Transforming Lives: Meet Beauty!

In the heart of Eswatini, one intervention has made a world of difference for Beauty, a resilient 21-year-old facing adversity. She embodies the harsh reality of many in her community - a school dropout, grappiling with poverty and the weight of responsibilities as she navigates life.

To help children live a hunger-free tomorrow, World Vision and partners invest in livelihoods and longer-term intervention that improve food security.

In April 2023, in a small village under Hlane Constituency in Eswatini, Beauty (holding chicken in the picture), received a donation of 3 indigenous chickens (1 cock and 2 hens), 2 female goats and one 1m by 1.2m fencing roll for backyard gardening. Today, those 3 chickens have multiplied to 18, thanks to her dedication and hard work.

A project named "Child-headed Household Farming", formed through a partnership between World Vision Eswatini and Esicojeni Foundation, ensured that Beauty has capital for generating income and securing her future. This project has been running for two years and is aimed at ensuring that child-headed households that are extremely vulnerable have enough resources to provide for their basic needs.

"These interventions will help me provide for my essential needs," says Beauty, echoing the sentiments of 295 children benefitting from this project in Eswatini.

With crop production inputs, goats, indigenous chickens, and backyard gardening equipment, these 295 children from the Lubombo and Shiselweni regions are empowered to thrive.

Beauty dreams of returning to school as soon as her chickens and goats yield enough profit to cover her school fees. She highlighted this when she received start-up seedlings for her backyard garden (20 cabbages, 50 green-peppers, 50 beetroots, 50 onions and 50 spinach). 

"I plan on giving my all when it comes to chickens and goats and I know that this will multiply them massively; then I will be able to make enough money to go back to school," she says.

World Vision Eswatini plans to continue empowering these young people to have dependency mindsets and promote individual empowerment among them. Nosipho Dlamini, World Vision Eswatini’s Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs (HEA) Coordinator, explains how they will integrate the Livelihoods Technical Programme with the Faith and Development sector in the organisation. 

“All 295 beneficiaries will be attending an Empowered Worldview training in March 2024, so they can be empowered and mobilised to drive social change for sustainable child wellbeing”, she said.

It isn't just a donation; it's a life-changing investment in a brighter tomorrow.