What is different about Heart for Africa now?

I remember my first trip to Africa in April 2003 like it was yesterday.  If I close my eyes I can still smell the sour odor of human waste and filth wafting off the street children, the smell of raw sewage that flows freely through the slums and the rotting flesh of HIV/AIDS related Kaposi Sarcoma cancer.   I will never forget the looks in the eyes of the children who were living on the street and remained living on the street as we drove away in our safe vehicle to return home to a shower and food on the table.   I remember asking myself how 500,000 children could be living on the streets of Nairobi and how 11 million children had lost their parents to a disease that was never talked about in Canada, ever? 

It was in April 2013 that I started on the journey that I have been on for 11 years and it was a journey to knowledge; knowledge about HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, malnutrition, poverty, wealth, greed, hunger, Christians, sacrifice, love, joy, peace and total surrender.

I remember clearly that I wanted everyone I knew to go and see what I had seen in Africa.  Six months after my first trip to Kenya I gathered a group of people from ONYX Marketing Group to travel with me to see what I had seen, so that together we could fight against the injustices of poverty, corruption and sin.  I was a bit like a rabid dog wanting everyone I knew to GO AND SEE!  And then I knew they would be transformed, as I had been, and we could do something to help.

In 2005 our family started volunteering with Dream for Africa and on February 1, 2006 we took over the ministry full-time and changed the name to Heart for Africa.  From 2005 to 2014 we hosted more than 5,400 (!) people on 11-day service trips in South Africa, Swaziland, Kenya and Malawi.  For many of those years we worked tirelessly to recruit people to go and see for themselves, so that they could help.  But I quickly learned, as so many do, that it’s really hard to help in any significant, long-lasting way, when you live thousands of miles from the people whom you serve.  I, along with many who volunteered with us, would often leave Africa discouraged, feeling like we hadn’t done enough or helped the people in greatest need.  Much of that changed when we moved to Swaziland.

 

Volunteering in Swaziland 2005

Living here has been a huge gift.  It is not easy, but we love it. I miss my children desperately and I am only now realizing the huge sacrifices that they have made in the past eight years, including our incredibly disruptive move to Africa.  There are days that I long for “normal” – you know, dinner in a restaurant, no emergency calls about a sick/burned/dead baby or no power outages.  But I know that we are where the Lord wants us to be, and that by being here we can help in a significant, long-lasting way.  I believe with my whole heart that the development of Project Canaan is not only benefitting the abandoned babies who are being raised here, and the people from our surrounding community who are employed here, but as we work to achieve our goals of self-sustainability we will also be helping many others in the rural communities who are currently unreached. 

With a plan in place to become self-sustainable (meaning no donor funds needed for operating costs) by 2020, we have now been able to identify areas where we can invite volunteers to come and help in maybe a more meaningful and practical way than before. 

Starting in 2015 Heart for Africa will only have one large 11-day service trip to Swaziland that is in the model of the past trips (i.e stay at Lugogo Sun Hotel, all ages welcome, great intro-to-missions trip, work at Project Canaan, visit community homesteads, serve at a rural church on Sat/Sun).  This trip will be in July to accommodate all westerners who want to come during school holidays.  We don’t plan to ever cancel that trip as long as people are willing and able to come.

Just had to add a cute baby photo from lunch time.

During the rest of the year we want to host smaller teams who can either stay at the Moringa Guest House on Project Canaan, or a the nearby Nkonyeni Resort (4 miles down the road).  We will be looking for people with specific skill sets like:

·      Trades people who can come and hold clinics to teach our tradesmen new techniques to improve their skills.

·      Sewers/knitters/jewelry makers to come design with and train our Artisans

·      Children’s Ministry leaders who can come and teach others the importance of and how to teach our little ones (and each other) about Jesus.

·      Farmers who can assist in helping us implement best practices in animal husbandry, crop yield, dairy production etc.

·      People who just love children – and want to come and read with our kids, play with our kids and take a little pressure off the Aunties who are there 24/7.

·      Dentists who can come and provide care for the 220 workers who have never been to a Dentist in their lives.

·      Nurses and Doctors who can help us provide care to the surrounding community.

·      And so many other skills that we don’t even know that we need yet.

This is a big change in focus for us, but now we believe it is the right change and look forward to continuing to have people come and serve God through the people of Swaziland.

 I was reading in Ecclesiastes yesterday and thought this scripture was very timely.

There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

A right time for birth and another for death,
A right time to plant and another to reap,
A right time to kill and another to heal,
A right time to destroy and another to construct,
A right time to cry and another to laugh,
A right time to lament and another to cheer,
A right time to make love and another to abstain,
A right time to embrace and another to part,
A right time to search and another to count your losses,
A right time to hold on and another to let go,
A right time to rip out and another to mend,
A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
A right time to love and another to hate,
A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 The Message Bible

Live from Swaziland … looking forward to spending the day with Chloe!

Janine

PS Registration is now open for a team of people to come and help us finish up the dorms and kitchen/dininghall for the "big kids".  We are looking for anyone who can paint, hang curtains, assemble furniture, fix-it people, or anyone who can just lend a hand.  You can register today at http://www.heartforafrica.org/trips/DT15Feb21Mar2.aspx.

What ever happened to ...? (updates on people and projects).

Miriam's "Got Milk". Photo by Jacob Van Singel.

  It has been a relatively quiet and uneventful week (aside from a massive wind storm and fires) and I always try to be intentional during these times to stop and reflect on all the God has done and is doing here on Project Canaan and around the world.

I am thankful for each of you who read this blog faithfully and often contact me and as how this person is and that person is.  As I sat quietly today and walked around the farm in my mind, praying for each department or situation, I thought it might be a good blog to give you a few short updates on people and things that might be of interest.  I would ask that you join me in praying for each of these areas as well as you have a day of rest tomorrow.

Children’s Campus:  We have 35 babies living at the El Roi Baby Home now and 24 at the Labakhetsiwe toddler home. There are 10 living in the “tinies” room (which is full) and six “walkers” will be moving to the toddler home next week.    We received six new children in 18 days in the month of May, but no children thus far in June.  I often wonder if no more children will come to us, and then the phone rings again.  Elisha fell and hit his head yesterday requiring three stitches, but otherwise just the usual teething pain, runny noses and colds.

Baby Isaiah:  Brooke and Lori Marschall took Isaiah to South Africa last week to continue testing to see why he is not thriving (he is 8 months old and weighs less than 10 lbs).  The good news is that his heart is perfect, his brain is perfect and they couldn’t find any other problems (heart condition and hydrocephalus were both in question).  We have run almost every possible test on this little guy, but now we will take him back on Tuesday to see a Pediatric Gastroenterologist (again) and a Geneticist.  His mother was a severely disabled (and deaf and mute) woman who has been in a wheelchair since birth. She was raped by a family member, gave birth at home and Isaiah ended up in the hospital a week after birth.  We pray life for this sweet little boy.

Emseni East:  The land for the new Emseni East children’s home and Oasis kitchen has been cleared and we expect to break ground on construction next week.  We have hit 65% of our fundraising goal, thanks to people like you buying $25 blocks for family and friends.  Thank you to all who have given and/or plan to support this important building project. 

Project Canaan Academy:  The Kindergarten construction is well underway, thanks to the ladies at the US Bank for their funding and support.  They are busy filling a 40ft container with furniture and supplies for the Kindergarten.  Pam Joseph (Vice Chairman of US Bank) and her Executive team will come over in October to unload the container and get the school set up and ready for a January opening. Also, we are now accepting applications for a Preschool teacher starting January 2015.  

Khutsala Artisans:  The ladies are busy making jewelry to sell during the fall/Christmas season back in the US and Canada.  We are also getting ready to reveal our new Christmas ornament for 2014.  Stay tuned for that one.  Feel free to shop today at www.heartforafrica.org.

Sicalo Lesisha Kibbutz:  We welcomed a new woman at the Kibbutz in the past couple of weeks.  She was literally picked up on the side of the road by one of our team members when she, and her 18-month old child, were being chased by a man who was beating her as she ran across the road.  Her boyfriend had just been released from prison for abusing her in the past and now he was out.  We welcome her and her son to Project Canaan.

Nomsa:  Nomsa (Gcebile) is settling in well at the Kibbutz.  She is still very weak and struggles to walk, but is still determined to live and takes her medication religiously. She went to the hospital this week and they gave her another 8-10 pills to take each day calling them “supplements”.  The biggest challenge is getting her to eat regularly, but we have a large team of people who visit her often and encourage her to eat and get strong.

El Rofi Medical Centre:  A 40 ft container of equipment and supplies arrived two weeks ago thanks to Cardinal Health and Giving Children Hope.   We have hired a nurse from Zimbabwe who will live on the farm and work at the medical centre Monday-Friday and she will work closely with Brooke and Dr. & Dr. Lemmer who will officially be responsible for the clinic. We will open the doors on July 7^th and have a Grand Opening Celebration on July 16^th when our large volunteer team is here.

Dam #2 – Rotary International: We started construction on the dam a few weeks ago, and now we must build a small building to install a holding tank for fuel so that the big machines don’t have to drive out to the gas station each day.  We were thankful to have visitors from our partner club here in Swaziland visit on Thursday and surprised to hear them on the radio and television the very next day singing the praises of Project Canaan and all that we are doing here.  What a lovely surprise and wonderful encouragement to all who work here and heard the news reports.

The Farm:  The farm looks great and the crops are rotating so that we always have fresh vegetables being picked.  We have a standing order with TexRay (a Taiwanese textile company in Matsapah) for 160 lbs of fresh vegetables every week and all other vegetables get sold to a local exporter.  Of course the children get farm fresh veggies every day to help provide nutritious meals to help them grow.

The Dairy: We’ve got milk!  And Chad pasteurizes it several times a week then makes all the yoghurt and cheese that we use at the Children’s Campus.  Yum, is all I can really say.

Sunday Worship:  Children’s Church is now happening at 9AM outside at the back of the baby home and all the children and Aunties attend, as well as those who just love worshiping with the little ones. It is a magical place to be and the feeling of peace and joy during our time with them is unexplainable. We are using the Children’s Program from Northpoint Community Church and starting at the beginning – Genesis and that “God created”. It is simply awesome. There is a Swazi service, in siSwati, at the chapel at 10AM and it is filled with Swazi music, dance and a message in siSwati.

The Maxwell’s:  We are in a good place right now.  Chloe is home for the summer (our winter) and it is wonderful to have her here.  She turns 18-years old on July 5^th so we have a trip to Cape Town planned to celebrate with her.  We have never been there so are excited to visit a most gloriously beautiful city.  Work is always in front of us and there is always so much to do, but as I type this, Ian and Chloe are enjoying “Lord of the Rings” and we will have a social visit with the Klees and Lori Marschall later today.  God is good.

That is my update for today. If I have missed someone or a project you want to know about, please feel free to message me and I will give you an update.

Live from Swaziland … this is a peaceful day.

Janine

880,000 hard boiled eggs a year?

Fred, Peter, Kurt, Brad, George and Tim.

Today we said goodbye to a team from the Egg Farmers of Canada (EFC) including their Chairman, Peter Clarke.  It’s been an egg-citing week and today is a good day to share it on this blog.  It’s a jaw-dropper!

We met Peter and his team two years ago when I was invited to speak at the International Egg Commission (IEC) Conference in Venice, Italy.   Since that time we have had visits from the Chairman of the IEC, the Chairman of the American Egg Board (AEB) and other important members of their respective teams.    After many conversations, emails, brainstorming sessions and site visits we now have a plan.

You may not believe this one, but I assure you it’s true.

These multi-generational Egg Farmers want to help the orphaned and vulnerable children of Swaziland by providing one of the most nutritious foods on the planet – hard boiled eggs!  Eggs are one of the few foods considered to be a complete protein, because they contain all nine essential amino acids. Amino acids are considered the "building blocks for the body" because they help form protein*.  The children of Swaziland need these building blocks!

Showing the rural children how to peel and eat a hard boiled egg.

The EFC and IEF have chosen Project Canaan in Swaziland to be the Pilot Project for finding ways to help children around the world who are in need of protein and proper nutrition.

The plan is to build an egg production facility that will produce in excess of 18,500 eggs per week, which will then be hard boiled and distributed to the children who are being fed through our rural church partners. This will provide an animal protein every day to each child we currently feed, in addition to the important vegetable protein that the children currently get through the Feed My Starving Children Manna Pack.  The fundraising, expertise and training will come through the EFC, and in addition the IEF is providing the services of Dr. Vincent Guyonnet**, who is the Scientific Advisor to the IEC, for Project Management and expertise.  

Heart for Africa currently provides 74,000 hot meals each and every month to orphans and vulnerable children in the most rural areas. That is 880,000 meals per year.  If the need continues to grow as it has in the past few years we anticipate that number growing to 2.6 million meals by the year 2020.  Our hope and plan is to grow the egg production to meet that need alongside our Feed My Starving Children partnership.

In 12-18 months from now we will have Project Canaan Eggs, in a big way. Un-boiled eggs will be provided for the children living at Project Canaan, which will in turn reduce our monthly grocery spending.  We will be able to train and employ people to work at the poultry facility and we will start distribution to the children at our church partners. 

This will not be a commercial egg production facility – these eggs are to be put into children’s hands and mouths in the same way we would put TOMS Shoes directly on children’s feet … all thanks to a group of kind hearted, caring, passionate, enthusiastic men who believe that this is not just about Corporate Social Responsibility, it is simply the right thing to do.

CEO of EFC, Tim Lambert, and Baby Timothy.

This was an egg-cellent week and we are more than egg-cited about this new partnership, and more importantly, our new friends.

Live from Swaziland … it’s time Get Cracking!

Janine

Of course they also helped with little road repair.

* www.eggs.ca

** IEC Scientific Advisor - Dr Vincent Guyonnet

Dr Vincent Guyonnet, DVM, Ph.D, Dipl. ACPV, was appointed as IEC Scientific Advisor in January 2010. Vincent is responsible for helping IEC deliver on its commitment to science based positions and guidelines as well as developing its relationships with international and intergovernmental organisations.

Vincent is a native of France, he obtained the degree of Doctor in Veterinary Medicine in 1987 from the National Veterinary School of Lyon, France and a Ph.D degree from The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA in 1991.  He was accepted as a diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians (US board certification) in 1994.

Vincent joined Burnbrae Farms Limited in June 2005 as Vice President – Research & International Business Development, and in 2007, received additional responsibilities for Quality Assurance.

Prior to joining Burnbrae Farms Ltd, Vincent worked for Pfizer Inc. from 1991 to 2005 in the Animal Health Group.   Vincent assumed a number of positions of increasing responsibilities in research, technical services, regulatory affairs and marketing (Pfizer World Headquarters, NY, NY, USA) and was general manager of Pfizer Australia – Animal Health Group (Sydney, Australia).

He has authored 10 peer-reviewed papers, given 25 communications at US and international scientific meetings and congresses and has been a guest lecturer at universities in Australia, Egypt, France, Malaysia and Thailand.

Nomsa has moved to Project Canaan – Not sure I can do this.

Chloe and I taking Nomsa out of the hospital to the truck.

For those of you who don’t know who Nomsa is you can catch up by reading wednesdayswithnomsa.blogspot.com

Her real name is Gcebile Mabuza, but when I first started blogging about her I called her Nomsa for two reasons; it provided privacy for me to tell her story and it was an easy name for people who were reading the blog.  “Gcebile” has a front tooth cluck to it and can be tricky for the untrained tongue.

On November 19^th, 2012 (my birth day), Nomsa gave birth to her fourth and fifth children at the age of 23 years.  Her girls Rachel and Leah were her second set of twins and in early December she was dying on the floor of her mud hut from MDR-TB (Multiple Drug Resistant Tuberculosis).   She was taken to the TB hospital and I was called and asked if I could take the twins.  The answer was “yes”.  And that is how Nomsa and I met.

In January 2013 I started visiting her once a week to take her food, reading materials and to try to help her get healthy and well so that one day she could care for her own babies and they would not become orphans.  For a year she seemed to get better, gaining weight, taking her medicines and injections daily and helping so many other dying women who needed help in the ward.

In the fall of 2013 she took a turn for the worst.  She had left the hospital to take her medication at home, but got very sick and ended up back at the TB hospital.    One day when Chloe and I were at the hospital visiting we heard the news that we never wanted to hear (but always suspected).  Nomsa had become Extremely Drug Resistant to her Tuberculosis medication (XDR-TB).  This life-altering moment not only changed her life, but it changed ours.  This moment was captured live by film makers Jezz Newman and Beckie Stewart in their incredible film called “TB: Silent Killer - Return of the plague”, which is a PBS/BBC documentary about MDR-TB.  If you have not seen the film, I encourage you to google it or go to www.pbs.com and watch it today. 

Since that day Nomsa’s health has been in decline.  She was moved in to isolation and has watched roommate after roommate succumb to this horrific “plague”, dying in front of her eyes.  Her weight has dropped from 120 lbs to 83 lbs.  She is skin and bones, can’t walk on her own, is in terrible pain and is not always lucid.

In 2013 we built a house for her (a single room) at the kibbutz on Project Canaan with hope that she would one day be “culture negative” (non-infectious) and could move.  That day of “un-infectiousness” does not appear to be on the horizon. In fact, we are told unofficially that only one person in Swaziland has recovered from XDR-TB.  We are still praying for a miracle.

Last week I succumbed, not to the disease, but to her cries to go home.  She had given up hope in the hospital and was failing quickly. The Doctor shared with me that they almost lost her a couple of weeks ago while I was away, but she rallied one more time and stabilized, with more medication.

Last week I could no longer bear her phone calls, begging and tears.  I sought council from friends and experts as to the risks of bringing her here and surprisingly got full support from everyone, including the other women at the Kibbutz and the Aunties at the Children’s Campus.  Everyone said that I MUST go and get her and they would all help care for her.  The Kibbutz ladies would help care for her and her room. The Aunties would send down food three times a day.  People from abroad have offered to pay for her food, get her a cell phone with a radio and come and visit her when they can.  The outpouring has been overwhelming to me.

Nomsa seeing her twins on the way to her house. She couldn't touch them, but saw them.

 She has been here for five days and I now realize this may be the hardest thing I ever do.  Here are a few personal confessions from me.  I am not good with sick people.  I am not good with hospice. I would be a better emergency room worker, but not a long-term care person.  I hate to see people in pain. I avoid watching people suffer.  Nomsa is sick, she is in hospice under my care, she has been in long-term care (hospital for two years), she is in pain and she is suffering.

Janice Johnson with Nomsa in her new bed.

 I have gone to see her each day to count out and put in the correct containers her 36 pills, for her XDR-TB, her HIV/AIDS and her potassium and magnesium deficiency (which has lead to kidney failure).  I (and everyone visiting her) must wear a N95 mask and replace it every week to keep me/us safe when I/we see her.  

The women at the Kibbutz have gone every day to wash her, clean her room, bring her water and try to encourage her. They are simply amazing.

I believe that Nomsa is suffering from depression and some dementia, which is causing unusual conversations and demands (i.e. she only likes white bread, doesn’t like boiled chicken, pizza isn’t real food, and she wants a full time nurse to come and sit with her).  We are all working together to sort this out and help get each of us through this for the weeks or months to come.  Three days a week a government nurse is driven out to the farm to give Nomsa an injection in her hip.  They are committed to doing this every week, but have said that sometimes there is no gas for the vehicle and they don’t always travel when it’s raining. Sigh. We will make a back up plan, because we can, but what about all the other people who will miss out on their injections? 

I will admit, I am really struggling with this.  I feel a huge burden of responsibility and want her to get better, and I do believe in miracles.  But I have to remember that if she is not healed in this life, that we brought her here so that she can die with dignity, surrounded by people who love her.  I need to try to smile when I visit her (though the mask) and not feel sick when I count out her pills.  I need to remember to show her that I love her and not that I am terrified of her death.

Thank you for reading this blog and for your prayers for everyone here.  Please pray for protection for all and grace, joy and HIS peace that passes all understanding.

Live from Swaziland … some days are better than others.

Janine

6 new babies have arrived in 18 days? What the heck?

Roy arrived May 30th, 2014

  Ian loves spreadsheets, and he uses them like a Surgeon uses an instrument – precisely, efficiently and effectively.  As we were working on writing a plan to present to our Board of Directors on how we can become self-sustainable (meaning no donor funding required to run Project Canaan, the children’s home etc) we had to calculate how many children we would have by the year 2020.

Up until this month we would tell you that we receive a new baby on an average of every 14.3 days so by 2020 we predicted that we will have 216  children living at Project Canaan. 

In the past 18 days we have received six new babies.  I don’t know why this wave has happened, but I can tell you that there were three more who we were contacted about, who never ended up coming to us (one was taken by the family, one disappeared and one is still being held hostage in an abusive situation with neighbors).  With these new babies we now average a baby every 13.9 days and predict that we will have 232 children at Project Canaan by 2020 if something doesn’t change.

Noah arrived May 28th, 2014

Yesterday I spent an hour, with a Social Welfare officer, two police officers and a court order to remove the child (this is corporately our seventh trip to help this child), but alas, the old lady caring for him scared everyone with threats of witchcraft and curses and we left empty handed.  Minutes later I was called to drive to the other side of the country to get a baby boy and off I went with my dear friend Janice Johnson in the car.

When we arrived at the Social Welfare office we were told that the new baby was born on March 10^th and that 23 days later (!!!) the mother dropped him in a pit latrine (outdoor toilet) and left him there overnight, until a neighbor heard his cry and pulled him out.  She is in prison.  There is MASS confusion over paternity so it took six weeks to get a court order to remove the child from the hospital and place him with us while the investigation continues around the terrible situation.

While all of our babies maintain their Swazi names (if they have them), we typically give them a Christian name or name them after someone who was involved with the child at the time of his/her arrival (i.e. Baby Jerry being named after Jerry Coffee).  So this little one is named Roy, after Janice Johnson’s husband (and father to Jessica).  I have no words to properly thank Janice for all she had done in support of Heart for Africa, the Maxwell family and me personally over the years.  Her love, her 8 trips with us and and her wise council has been oxygen to my soul.  It’s hard to properly thank people like Janice, so this is a small way to honor her and her family.

Can't disclose name yet, arrived May 26th, 2014

Back to the babies.

Of the six, here is what happened:

-       one left at a bus stop in Matsapha

-       two found in pit latrines

-       one living on the street

-       two rape cases

Eunice arrived May 21st, 2014

I cannot explain how bittersweet those “do you have room for another baby?” phone calls are.  The “pick ups” are even more bittersweet because I have great joy to be welcoming a little life in to our growing family, but bitter because of the tragic situations that they have come from.

The cost of raising these children is significant as you can imagine. It is estimated that to raise a baby in the US it costs $650 per month, not including childcare or a house to live in, just diapers, formula, clothes, medical expenses etc.  Up until recently we would tell you that it costs us $285 per child per month to raise these precious ones.  This includes Aunties/caregivers, cooks, cleaners/laundry, diapers, formula, clothes, medical expenses, transportation and all other special care needed for many of these children.

Phoebe arrived May 15th, 2014

But today I have some GREAT NEWS!  Our monthly cost has been reduced to $225 per child per month!  Why? Because our awesome team is working on reducing the costs by producing all the milk, yoghurt and cheese that the children eat through the dairy cows on the farm.  They are also actively seeking more cost effective purchasing solutions for large quantity items such as diapers, formula and baby wipes and they are buying fresh fruit and vegetables more frequently and cooking “fresh”, rather than relying on packaged product and/or heavy carb loading.  We are so thankful for our volunteers who have worked diligently to help us reduce our monthly costs on this side, but what we cannot reduce the number of Caregivers that we have as our children are our greatest treasure.

We need help with monthly funding for these six new children, and we need a total of $1,350 per month.  Some people give $100/ month, some give $25/month, some people chose a child they are connected to and provide the total monthly funding for that child. 

Naomi arrived May 12th, 2014.

I am asking today for you to seriously consider sponsoring the children at Project Canaan.   An average of 400 people read this blog every week.  If each of you gave something it would be a long long time until I have to ask you for money again. I would love that (and I am sure you would too).

Live from Swaziland … we have 59 children!  Thanks for your help.

Janine

PS  - as a point of interest, we have 33 boys and 26 girls. 

US Monthly support: http://www.heartforafrica.org/trips/DT15Jan10Jan20.aspx

Canada Monthly support: http://www.heartforafrica.ca/Project%20Canaan%20Children.aspx

A bit lighter than last week's post - a new baby and 3 more on the way?

If you didn't read last weeks rant, you should go back and do so if you are interested in topics like fraud and corruption.  For those of you who did read it,  I thought I would give you a treat this week with some photos taken today at the baby home and toddler home.

We got a sweet little baby girl this week whose name is Eunice.  That is the third girl in 11 days who has been sent to by the Social Welfare Department.  There are also three baby boys who we have been contacted about, but their investigations are still pending so we may have a total of six new children in just two weeks.  Eunice is the 56th child to call Project Canaan "home".

Sweet baby Eunice

Chicken for lunch at the Labakhetsiwe Toddler home.

Andrew loves his drumstick.

Eunice has never eaten so well in her life.

Deborah, Ian and Eve

Nathan, Lucy and Peter

Sarah

Lucy

Leah

Gabriel on a preschool field trip to the farm.  Thank you Amber for the awesome photo!

We are now asking for more people to sign up to be a monthly donor for the children who live on Project Canaan.  We do not have any funding for the next three children. If you can help, please do so today so that we don't have to say "no".

US Monthly donor Angels - http://www.heartforafrica.org/trips/DT15Jan10Jan20.aspx
Canadian Monthly donor Angels -  http://www.heartforafrica.ca/Project%20Canaan%20Children.aspx


Live from Swaziland ... life is good.

Janine

Corruption, fraud, lying – and even using a suffering child to get food?

Posters found at every border crossing.

I have wanted to write this blog for almost a month now, but have had to calm myself so that it wasn’t just a disorganized rant with finger pointing and tongue-lashing.  Instead, it will be an organized rant with the goal to shed light on corruption in Africa, shame the people who will read this and know that I am speaking about them (while not naming them), and ask for prayer for ALL who serve on this continent and struggle with this, but may not be able to share it openly.

I am not speaking of corruption at the highest levels of government or the misuse of international funds that so often are called in to question and help with the term “bottomless pit” when referring to helping in Africa.   I am referring to people who we trust(ed) and care(d) for who have stolen, embezzled and committed fraud against this Ministry and God.

Here are a few things I have learned in the past 30 days that you might find interesting.

Ghosting – Ghosting is when someone gets paid for working at the end of the month, but that person doesn’t exist.  It requires the Manager to fraudulently sign in to work each and every day and then collect the pay at the end of the month.  While checks and balances must be in place, at some point individual trust of Senior Management must be established.

Fraud – Definition is  “the crime of using dishonest methods to take something valuable from another person: a person who pretends to be what he or she is not in order to trick people: a copy of something that is meant to look like the real thing in order to trick people.”  So, If you steal letterhead from a company and if you write a letter on that letterhead and sign it with someone else’s name, who has the authority for that company, THAT IS FRAUD.  You should be in prison.

Skimming – Skimming is a type of fraud. It is when someone’s payroll slip is made out for too much money and the Manager knows that it is wrong, but gives the employee the correct amount and keeps the rest for him/herself.

Corruption –Definition is “In philosophical, theological, or moral discussions, corruption is spiritual or moral impurity or deviation from an ideal. Corruption may include many activities including bribery and embezzlement, Government, or 'political', corruption occurs when an office-holder or other governmental employee acts in an official capacity for personal gain.”    So, if a person in authority in government asks repeatedly for computers or other expensive gifts to benefit themselves or their families it is not a joke, it is wrong, and it is Corruption”.

In the past three years (and even more in the past 30 days) days we have learned about these terms first hand as we have uncovered stealing, lying, ghosting, skimming and embezzlement by people whom we trusted with our lives and this Ministry.  We are not the only people who have had this happen, and it certainly isn’t an African phenomenon. It is a global problem.  But it is heartbreaking and disheartening at the least, infuriating and (almost) defeating at best, especially when it is done by people who profess openly that Jesus is their Lord and Savior. You who know who you are – shame on you.

What I don’t understand is why our African brothers/sisters, who work with us day in and day out, knowing what we are doing to help here, would steal day after day and think its okay?   Do we just look like suckers?   Do they think that we have so much extra money that they are “entitled” to more of it than their pay?

Yesterday I experienced a new type of corruption, committed by an old woman who was using a baby to get food for herself. The child was reported to the Social Welfare department as being in grave danger.  The baby is maybe a year old and is severely malnourished.  He wears the same shirt day in and day out and it is never changed or washed.  He has no pants or socks or shoes.  The days are cold here now and the nights colder.  A court order was issued to have the child removed from the home of a woman who is not even related to the boy. She and a young man who was living with them refused to allow the child to go and instead asked for bread for themselves. One of our team members have given clothes for the child, but the child is never seen in them.  We think she sells them.  This is corruption too. A child is suffering terribly and my Swazi friends say the woman is using the child to beg from neighbors.  The police will go on Monday to see if something else can be done. 

Yes, I am frustrated, and hurt, and maybe even feeling a bit sorry for myself.  We have checks and balances in place at Project Canaan and will continue to increase those as we try to foresee how people will try to steal next.   Where is the check and balance for the other children in the same situation as the boy we are trying to help?  But at the end of the day I have to lay it all at the cross and then look in the mirror.  Sin is sin. I sin, we all sin.  It’s just easier to point out other people’s sin rather than looking at “the plank in my own eye”.

Who does stealing hurt?  Everyone.

So as I end this rant, I must stop and repent for all the things that I do to fall short of the glory of God.  I am far from perfect and I depend of the mercy of MY Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, every day and give thanks for His hand of protection on my life and for the provisions He has given me.  We are committed to working diligently to stretch every dollar that is given to Heart for Africa and to protect it from fraudulent behavior.   We are also committed to advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves.  Please pray that this one-year-old boy will be released in to our care.

Live from Swaziland … I am glad to get that off my chest.

Janine