Needs and Projects

We continue to be amazed at God's faithfulness and provision, as well as your outpouring of generosity!  In the last couple of months we have received several requests from our supporters asking if there is a project that they can help with and donations towards the reagent supplies, school costs for the children, houses for the elderly, and bibles in SiSwati among others. 

Here is a list of ongoing needs to choose from if you have it in your heart to give a gift that makes a difference in someone's life. 

• Reagent Supply-$1,000/month. The government is still not supplying the reagents needed to test CD4 levels. This is such an essential ongoing need that often means the difference between life and death as we find, through testing, people who are HIV+ who need to be initiated onto Anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment immediately in order to survive. 
•  SiSwati bibles for distribution--$10 each. A bible in their own language is something many Swazi's would love to own and simply can't afford to get. Also, we pass out bibles to those who come to know the Lord and it would be great to have a supply on hand!
  
• Home Care Kits--$30 each. Each kit includes personal hygiene items, laundry powder and bleach that we pass out to the many home bound clients (often elderly and very ill) we continue to meet. A supply of Home Care Kits on hand is a definite need. 
• Housing for the Elderly: New Roof--$150ea or Complete Home Refurbishing--$300ea. There are a lot of homes belonging to the elderly that are in a sad state of neglect and disrepair in all the settlements. The elderly people are often abandoned and neglected by their family and neighbors and have no strength or resources to fix up their homes. 
• Food Parcels--$30ea. The price of maize and other food continues to rise making it more difficult for people who are either out of work or earning very little to afford basic food staples. 
• New Baby Parcel--$30ea.  This package of clothes, diapers and other supplies is given to a new mom for her baby, often the only gift of new clothing the baby will receive. 
• School Sponsorship: Primary School--$200/student for a year or High School--$300/student for a year. Families don't always have the money for school fees and uniforms for their children to attend school. A school sponsorship will cover all the fees and will provide a uniform. Educated children will grow up to be the country's future leaders. 
• Micro-Industries: Start-up costs and ongoing supplies. These micro-industries provide opportunities for women, especially, to learn a marketable skill and to earn an honest income, which gives a sense of hope and the ability to provide basic necessities for their families. 
  
• The Sewing Project at Section 19 is ready to expand. The cost of a basic sewing machine is $150 and there is always a need for other supplies and material. Each lady who participates in the project will receive a sewing machine to use with a portion of her monthly profits being deducted to pay for the machine, which can take up to 2 years. These payments are used to purchase more machines and supplies, giving other women an opportunity to join the project. We are hoping to start a second Sewing Project in another settlement in the near future with 10 additional women. 
• The Vaseline Project at Maphiveni--initial setup $200. Ladies from Maphiveni have come up with the idea of making Vaseline with Aloe as there is a market already available for this item. 
• The Floor Polish Project at Maphiveni--initial setup $200. The support group at Maphiveni is very excited about this opportunity to earn income by producing floor polish which has an immediate market available. 
• The Garden Project at Maphiveni--$100 to fence one garden.  If the garden is fenced so chickens and other critters can't destroy the crops, that will allow for an individual to grow vegetables providing food for their own family and generating income as they sell the surplus.
• The Chicken Project at Maphiveni--initial start-up $1,000. There is always a market around here for chicken and this will be a community operated project. The start-up will consist of building chicken houses and buying day old chicks. 

We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity and kindness to people that you have never met. Each gift greatly impacts one or more people and allows us to share God's love in a very practical way. It is such a blessing to us to see the many requests to come along side and help this ministry that God has given us to do, without even having to ask you to help. It is our prayer to plant seeds with each donation and trust God to do the watering and bring the increase.


Any gift that is earmarked is used for that specific thing or held until that need once again presents itself (ex. all school fees are due in January, but any scholarship money collected prior is kept for when the school fees are due).

The fastest way to make a donation is to go online at www.WorldOutreach.org Go to 'Donate' and select our name, Stephens, Ian and Jenn SWAZILAND or you can mail your gift to World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate for Ian and Jenn, Fund Code #97. Once you have donated, please email us at piggwr4647@aol.com and tell us of your designation of your gift.