In Swaziland, one of the poorest countries in Africa, food and sanitation are offered in a structural way to the many hundreds of orphans who have been abandoned there. The project aims to make them less socially vulnerable and is an example of the new self-reliance of young Africans.
Luvatsi is an organisation of young Swazi professionals and university students who champion the needs of the most deprived children in their country. Luvatsi means spark: they want to offer children in the poorest regions of the country a ray of hope and permanently improve their living conditions.
Swaziland is an old kingdom where the local culture and traditions are still very much alive. Political and military intervention by the South African apartheid regime in 1986 led to the country falling into the hands of a self-serving regime that violates elementary social and democratic rights. Education and healthcare are neglected and the regime spends the few resources and European support mainly on prestigious projects.
There is great poverty in rural areas where the majority of the population lives. The situation of the thousands of orphans of parents who died of AIDS is the worst.
To stimulate these children to go to school, Luvatsi is planting orchards and gardens around primary schools so that the children can get a healthy meal every day.
The Joseph Schepers – Germaine Lijnen Fund had initially pledged financial support for a period of three years.
When six schools were being supported in this way, the Fund helped create a nursery, so that Luvatsi can help even more schools on its own.
The Fund will continue to support Luvatsi by financing the construction of modern school kitchens. The first equipped school kitchen was completed in 2022.
Six schools have been successfully planted with 150 fruit trees each, with varieties such as mangos, litchis, oranges, paw-paw and nantjies, at the Ntfonjeni High School, Dvudvusini High School, Dwalile High School, Sigcineni Primary School and Mkhuzweni High School and the Emagobodvo High School. The survival rate of these trees are at 100% thanks to the technical support from an agronomist.
Schoolchildren of Emagobodvo High School.
Luvatsi staff inspecting the rapid growth after one year.
Luvatsi staff, the director and teachers of the Emagobodvo High School, the expert of the University Agriculture Centre, together with Belgian supporters of the Fund, inspecting the first field ready for planting.
The tree nursery developed this year and which allows Luvatsi self-reliance for further similar projects.
The new school kitchen, example of the Emagobodvo school.
If you wish to offer additional support for this project, please transfer to this account:
King Badouin Foundation
J. Schepers-G. Lijnen
IBAN BE 10 0000 0000 0404
BIC BPOTBEB1
Structured code: ***015/0600/00132***
