Physical Health Eswatini Project #10850

Swaziland: Help 50 orphans become future leaders

by New Hope Centre

Project Report | Apr 30, 2018
The Broader View

By Cherry Brandstater | Project Coordinator

The Abraham Family

The project you have been supporting is one that is growing every day. It is not just an investment in infrastructure or in one specific endeavor. You have chosen to invest in the lives of children who would otherwise not be given the chance to make a difference in the country of Swaziland. None of us is able to do everything that is so urgently needed around the world, but we can do something – and in this case, something important. In most of these updates we have tried to give specific details of what the orphans you are sponsoring have been doing and accomplishing. This time it occurs to me as I try to convey the heart of this mission for fifty African orphans that you would want to see the bigger picture as well.

When this project started in 2012, HIV was going thru our land like a sickle mowing down the population like the Grim Reaper. In its wake were hundreds of thousands of parentless children with no government resources to come to their rescue. As a consequence, they, too, were suffering and dying at alarming rates. Outside help was needed to stem the tide and to rescue these children. You heard the plea and jumped into action – putting your money where your hearts were. As a result, not one of these fifty children has died. That, in itself, is a miracle. But your generosity has gone much further than that. It has supplied adults to parent, nurture, love and guide these young minds and lives. It has supplied nutritious food to make strong bodies. You have made possible an education for the children which prepares them to take their places in this impoverished nation and make changes of their own. Since the beginning of this project many of them have already moved out into the community while others have taken their places here to begin the journey all over again.

As you are aware, character-building is an integral part of the children’s training at New Hope Centre. It is an all too common theme in poverty-stricken countries that corruption fills in the gaps of desperate need. Our kids are different. From the beginning they are taught the value of treating others as they would want to be treated. We believe that this on its own will change hearts and minds in positive ways.

So, our mission is accomplished – every day – and not yet. It is a living organism that is breathing new life and hope into Swaziland. As you probably recall our children have reached out to literally thousands of other orphans throughout the land planting centers of resilience that carry on in their absence. Frequently, New Hope Centre plays host to hundreds of those children as we bring them to our campus to re-energize their hope for the future.

Thank you for not losing your impetus to partner with us over the years. The needs do not go away – and neither have you.

Thank you most sincerely,

Cherry Brandstater

Project Coordinator

New Hope Centre

A Family with 50 Siblings

The Gathering Place: Our Palapa

Craft Project

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Jan 29, 2018
New Year - New Beginnings

By Cherry Brandstater | Project Manager

Suzzanna in Kobe Academy School Uniform

Each year at New Hope Centre we end the year meditating over the things we have to be thankful for from the year. In addition we write whatever we feel may be anticipated in the coming year. We call it our crossing over ceremony.

This has also been a momentous period when two of our sons, Samuel and John, came of age. For each of our kids we have a celebration of passage from childhood to adulthood when they turn 18. We give them adult names that typify their characters and destinies for the future. They are honored as leaders and are blessed for their coming destinies in a formal ceremony.

Samuel has chosen to spend six months in Discipleship Training School. This is a program started to equip young people for ministry in Youth with a Mission. It is being held in Hawaii and he is being sent by his faithful longtime sponsors. He is a deep lover of God and a true worshipper. He has a natural grace that allows him to dance before the Lord and lead others into His presence.

John was three years old when he came to New Hope Centre and was present at the official opening. He wants to farm and will be spending the next six months training himself by working on our own grounds with the vegetable garden, dairy cows and bee hives. He has assisted his older brothers Elijah, Noah and Joel who have moved on into their adult lives. John went to Zimbabwe a year ago for training in “Planting Gods Way,” a method of planting vegetables for maximum yield in African conditions. Three years back he did the Swaziland Dairy Board course which would be helpful to repeat now that he is older. Of course, this will require sponsorship.

Suzzanna has opened a new chapter in her life. She turned 18 in April 2017 and began a serious effort to fund a school and sponsorship to complete high school. She is accepted in Kobe Advanced Academy with a Director's scholarship of 50%. Geof Ramakadi, the founder of the school, has been most supportive of the Abraham children and we all look forward to great progress.

Abigail and Anastasia, two of our bright and beautiful girls, are starting their final three years of High School at Phumelele School. Phumelele means to succeed or to accomplish.

It is exciting to be able to share our lives with you and we hope that this little update will help you to see what your gifts are accomplishing in real and tangible ways. We thank you once again for your interest and love for these children and pray for your health and blessing in this New Year as well.

Samuel on His Way to Training

Samuel and John Saying Goodbye

Abigail on to New Heights

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Oct 30, 2017
In the Swim of Things

By Cherry Brandstater | Project Manager, New Hope Centre

Preparing to Win

Consistent with our mission to turn disadvantage into success, the children of New Hope Center have been leading the way in yet another area of Swazi life.

This week, four of our kids, John, Ethan, Joseph and Hephzibah are swimming in the first national gala of the Swaziland swim season. What makes this particularly notable is that none of the four has had a chance to even practice one day since this swim season started. This is a courageous act from these four athletes. Last season we were able to use the University of Swaziland indoor pool for lessons and training. However, it has changed hands so we have been praying and hoping to negotiate free swimming hours or something we can afford.

Joseph and Ethan have actually been selected to train with a national coach as part of the national swim team. John has been nominated to represent Swaziland in the international swim competition to be held in Botswana as the first step towards qualifying to represent Swaziland at the commonwealth games. In past years our kids have excelled, taking home many prizes at each swim gala.

Our involvement in national swimming competition began just a few days after New Hope Centre opened in 2004. The chairman of the swim association drove onto our campus and offered to train four of our team of volunteers in coaching. He also arranged for us to have swimming lessons at the hot spring pool of the Royal Swazi Conference and Hotel Centre. Immediately, our kids took hold of the opportunity and have never turned back.

Since then, Noah and Joanna have been become coaches of primary school students in various Swazi schools, while John and Zadok are in training to become coaches. Noah is working fulltime under one of the national swim coaches in nearby Mbabane. One of our administrators, Annie Cheung, is on the Executive Committee as treasurer of the Swaziland National Swim Association.

It is true in most societies that athletes serve as role models. The successes of our kids at the national level have afforded them many opportunities to speak into the lives of others who struggle financially, scholastically and socially. With your contributions to their lives in stabilizing their infrastructure, you have allowed them to fulfill the vision for which New Hope Centre was established in the first place: to develop leaders from marginalized orphans. Thank you for your continued support of these mission.

In gratitude,

Cherry Brandstater

Determined

Early Training

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