SwaziCompanions of Iowa

Thursday, January 28, 2016

January 28, 2016
Dear Friends,
Last evening Bishop Scarfe blessed us and hugged us on our way, which brought the planning for our next journey into sharper focus.  Mary Jane and I will, God willing, be headed for Swaziland on Tuesday, February 2.  We plan to be back on March 31.  Bishop Ellinah Wamukoya invited us to come to spend an extended time in the Anglican Diocese in Swaziland in 2014, and finally we are able to go.  We look forward to this extended walk with our diocesan companions.
The Anglican Church in Swaziland in cooperation with HOPE Africa is reorganizing its Social Development Department for Outreach work.  We expect to work with the Bishop and the new director during this time of change.  The Department of Social Development has three primary areas of responsibility: Agriculture and Environmental Issues; Public policy and gender issues; and Health and Food Security.
One continuing task of this office will be the continued purchase and distribution of food for the Neighborhood Care Points that supply a hot meal for the area children—primarily orphans and vulnerable children.  That portion continues to be funded by contributions from the Diocese of Iowa so we encourage your church to find ways to help with that funding.  
With the ongoing drought in Swaziland (El Nino impacts that part of the world very significantly) we will also be trying to listen to help in their response to this crisis.  Cattle have been dying from dehydration this spring and summer (our fall and winter); that means that children and the poor are also suffering.  Some additional parish gardening projects have been started through efforts of the Diocese of Brechin and the young adults of Swaziland.  These should help to supplement and improve the nutritional quality of meals from the neighborhood care points, and we hope to be able to figure out how to support these gardening efforts.  

We will try our best to keep adding to this blog.  We ask for your prayers and comments.
Dave and Mary Jane+