Updated: March 2009
Swaziland
Overview | World Vision's history in Swaziland | World Vision in Swaziland today
OverviewThe kingdom of Swaziland is one of the world’s few remaining absolute monarchies. The country is small (about the size of New Jersey) and, with the exception of a 65-mile stretch of border with Mozambique, it is completely surrounded by South Africa. Mountains, hills, and moderately sloping plains fill the landscape. The climate varies from tropical to near temperate. Natural resources include asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc.The country is almost totally homogenous: nearly 97 percent are Swazi, while only three percent are European. SiSwati is the official language of the country, but when corporate and official government business is conducted, English is spoken. While more than 70 percent of primary school-age children attend classes, the percentage drops to 24 percent for boys and 33 percent for girls attending secondary school. Though many children need improved educational opportunities, the country has one of the highest literacy rates in Africa at 80 percent. South Africa held Swaziland as a protectorate from 1894 to 1899, but after the Boer War, in 1902, Swaziland was transferred to British administration. In 1963, the territory was constituted a protectorate, and on September 6, 1968, it became the independent nation of Swaziland. Since 1986, King Mswati III has ruled as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch. Political parties are banned and the king appoints 10 of the 65 members of parliament as well as the prime minister. King Mswati can veto any law passed by the legislature and frequently rules by decree. In 2002, hundreds of thousands of Swazis faced starvation. Two years of drought as well as bad planning and poor agricultural practices were blamed for the crisis. International donor agencies and human rights groups condemned the king’s plans to build new multimillion-dollar palaces for each of his 12 wives while his people faced starvation and the country’s AIDS epidemic spiraled out of control. Although the king signed the country’s first constitution in August 2005, the document essentially maintains the status quo: opposition parties remain banned and the king retains ultimate power. |  |
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| Swaziland is significantly dependent economically on South Africa, where nearly all of its imports are shipped, and where most of its exports are marketed. About 60 percent of Swazis are engaged in subsistence agriculture. Crops include sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, and peanuts. Farmers also raise cattle, goats, and sheep. Low agricultural productivity, repeated droughts, an 11 percent inflation rate, and declining domestic and foreign investments have contributed to the country’s falling economy. Sixty-nine percent of the population lives below the poverty line; 48 percent live on less than a dollar a day. The Coca Cola Company has located their concentrate plant in the country due to the easy access to Swazi sugar. Approximately 40 percent of Swaziland’s gross domestic product comes from the Coca Cola Company. The greatest health concern for the country today is the spread of HIV and AIDS. Swaziland has the highest prevalence rate among adults in the world at 33.4 percent. More than 220,000 Swazis are living with the disease. The number of children orphaned by HIV and AIDS increased from 12,000 in 1999 to 63,000 in 2007. When combined with other vulnerable children whose parents are still alive but either too ill or too destitute, that figure climbs to 130,000. With the loss of so many adults, family income and food production have fallen dramatically. Nearly half the population is under age 18 and the unemployment rate is 40%. These factors, combined with drought and extreme weather, have contributed to acute food shortages. One-fourth of the people require food aid as their primary or supplementary source of life-sustaining nutrition. Swaziland’s main maize harvest in April 2007 was the lowest ever recorded at just 26,000 tons-60 percent less than in 2006 and only 33 percent of the five-year average. Back to top World Vision’s history in SwazilandWorld Vision began ministering to the people of Swaziland in 1975 through the South Africa office. Initial efforts included child sponsorship for 151 children in two orphanages to provide education, nutrition, and health care. In 1987, World Vision established an office in Swaziland to coordinate additional activities, including nutrition programs, developing clean drinking water and sanitation facilities, and agricultural improvements.From 1988 to 1998 World Vision’s work in Swaziland grew from two to 12 projects and the number of sponsored children increased to 2,609. Projects included:
World Vision in Swaziland todayWorld Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Swaziland to enhance their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their communities, families, and children. Currently, nearly 47,400 children are registered in the World Vision sponsorship program. Several times this number of children and other family members benefit from World Vision activities. Of these registered children, many have World Vision sponsors in other countries. U.S. donors sponsor more than 19,000 girls and boys. In addition, World Vision operates 17 development programs, four of which are supported by U.S. donors.Community partnerships have been launched in the Mhlosheni, Mpolonjeni, and Maphalaleni communities. Each partnership addresses a community’s specific need, such as food insecurity, poor water supplies, financial insecurity, inadequate health care, gender issues, and the environment. These partnerships are designed to mobilize donors and local churches in projects that support communities severely impoverished and affected by the AIDS crisis. In the Maphalaleni project, program leaders seek to increase food security by providing families with chickens, rabbits, and goats, training on vegetable and fruit production, and strategies to bolster agricultural productivity. Three hundred households and 1,200 children will benefit from this project. Other activities include:
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