COUNTRY / PROBLEM
eSwatini, formerly Swaziland, is a small country in Southern Africa. It is an absolute monarchy ruled by King Mswati III since 1986. eSwatini has more than a million inhabitants, where 28% of adults are HIV-positive, which is the highest infection rate in the world. Unfortunately, the HIV/AIDS epidemic remains a taboo subject in this country, and few people benefit from free access to antiretroviral medicines. As a result of high mortality among adults, as many as 25% of children are currently orphans.
Another social problem in eSwatini is the low position of women in the society. They do not have property rights and cannot be passport holders – they are completely dependent on their husbands.
ORGANISATION
The Italian non-governmental organisation COSPE has been active in eSwatini since the late 1990s. It supports the country’s inhabitants in the development of agriculture, and strives to empower women in the society.
PROJECTS
Kulczyk Foundation supported the COSPE organisation and donated funds for projects aimed at helping women become financially independent and, at the same time, at supporting the sustainable development of the entire community:
support for 10 women united in the Spice Girls Women Group from the Mambane and Lukhetseni communities, who earn their living by selling sauce made from hot peppers. In order to stabilise and increase the pepper crops, Kulczyk Foundation funded the purchase of:
- water tanks with a capacity of five thousand litres, which were used to create a simple irrigation system, making the pepper crops less dependent on rainfall,
- agricultural tools that facilitate work with the crops,
- a professional blender allowing to increase the production of the sauce.
support for the Women Coalition in the Lwandle community:
- completion of the construction of the Lwande Women Centre's building – a safe facility for women,
- purchase of sewing machines and materials needed to produce Wonderbags (portable thermal bags that keep pots at a high temperature for many hours),
- support from a local COSPE expert for a year.
support for two social enterprises – Visumvelo Women Cooperative and the Mina Malwane Maluti Women Cooperative:
- purchase of agricultural tools allowing to increase the production.
