PDI: Field Annual Impact Report 2022-2023

FIELD ACTIVITIES ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT JULY 2022 TO JUNE 2023 SERVING RURAL COMMUNITIES IN THE KINGDOM OF ESWATINI (SWAZILAND)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

02

Table of Contents

03

Executive Summary

04

How Your Dollar Helps People

05

Summary of Our Programs

06

Reflections from the Field

20

Conclusion

21

Partners

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The purpose of this Impact Report is to share the field activities and achievements with our Possible Dreams International (PDI) community. This provides greater transparency of our work and its impact on the rural communities in the Kingdom of Eswatini. We hope this report aids donors to better understand the activities we have delivered, the people accessing our services and the opportunities we are planning for the year ahead.

Eswatini is a small landlocked country in Sub-Saharan Africa with a population of 1.2 million people. Despite Eswatini having the 9th highest GDP in all of Africa, the disparity between high and low income groups is enormous. As per the World Food Programme, Eswatini has the tenth highest income inequality in the world. Over two thirds of the rural population live below the poverty line - these are the communities that PDI works with.

Unemployment is a huge challenge for Eswatini and is a significant contributor to the socioeconomic disadvantage faced by many Swazi people. According to the Swazi National Development Plan in 2022, the rising unemployment rate has reached new heights with a third of Swazis unemployed. Young people are overrepresented with an unemployment rate of 58.8%. The Swazi government is trying to address the youth unemployment rate, for example with a bill to address the reliance on imported commodities and skilled labour. Nevertheless, there is a long way to go. Education, skills training and employment opportunities are vital to allow the next generation of Swazis to be financially independent.

The divide between the high and low socioeconomic groups in Eswatini is particularly apparent in the Lubombo Region, where most of PDI's work is based. Until there is a more equitable distribution of wealth and an improvement in the unemployment rate, PDI’s work will continue to be a lifeline for many families.

With Eswatini’s fragile economy perpetuating social disadvantage, the Swazi Field Team works tirelessly alongside communities to improve the social determinants of health. We are fortunate to have a dedicated Swazi team who speak the language, understand the culture and have longstanding relationships with communities. We also continue to be amazed by the generosity of our donors, partners and volunteers.

Siyabonga kakhulu, Thank you very much, The PDI Team

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HOW YOUR DOLLAR HELPS PEOPLE

We believe that every donation we receive should be spent preciously.

We are proud to report that from our finance management in FY2023, 90 cents of every dollar spent goes towards implementing programs in the Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland). Note this has decreased from FY2022 due to the cost of insurance.

90 cents of every dollar goes directly to the communites we serve

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SUMMARY OF OUR PROGRAMS STREAMS

AID

PROGRAM NAMES

DESCRIPTION

Delivering essential food: Mealie-Meal (MM) Program

Provides monthly emergency food relief to people in need

Daily Emergency Medical Fund & Home Based Care

Assists unwell people living in poverty with transport, medication expenses and consultation/admission fees at the Hospital.

Collaborates with the local hospital to provide outreach medical care.

Maternal Child Health Fund

Provides financial support for infants who have lost their mothers to HIV/AIDS. This fund also helps mothers who cannot breastfeed and are unable to afford formula.

Soup Kitchen

Preparing daily meals for vulnerable elderly people and those living in poverty. The Matsetsa soup kitchen also has a vegetable garden tended to by volunteers. It’s grown to become a community centre of entrepreneurial grandmothers.

Housing Project

Building permanent, secure houses for vulnerable elderly people, women and children orphaned by AIDS

Income Generating Projects

Encourages and supports MM Program recipients to begin an income generating project. This empowers these clients to become self-sufficient so they can eventually end their reliance on receiving essential food supplies

Handicraft Project

A successful outcome from the Soup Kitchen is this project which encourages vulnerable elderly clients to generate savings from selling handcrafted projects

Sitsatsaweni Farming Project

PDI acquired land in Sitsatsaweni to grow maize and other crops. This produce is harvested and used in the Essential Food program and the Soup Kitchen to support the sustainability of these Aid projects.

Education - Scholarship Fund

Funds school fees, books, bus fares and school uniforms for both boys and girls.

These young people would otherwise be out of school.

Sanitation Project

Employing local people to build pit latrines (toilets) and provide sanitation education to reduce the burden of disease

Dignity Program

Provides comfort, care and assistance to people who are elderly or terminally ill.

Provides girls with essential hygiene products and empowers them to stay in school.

SUSTAINABILITY

DIGNITY

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REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD 01. MEALIE-MEAL PROGRAM PDI’s Mealie Meal (MM) program is our emergency food aid relief program that provides a monthly supply of basic food items such as maize for Swazis in need. In the setting of poor harvest from extreme weather events and the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the MM program continued to have high demand this year.

Climate change has also adversely impacted the farming season with extreme weather patterns prohibiting maize growth. The government estimates that more than 50% of families with maize crops will get a suboptimal harvest with an estimated shortfall of 33 tonnes.

Despite the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions this year, there are ongoing socioeconomic impacts from the pandemic in Eswatini. In particular, the permanent closure of many businesses and rising inflation has driven the high rate of unemployment, and has meant many families are not able to cover the cost of food. Furthermore, the government is winding back initiatives such as food distributions to families in need, which is further increasing demand for PDI’s MM program. Fortunately, school aged children are now provided with lunch every day, ensuring these children get at least one meal per day.

During this reporting period, our MM program benefited an average of 36 families every month. The list of recipients is dynamic with some families being removed due to improved economic circumstances and others being added due to unemployment.

While the number of families decreased slightly from previous years, the total beneficiaries increased slightly as many families in the program had more children than in previous reporting periods.

IMPACT NUMBER OF FAMILIES: NUMBER OF ADULTS: NUMBER OF CHILDREN: TOTAL:

36 84 132 216

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REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD 01. MEALIE-MEAL PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS Thanks to the ongoing support from PDI’s donors, volunteers and board members, we managed to provide the much needed MM packs to our clients.

CHALLENGES Prices of basic food commodities continued to rise substantially, especially after the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Extreme weather patterns affected the maize production in the country.

The war in Ukraine resulted in shortages of fertilizer and other farm input which contributed to the harvest being below expectations.

RECOMMENDATIONS Many of the challenges above are beyond PDI’s control. PDI is supportive of the government taking steps to address climate change, which it is doing through a special Task Team and government fund to encourage local food production and reduce reliance on imported produce. Some of the programs that have been initiated include: Programs to encourage youth and women to be involved in agriculture A pilot project where orphans are given seeds and fertilizer at no cost to encourage them to grow maize and beans to feed themselves.

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REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD 02. DAILY EMERGENCY FUND

The Daily Emergency Fund was set up to assist individuals who are unable to afford the cost of healthcare and travel to hospital. The fund pays for consultation, medication, transport and hospitalisation at the Good Shepherd Hospital (GSH) in Siteki.

In total, 55 people were assisted over the 12 month reporting period with 47 adults and 8 children provided with healthcare-related financial support. This is less than the 81 people we assisted in the previous reporting period, which is in part due to GSH covering costs for essential hospital stays for patients unable to pay.

The breakdown of financial assistance in the emergency fund is as follows (noting that the same person may receive support in multiple domains on multiple occasions if required): Transport to medical services: 32 people Medical investigations: 4 people Medication fees: 17 people Hospital admission: 1 person

IMPACT NUMBER OF ADULTS: NUMBER OF CHILDREN: TOTAL:

47 8 55

The Daily Emergency Fund aims to provide holistic care to patients. The beneficiaries also receive Mealie Meal packs so they can take their medications without nausea or abdominal pain. Many of our beneficiaries who cannot afford medications, also cannot afford transport to hospital or consultation fees, hence PDI provides assistance in all domains to encourage medication compliance.

Home Based Care (HBC) continues to collaborate with PDI to ensure the best outcomes for the Swazi community. HBC refers clients who need assistance with food to PDI; and PDI refers clients to HBC who need medical care but cannot travel to hospital due to mobility limitations. PDI covers the cost of the HBC service to those who cannot afford it to ensure that no one is left without essential medical care.

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REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD 03. MATERNAL CHILD HEALTH The Maternal Child Health Fund provides financial support to support infants up to 6 months old, whose families are unable to afford formula or essential medical care. Financial hardship, unplanned teenage pregnancies and maternal death can result in difficulties adequately feeding infants and these families may require PDI’s assistance to buy infant formula.

This year, four infants were assisted as part of this program.

One infant was orphaned due to their mother dying of advanced HIV/AIDS. The other infants were malnourished due to their young single mothers being unable to afford formula when breastfeeding was not a viable option.

4 INFANTS HELPED CHALLENGES The cost of infant formula has doubled since 2021.

04. SOUP KITCHEN The Soup Kitchen is now in its sixth year of operation. It continues to provide much needed food relief to the elderly people around Matsetsa.

With the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, the operations at the soup kitchen have nearly returned back to their pre-pandemic baseline. Although there are still some lingering effects of the restrictions with some elderly people preferring to eat their food at home, the vast majority of clients are enjoying the socialisation that comes with eating a meal in the shared area.

The Soup Kitchen had to adapt to the Covid-19 restrictions and the economic impacts of the pandemic. Firstly, the kitchen reduced its operating times from five to three days per week. This was initially due to the restrictions but unfortunately, due to exponentially increased costs of commodities, the soup kitchen can only sustain three days per week.

Fortunately the Swazi government has increased the pension to the elderly. Elderly Swazis now receive a monthly distribution of SZL 500 (AUD$40) instead of the same amount every three months. This tripling in pension allows more pension-holders to cover the cost of their basic needs, however the benefit of the pension rise is offset by rapidly rising food prices.

The Soup Kitchen is also a community hub where several IGPs are run (see section 7.1). The beneficiaries of the Soup Kitchen share in gardening, gathering firewood and harvesting maize at the Sitsatsaweni Farm.

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REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD 05. HOUSING PROGRAM Our housing program is one of PDI’s flagship projects in Eswatini with 38 homes built since PDI’s formation in 2009.

Unfortunately due to financial constraints, no new houses were built during this financial year, but we assisted three families with house repairs after heavy rains.

Three families who are in desperate need for houses approached PDI this year. The PDI board and volunteers are busy raising funds for a new home for one family headed by a gogo (grandmother) caring for her 5 grandchildren. Her house was completely destroyed by the heavy rains in early 2023. We hope that enough funds will be raised by the end of 2023 to allow this dream to become reality.

TOTAL HOUSES BUILT BY PDI: BRICK HOUSES: STICK AND MUD: MORTAR AND STONE: TOTAL:

There are other organisations in Eswatini who are assisting Swazis in desperate need of safe housing. A hundred families across Eswatini are being identified for new shelter in a joint project between the government’s National Disaster Management Agency and United Nations Development Programme. The Red Cross also has a limited capacity to provide essential shelter for Swazis in need.

Nevertheless, we are unsure if these other programs will reduce the high number of housing requests to PDI.

TOTAL WATER TANKS BUILT BY PDI:

CHALLENGES Lack of funds for building houses.

More people are still in need of assistance with shelter.

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5000 L: 12 4500 L: 19 2200 L: 2

34 3 1 38

REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD 06. INCOME GENERATING PROJECTS

The Income Generating Projects (IGPs) are a lifeline for families who would otherwise be struggling to make ends meet. The objective of this project is to develop an income stream for clients who are reliant on our MM emergency food relief program so we can empower them to become selfsufficient. This means they can pay for their basic needs through an income and can eventually be removed from the MM program, allowing other people in need to access our MM program.

Intowork, a not for profit provider of employment, skills and training in Australia, remained our key funding source for this program. Our existing IGPs continued to thrive and during this reporting period, four new IGPs were created.

Two of our new IGPs were run by young women and the other two were run by single parents/caregivers, including a grandmother caring for her orphaned grandchildren. All new projects are running successfully, in particular the ‘mobile money and cookies’ IGP which is generating a reasonable income.

Some of our IGPs have evolved in response to the Covid19 pandemic and socioeconomic challenges facing Eswatini. One example is the Amandla Project, which was initially set up as a sewing IGP for a group of Swazi women to give them an alternative income source to transactional sex work. The demand for school uniforms, their main product, was markedly reduced due to change in government regulations, so these women adapted to produce aprons and grass mats as well.

10 IGPS

BENEFITTING

50 PEOPLE

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REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD 06. INCOME GENERATING PROJECTS Swazi women who run PDI’s Soup Kitchen have also restarted their fence making IGP after the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions with great success. They are now planning to use the profits of their fence business to purchase chairs and tables that they will rent out for community events, such as weddings and night vigils.

PDI’s IGPs have also evolved since their beginnings in 2009, from single family focused, to now supporting larger groups. Our experience has found group IGPs are more successful and have committee oversight to keep them on track. The community impact of a single group IGP is enormous, with the capacity to benefit multiple families and empowering them to meet their daily needs. There are now ten ongoing IGPs, benefitting approximately 50 people.

ACHIEVEMENTS

CHALLENGES

The Amandla sewing IGP had to diversify after the Swazi government introduced new regulations on purchasing school uniforms. They adapted to make aprons and grass mats.

The Goats IGPs continued to be affected by stock theft which has gotten worse despite government efforts to bring it under control.

RECOMMENDATIONS Continue to support the IGPs Add garden and vegetable IGPs and support them with water tanks for water harvesting, fencing and seedlings for families in need.

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REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD 07. HANDICRAFT PROJECT The Handicraft Project at the Soup kitchen was started to help the bogogo (grandmothers) and bomkhulu (grandfathers) to generate some income to meet their basic needs. Currently, the main activities are creating fences and handicrafts, including grass mats, sleeping mats, chicken-laying nests, and beads.

Unfortunately two members of the Soup Kitchen community passed away this year. PDI assisted these families with contributions towards funeral costs through the bereavement fund.

ACHIEVEMENTS Vegetable Garden Handicrafts projects (Grass sleeping mats, traditional necklaces and skirts, bags) Fence making project revival Making of Chicken–laying nests (Tilulu) to sell in the community Assisting with harvesting of Sitsatsaweni fields.

CHALLENGES The price of food was the major challenge.

Two elderly people in the Soup Kitchen community passed away

RECOMMENDATION Installation of power supply at the soup kitchen is an ongoing need.

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REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD 08. SITSATSAWENI FARMING PROJECT Sitsatsaweni Farm was established to grow food that would be distributed as part of the Mealie Meal emergency food relief project and for meals prepared in the Soup Kitchen. This farm was envisaged as a way to promote self-sustainability within PDI. In its first year of harvest, the farm had an excellent crop that significantly reduced the need to buy external food commodities to support our aid work.

Unfortunately, in the last three years, the farm has been faced by multiple challenges in the setting of extreme weather events and climate change.

This year, unprecedented heavy rains followed by a prolonged hot dry summer adversely affected the harvest. This was a country-wide phenomenon affecting all farms in Eswatini, contributing to exorbitant price hikes in food around the country. It is estimated that Eswatini will need to import 33 tonnes of maize to make up for lost produce due to the extreme weather. Furthermore, the war between Russia and Ukraine resulted in a shortage of fertiliser and seeds. As a result, the Sitsatsaweni Farm produced a reduced harvest, with 11 x 50kg bags of maize harvested and 7kg of sweet potato.

We would also like to acknowledge the invaluable support of Intowork, who are the key sponsor of the Sitsatsaweni Farming Project.

CHALLENGES ACHIEVEMENTS 11 x 50 kg bags of maize harvested The Traditional Structures accepted our request for another piece of land, which is better suited to growing maize. This will be cultivated in the 2023/2024 farming season.

Climate change and weather changes continue to control the harvest.

Inflation since the Covid19 pandemic has substantially increased running costs.

RECOMMENDATIONS To maximise yield from the new allocated farmland in the setting of climate change, the PDI field team will follow the recommendations of the Agriculture Extension Officers.

Continue to be part of the government subsidized farmers’ scheme to access subsidised seeds and fertilizer.

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REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD 09. EDUCATION - SCHOLARSHIP FUND The scholarship fund provides financial support for school fees and uniforms for families with limited resources. It was established in 2019 with the support of former United States Peace Corps Volunteers who served in Eswatini years ago.

This year, we were also fortunate to have IntoWork support this program.

Many students were faced with a 40% increase in school fees this year, which added further financial stress on families already struggling with other economic effects of the pandemic. As a result, there was an increase in requests for financial support, with over 50 applications. Unfortunately, due to uncertainty with ongoing funding of the program and inflation, we were unable to take on any new children this year.

PDI covered the cost of school fees for 18 children, school uniforms for 4 children and school shoes for 5 children this year. PDI also supported 5 families to obtain birth certificates in order for their children to be eligible for primary school registration. We assisted 3 high school students to obtain national identity documents to be eligible to sit exams.

This program continues to play a vital role in empowering children from families who have no means of funding their children’s education. In Eswatini, primary school is free but secondary school requires school fees.

ACHIEVEMENTS All the children who were in their final year of high school under the scholarship fund passed their exams and some are enrolled in tertiary studies.

A total of 18 students were supported during this reporting period.

CHALLENGES The number of children applying for assistance exceeded our capacity to assist.

Schools fees increased again when schools opened for the 2023 school year.

RECOMMENDATION To continue to expand this essential program.

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REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD 10. SANITATION PROJECT With a grant from The Universal Charitable Fund (UCF), PDI was able to build three toilets during this reporting period. (UCF also sponsored a fourth toilet built after the reporting period.)

3 20

TOILETS BUILT

BENEFICIARIES

11. DIGNITY PROJECT The Dignity Project was initially established to assist the elderly struggling to care for themselves. During this period, PDI assisted one elderly widow with gardening and house maintenance.

Two years ago, a new arm of the Dignity Project was developed to support school aged girls attend school while on their menstrual periods. Many families who are reliant on Mealie Meal emergency food relief are unable to afford sanitary pads, soap, toothpaste or deodorant, and the PDI field team observed that many young girls would not attend school during their period. This inspired the Hygiene Pack for Girls program which provides sanitary pads, soap and toothpaste on a monthly basis to young girls in need to ensure they did not miss essential education during their menstrual period.

At its peak, 21 girls were benefiting from this program, but in the last 12 months, this has reduced to 14 beneficiaries. This is partly because large global health organisations including World Vision and UNICEF have identified this as a problem in many developing nations, and consequently other local agencies are now providing this service to young girls in Eswatini.

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REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD 12. ADMINISTRATION AND THE TEAM This year was the first year that things returned to ‘normal’ after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Schools returned to their usual timetables, and many companies re-opened and re-hired employees. Unfortunately, what did not change was the high cost of commodities that emerged during the pandemic.

The PDI Board and international volunteers spent invaluable time, effort and creativity into fundraising and grant writing to allow the Field Team to provide essential support to those in need.

The world economy is not favourable to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), with many NGOs in Eswatini closing due to lack of funding. It is a huge accomplishment for PDI to be able to continue operations, retaining all its original employees and projects.

The field team is composed of five people, three full time members and two part time members. Our field team has remained the same for several years and is committed to delivering life changing projects to socially disadvantaged communities in Eswatini.

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REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD 12. ADMINISTRATION AND THE TEAM TThe civil unrest in Eswatini has improved significantly over the last 12 months, with an election planned for later this year. This will likely see a change in government, however it is unclear whether this will result in significant changes in the political structure of Eswatini.

Rising inflation and extreme weather events are significant challenges for communities in Eswatini. PDI will continue to do our best to support people in need in Eswatini and empower them to break the insidious cycle of socioeconomic disadvantage.

CHALLENGES ACHIEVEMENTS Delivering MM to families who would otherwise go to bed hungry Keeping 14 girls in school during their periods through the Dignity program Supporting 18 students to complete their education who otherwise could not afford school fees Building three toilets for families without access to basic sanitation.

Consistently supporting our clients during and post pandemic Keeping the Team employed despite difficult economic times Growing the IGP program

The economic situation remainsa huge challenge and the increased cost of supplies makes it harder to deliver assistance.

Requests for schooling support exceed what we can currently fund, leaving some children without access to basic education.

RECOMMENDATION Continue to explore funding opportunities particularly for building houses.

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CONCLUSION

As the Swazi Field Team, we believe this has been a successful year for PDI despite several challenges. It is our hope that the economy will improve and new funding opportunities will arise so that we can grow our current projects, and address the dire housing need.

Without the endless support of the PDI Board, volunteers, partners and community, what we do would not be possible. In particular, we would like to thank IntoWork for their generous support of income and education programs.

PDI remains a lifeline for many families in Eswatini. As one of the students, Nolwazi Nyawo, said “I am forever thankful for the unconditional support from PDI, and I wish for other children to get such assistance.”

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PARTNERS

PLATINUM SPONSOR

MAJOR SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

Mount Waverley Uniting Church and Burwood Heights Uniting Church

Thank you to our sponsors and partners for their invaluable support.