Economic Growth Eswatini Project #18319

Jobs for 250 Impoverished Families in Swaziland

by Kudvumisa Foundation USA Inc

Jobs for 250 Impoverished Families in Swaziland

Project Report | Apr 21, 2026
Something Powerful is Taking Shape

By Temnotfo Mvubu | Grant Writer/Research

Gathering marula fruit

Something powerful is taking shape. In communities where opportunity is scarce and income is uncertain, even small, consistent earnings can begin to restore something deeper than financial stability, they restore choice, dignity, and hope. This project exists to create those opportunities. Every activity you support is designed to help families move from survival to possibility by turning local skills and resources into sustainable income.Over this reporting period, we have continued to build on practical, income-generating activities rooted in local skills and resources.

Women from surrounding rural communities are actively supplying Marula kernels, creating a consistent income stream from a resource that previously had little local market value
Our Singumndeni caregivers remain at the heart of production, working on our body-care range while continuing to build skills and earn within a supportive environment
Our sewing team continues to produce garments and crafts, with items available for sale at our Livivane Guesthouse, contributing to ongoing income generation

These efforts continue to provide accessible, real ways for families to earn using what is already available to them, while steadily strengthening confidence, skills, and financial stability.

Connecting Products to Opportunity

One of the greatest challenges families face is not just producing goods, but knowing where and how to connect them to meaningful opportunities. This is where Kudvumisa continues to play an important role, helping to identify opportunities, build relationships, and act as a bridge between locally made products and places where they are valued and can be accessed by customers. Over this period, we have expanded where products from this project can be found. In addition to existing outlets, our range is now stocked in new locations such as Big Game Parks and Dala Spaces at Malandelas in Malkerns. For our international supporters, our U.S. e-shop remains active and continues to provide an important access point to global customers:https://www.dvumisacreative.com/

Alongside the marula and sewing projects, we have also supported some families through additional household-level interventions aimed at strengthening food security and encouraging micro-enterprise. Singumndeni caregivers who received seedlings are now growing home gardens that help feed their families, with surplus being replanted or sold, while others are beginning small home-based businesses such as selling eggs and floor polish. These efforts are still emerging, but they are already making a difference in meeting daily needs such as food, schooling, and healthcare, while gradually creating space for families to save, reinvest, and build more stable futures.

While meaningful progress is being made in this project, the journey ahead remains significant as we continue working to reach more families with sustainable income opportunities. We remain just short of our overall fundraising goal, but deeply encouraged by the commitment of participating families and the continued support behind this work. Thank you for helping us turn small beginnings into lasting change, one household at a time.

Buying marula nuts from the community

Making marula oil based soaps

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Dec 22, 2025
A Year of Adaptation, Growth, and Shared Impact

By Temnotfo Mvubu | Grant Writer/Research

Making the marula soap

This year, your generosity has enabled our organisation to continue addressing poverty and lack of opportunity through practical, community-rooted economic development. One of the key ways we do this is through Dvumisa Creative, a social enterprise designed to connect local artisans and producers to sustainable markets. Dvumisa Creative has evolved over time in response to real conditions on the ground, remaining flexible while staying true to its purpose: creating dignified income opportunities for people who are often excluded from the formal economy.

In previous years, we operated a retail shop at the Mantenga Lifestyle Centre in Ezulwini, where tourists and locals could purchase handmade Dvumisa Creative products such as fun sishewe accessories, stone-etched items, and glassware crafted by artisans from our surrounding communities, alongside our marula oil serum. This shop provided a vital income stream for artisans and producers, helping families meet basic needs through their skills and locally sourced products. At the start of this year, however, the shop was closed due to high operational costs. While this was a difficult decision, it allowed us to redirect resources toward more scalable and community-based economic initiatives.

One such initiative has been the continued development of marula and moringa oil production, which forms part of Dvumisa Creative’s broader empowerment work. The year began with scaling the existing marula product line, strengthening production and supply chains. By mid-year, this growth enabled the expansion of the range to include soaps and body butters, increasing both market appeal and income-generating opportunities. Around the same time, we were able to repair the moringa press and successfully restart moringa oil production, bringing this valuable resource back into the enterprise. Marula season is slowly approaching (February- April), and our production process will soon begin its natural rhythm, as women from nearby communities collect, dry, and crack the nuts by hand before selling the kernels to us for pressing and processing.

This work creates a meaningful chain of impact, from women supplying raw materials to those crafting the finished products, many of whom are caregivers in our Singumndeni program raising children with disabilities. These women often face stigma and exclusion, making traditional employment impossible. Through flexible, supportive work, they gain skills and earn income that is reinvested into food, schooling, health care, and homestead improvements.

We are deeply grateful for the support of our donors in 2025, which helped sustain production, expand product ranges, and create dignified work for caregivers. To date this GlobalGiving project has assisted hundreds of families, but we still have many more to reach. While we have raised $7,397 toward our $35,000 goal, there is still work to be done to expand the impact. We invite you to continue partnering with us in 2026 as we work to strengthen opportunities and transform lives. www.kudvumisafoundation.org

Happy manning the oil, soap and cream gazebo

At another market, selling marula products

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Aug 25, 2025
Unlocking the Potential of Local Skills

By Temnotfo Mvubu | Grant Writer/Research

Preparing to fill jars with a new batch of cream

Our vision has always been to unlock the potential of local skills and natural resources so that families can create sustainable livelihoods, and we are so proud to announce that our marula oil range is growing! What began with producing marula oil has now expanded into a line of beautiful, handcrafted soaps and creams. This exciting development directly impacts the caregivers in our Singumndeni program, who often cannot seek traditional employment due to the demands of caring for a child with a disability. By involving these women in the production of our new product range, we are helping them earn an income and building a foundation for economic self-reliance. Just last week, the ladies produced 51 jars of cream and 15 bars of soap.

Beyond the products themselves, every single batch represents something more: it's a new skill, a moment of dignity, and a reliable income for families who once had no opportunities for economic participation. This project is equipping these women with valuable business and production skills while providing them with the means to support their families. We are also teaching the ladies to make liquid and laundry soap with the goal to help them launch their own home-based businesses, a solution that allows them to earn an income and support their families without leaving their homes. This is particularly vital for caregivers who cannot seek outside employment due to the demands of their child's care.

Thanks to your generous support, what once was just an idea has now grown into something truly life-changing. With your continued support, we can scale up production, expand product distribution, and bring more families into this journey of empowerment. Every purchase and every donation helps write a new story of possibility for women, their families, and their communities. Busy, beautiful, and full of purpose—that’s the spirit of this project. And we couldn’t do it without you.

Mixing the cream

Cream production

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