Swaziland Charitable Trust - Working for the people of Swaziland

The SCT’s work can be divided into three areas, education, agriculture and social welfare.

Education
The main target for our education programme is community primary schools especially in rural areas where poverty and need are greatest. Centres of excellence are also supported.
School facilities are improved by the construction of new classrooms and the provision of boreholes, electricity, equipment and furniture. Gardening projects which improve both skills and nutrition are supported. The SCT runs a free school video library to give rural schools access to up to date educational materials and supports vocational training.

Agriculture
The agricultural programme targets low rainfall areas where there is an acute shortage of food. Unemployment in rural areas is in excess of 25% and half the population lives in poverty. Recurrent droughts in these areas, covering one third of the nation, have catastrophic effects and food relief has been required in four of the last ten years.
The Trust supports training, research and activities that help communities generate income. Drought and shortage of food are exacerbated by HIV/ AIDS in many households. The worst affected families are supported by innovative agricultural projects designed to increase income and food provision, for instance teaching ‘trench’ gardening.

Social Welfare
With little government support and the continuing break down of family structures, there is an increased need to support the marginalised and vulnerable. The SCT provides support through the selection and monitoring of a broad range of creative Non Governmental Organisations serving the disabled, the abused, the homeless, the terminally ill, the unemployed and the orphans.
Our orphan sponsorship programme is part of our response to the HIV/AIDS crisis facing the nation. In addition to the HIV components in our educational, agricultural and social welfare programmes, orphans at selected schools are linked to sponsors. Assistance focuses on support with the uniforms and learning materials and emergency support for the recently bereaved.
Individuals are encouraged to support children throughout their Primary School education. Children who have lost both parents and those suffering greatest material hardship are targeted. As these children commonly experience extra difficulties at school, continued sponsorship is linked to neither performance nor health. Sponsorship can continue throughout the child’s education but the cost of High school education is usually beyond the means of individual sponsors. We have established a fund to support those students who go to high school.