection and safeguarding interventions, an identified 5.7% of adolescents were found to have experienced sexual violence in the past 12 months. A further 15.7% adolescents reported having experienced some form of physical violence or psychological aggression by parents/caregivers in the last 12 months. Overall, WVE responded to 592 cases of violence against children in the year under report, most being cases of neglect and sexual violence.
  5. Child Sponsorship: The organisation continues to ensure that all registered children (RCs) benefit through WVE's technical programme implementation efforts. In FY23, the programme achieved 85% participation, an improvement from 72% reported in the previous year.
  6. Child Participation: Day of the African Child: in Eswatini, June was designated as a Month of the Child, with June 16 as the Day of the African Child (DAC). WVE participated in a number of events meant to bring to the fore issues on The Rights of The Child in The Digital World. A total of 4,699 children were reached with messages on safe participation in the digital world during face-to-face events in the communities. Additionally, radio programmes on Voice of the Church (VOC), Eswatini TV's Kusile Breakfast Show and online events were held to discuss the DAC theme.

Global Changemakers: Five (5) children from Eswatini were awarded as part of the WV Global Changemakers initiative. These children were recognised for their role in influencing their peers and adults on issues faced by children. These were Thubelihle Malaza (Somntongo), Silindile Ngwenya (Mkhiweni), Mbali Gumbi (Maseyisini), Siyakhula Mavuso (Mhlangatane), and Tebezitha Zulu (Mpolonjeni).

African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of Children: To amplify children's voices, five (5) children; Farai Nyirongo (Shiselweni 2), Nkosephayo Lushaba (Maseyisini), Sibusisiwe Masuku (Maseyisini), Nolwazi Nhlabatsi (Maseyisini), and Mukelo Dlamini (Hosea) participated in the national children's consultations as part of a visit by the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of Children in Africa. The purpose of the consultation was to capture children's views on how government has implemented the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of Children in Africa. WVE's advocacy leadership also participated and shared World Vision's perspective during the consultation with Civil Society Organisations.

National Violence Against Children: WVE was actively involved in the national study on violence against children hence, through WVE, 50 children from eight constituencies in the Shiselweni Region participated in the validation exercise of the National Violence Against Children (VAC) study. Additionally, WVE conducted a stakeholders' validation meeting on the Policy Analysis on Violence Against Children.

World Refugees Day Commemoration: In collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs and UNHCR, WVE commemorated the World Refugees Day at Malindza Refugee Reception Centre. The event seeks to draw attention to the plight of refugees and individuals forcibly displaced from their homes. It serves as a platform to raise awareness on the challenges they face, advocate for their rights, and cultivate empathy and compassion towards their circumstances. The theme for this year was “Home Away from Home”. WVE appealed to all stakeholders for the inclusion of children of asylum seekers and refugees in free primary education.

  • Humanitarian Emergency Affairs (HEA)

Goal: 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.

WVE has coordinated and consolidated response efforts through collaborations and funding from the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), European Union (EU), Taiwan International Development Fund (ICDF), World Vision Taiwan, Global Fund through CANGO, and the Government of Eswatini. In FY23, WVE supported communities through the establishment of Community Disaster Preparedness Plans (CDPPs) in 17 communities, aimed at strengthening the community's ability to respond to shocks related to disaster. The organisation targeted people with disabilities, pregnant and lactating women, and child-headed households with either food or cash transfers, reaching 1,355 households and 6,775 individuals. Additionally, the organisation, through integration of programmes, delivered interventions under the Global Hunger Response Phase 1. The response communities were selected based on the results of the Eswatini Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis (VAC), which identified high populations facing extreme food shortages and where the risk of hungerrelated deaths is rapidly increasing.

  1. Hygiene: Under this programme, WVE and the SOS Children's Villages delivered 913 dignity packs to young girls and boys from four schools. Cash transfers and food distributions: WVE has been providing cash transfers, mainly targeting households with pregnant women, for food and transport to health facilities, ante- and postnatal care, and infant and young child feeding. It also helped link pregnant women with rural health motivators (RHMs), who monitor and support them with counselling until the child is 5 years old. Monitoring shows that the number of meals per day has increased from one or two meals a day (consisting mainly of starches) to three or more meals a day, which now include more diverse foods. Antenatal care visits have also increased and women are starting counselling and seeking support from RHMs earlier, rather than RHMs having to look for pregnant women to encourage them to enroll in timely targeted counselling.
  2. Climate smart initiatives: WVE introduced households in the dry areas of Eswatini to climate-smart agricultural practices, which has resulted in the adoption of crop and livestock diversity, with a focus on goat production, backyard gardens, and wetland protection. The success of this programme has naturally multiplied, with neighbouring households requesting seedlings for indigenous vegetables after seeing their resilience. This has also improved children's access to more nutritious foods as these vegetables are high in micronutrients and cheap to buy.