Jobs for 250 Impoverished Families in Swaziland

Trying to find resources where the CHIPS (Community Health Intervention Programme Swaziland) program operates that can be marketed outside the community is a challenge. But we have found something that seems to have some appeal in the capital of Mbabane, 120 kilometers away!

Currently, macadamia shells are imported from South Africa and sold through the garden shops as ground cover for flower beds. We have introduced local marula shells into the market and hope to supplant the South African imports.

Marula shells are discarded each year after the marula fruit has been harvested. The left over shells are thrown into ever growing mounds. Having zero value here in Maphiveni, this is an ideal opportunity to create the connection to a market where the shells do have value.

While several groups in the communities CHIPS serves have stepped up, a group from Maphiveni has collected and supplied over eight 50 gallon (220 liter) drums of the shells. We pay E200 (about US $20) per barrel of shells and sell them for E300 in Mbabane (the difference helps cover some of the cost of petrol and maintenance on the trailer [as it is taking a beating on the gravel road and carrying four full barrels at a time]).

In an area that has little to no viable economy, this injection of funds helps the people that supply the shells buy the necessities and things to make their life better.

Continuing to grow the market is a priority as well hiring local Swazi's to promote the opportunity into the different CHIPS communities.

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We have known Thokozane for several years.  He lives in a rural homestead about 45 minutes outside Mbabane by dirt road.  He has had to take responsibility for all his siblings as their parent died several years ago from HIV.  It is a hard life by most counts.  There never seems to be a shortage of needs, emergencies, or disasters.  But he has survived.

Thokozane is a bright and hardworking young man who has helped us in many of the economic development projects.  From pressing the first batch of marula and moringa oil to experimenting with compressing marula shells into fire logs.  He has helped us set up our first baby crawfish experiment in the middle veld at his homestead.  He was known as "Mr. Moringa" for many years as the local moringa expert in the country: teaching many many homesteads how to grow, harvest and use the leaves from the moringa trees.

Recently we asked Thokozane to begin the process of introducing some of the projects into the communities we have worked in for the HIV and health program. First, he spent a week processing and pressing moringa seeds gathered from a stand of moringa in Vuvulane. The exercise was meant to fine tune the process of seed preparation and pressing the seeds for oil to revitalize the moringa market in Swaziland: many people planted moringa in the past 5 years but most has fallen into disuse. His next challenge will be to spend a week in the local communities talking to people to educate them on the availability of the press for both marula and moringa oil. As much as we would like to impact the community, it works much better having a Swazi work and communicate in the community. We are expecting Thokozane to have a tremendous impact with his ability to teach and garner interest in the local communities!

Links:

• Giving Hope in the face of HIV & Poverty