November 19, 2007. We started the day at about 7 AM today, as we had to visit several of our project sites in the Lubombo and Shiselweni districts to test electrical resistance among other things at potential sites near wat er sources for drilling bore holes and installing hand pumps to increase accessibility to potable water. Though the main roads in Swaziland are remarkably good, the roads in the rural areas are similar to those in the most rural parts of Sri Lanka- bare, without tar, and very bumpy and dusty. So, we had to give ourselves ample time to reach the most rural of our target areas, visit sites in surrounding areas, and complete water quality and quantity testing.
As we continued southeast, the terrain transformed drastically from lush, green hills to extremely dry, savannah-like flatlands full of dry bush. These are the worst affected areas of the drought disaster that see very little rain. Once the rain clouds reach this area from the West through Mbabane and Ezulwini, there is barely a drizzle that falls over these areas. Due to the arid climate here, that little water quickly evaporates without reaching the soil and roots of flora. This, in turn, lends to very poor crop yields. 60% of Swaziland’s economy relies on agribusiness, but the government has only invested in crops that they believe will generate income from exports rather than what is suitable to the farmlands and can produce food for its own population. These cash crops, like sugar cane, are extremely resource-needy, depleting the soil of its nutrients, eventually rendering the farmland unusable.
We were accompanied by Yael and Zoe from one of our partner organizations, Gone Rural, a
Swazi company that engages in trade and business with rural women. Gone Rural and their NGO arm, BoMake (Women) work with roughly 700 women throughout rural Swaziland, transforming them into micro-entrepreneurs. Forming the women into groups by village, every three weeks, Gone Rural meets with each group at their designated meeting tree and the exchange of finished goods for income and raw grass for dried, dyed grass and placement of new orders is conducted. It’s an excellent scheme that empowers women economically and allows for them to be breadwinners and contribute to the wellbeing of their families. It has substantial potential and can easily be replicated elsewhere. IRD is partnering with Gone Rural/BoMake in providing access to potable water to the villages of these women, achieving a more holistic outcome.
Swazi company that engages in trade and business with rural women. Gone Rural and their NGO arm, BoMake (Women) work with roughly 700 women throughout rural Swaziland, transforming them into micro-entrepreneurs. Forming the women into groups by village, every three weeks, Gone Rural meets with each group at their designated meeting tree and the exchange of finished goods for income and raw grass for dried, dyed grass and placement of new orders is conducted. It’s an excellent scheme that empowers women economically and allows for them to be breadwinners and contribute to the wellbeing of their families. It has substantial potential and can easily be replicated elsewhere. IRD is partnering with Gone Rural/BoMake in providing access to potable water to the villages of these women, achieving a more holistic outcome. While testing at one of the sites, the women of one village dwelling came to see what was going on and were able to give our water technician recommendations for additional testing sites with potentially strong and ample water flow. As we were conversing, something lying outside of one of the women’s huts caught all of our attention- solar panels! It turns out that this woman had used some of her profits from the Gone Rural project to purchase these panels and was able to generate additional income by charging a nominal fee for charging cell phones! This juxtaposition of modernization within underdevelopment mirrors much of Swazi society. While running water and sufficient food are undersupplied luxuries, mobile phones and alternative technologies are readily accessible and the norm.
Swaziland is an anomaly in this sense. With a population of just under a million and a GDP per capita of USD5,200, it is considered to be one of the wealthier African nations. The massive disparity in wealth is not captured in this misleadingly rosy picture, where, in fact, 70% of the population lives below the poverty line- the highest rate in all of Africa! The HIV/AIDS crisis is worth mentioning here. According to an article in this week’s Mail and Guardian, the Swazi people are suffering from a long-term emergency, aggravated by domestic political ineptitude and inaction and the misinformed policies of international organizations. In 1992, the first Swazi HIV prevalence survey found that 3.9% of women attending antenatal clinics were infected. By 2004, this had risen to 42.6%, the highest in the world! 220,000 people, or 19% of the entire population, are infected. If this prevalence were applied to South Africa and the United States, then 9 million South Africans and 56 million Americans would be affected!
The rest of the day was spent identifying additional coordinates and conducting water tests so that our engineers can return to the best sites for drilling. We spent a lot of time with the women and children in the villages, which is the best part of this work. It humanizes and gives hope to what can sometimes be a dire picture.
On the way home, we stopped at Nisala Safaris for an ice cream (and a ginger beer for me!) to cool down. Only in Africa will you stop for an ice cream and leave having seen a croc!
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