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P.S. - If you want to support our ministry, the fastest way is to make an Online Donation via www.WorldOutreach.org

Go to "Donate" and select our name, Stephens, Ian and Jenn SWAZILAND. The system can process USA and International cards.
Or simply mail your gift to World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate for Ian and Jenn, Fund Code #97.

Chips patients are stabilizing

There are a few Chips patients that are doing well and it is time for an update.

Baby Lato and her mom have moved to South Africa.

We saw Rav 4 the other day and she is doing well. She is 6 months old now.

Clement is now living with his gogo in Manzini. His mother has mental problems so keep her in your prayers.

Jabu #1, Jabu #2 and Jabu #3 are all doing well.

We have done extra testing in Section 19 and have had a good response from the community and new residents. A lot of men are coming forward for testing which is a huge praise!

 Every time we go to Khomba, more people are willing to go through with the testing. It took them a while to understand that the program is free with no strings attached. The Lord continues to bring people in His timing.

We do have a sick baby in the hospital. This malnourished 8 month old, who is HIV negative, doesn't fit the Chips profile, but he was so bad off that we took him in regardless. His mother is dying of AIDS and has gone to her family homestead leaving behind the baby and his father who doesn't have a job or money. This baby is only the size of a 2 month old baby. Please pray for this lil' guy and his parents.

P.S. - If you want to support our ministry, the fastest way is to make an Online Donation via www.WorldOutreach.org
Go to "Donate" and select our name, Stephens, Ian and Jenn SWAZILAND. The system can process USA and International cards.


Or simply mail your gift to World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate for Ian and Jenn, Fund Code #97.

Say Cheese!

The Swazi people love getting their picture taken and here are a few happy faces. 

Did you remember to change your support?

Do you support Ian and Jenn? Or would you like to support them? Have you remembered to change your support from Team to World Outreach Missions?

It would mean a lot to them if you took just a couple minutes of your time to set up your reoccurring monthly support at the WOM link below . If you have been supporting them through Team, don't forget to call Team (1-800-343-3144) and stop your support.


Donate Online
If you want to support our ministry, the fastest way is an Online Donation via www.worldoutreach.org 
Go to Donate and select our name, Stephens, Ian and Jenn- Swaziland. The system can process USA and International cards.

Or simply mail your check to World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate the check for Ian and Jenn, Fund Code #97

Guards and gardens

We've employed Newman full time as our gardener. He will be very busy over the next few weeks as it is the best time to plant veggies. We will have to go to the nursery in Vuvulane to get some more seedlings.

Our new day guard, Nchlachla, is a Christian and has been very pleasant to work with. 

The other day, Newman and Nchlachla found a spitting cobra in the flower beds. They were able to quickly dispatch the snake. We just have to be careful as it is the height of snake season. 

Bonginkosi was able to get a job working in the coal mines in South Africa. He has to report on March 21st, but will come visit us before he leaves. We didn't think that we would miss having him around as much as we do, but we are thankful that God has provided another job for him. 

Our night guard, Sifso now has a girlfriend. We're thankful for all these men who are a great help to us and continue to pray that God would draw them ever closer to Himself, and that they would be godly examples in the community. 

Meetings and the mini-bus

The meeting that Daran and Teresa had with the owner of the empty buildings seemed to go well. Now we are just awaiting the survey results. Daran feels very positive about the meeting.

Saturday, Ian, Jabulane, and Daran attempted to meet with the Chief of Maphiveni to discuss plans for a community center. They waited for five hours and weren't able to meet with the Chief. They were able to pass notes to the Chief via the secretary and have another meeting scheduled for March 26. Please pray this meeting would actually happen and the results would be favorable.

We've been dealing with getting the certificate of inspection for the mini-bus for the last couple of weeks. However, there's a problem where the license plates had gotten changed and the old certificate doesn't match the blue book of ownership records. Daran has been helping us resolve this issue but we still have to drive it even though we don't have the proper paperwork on it. We have 500 Chips patients now, with the numbers increasing daily, and they need transportation to and from Good Shepherd hospital. Please pray that God would work out this situation.

Siphewe is doing so well and she is back in school. Popovdo is doing well too and looks like he's put on weight. They both like going to school (though sometimes we have to get on Popovdo to attend every day). We praise God for the difference He has made and is making in both of these precious children's lives.

Meeting Tomorrow

Earlier this week, the meeting with the Member of Parliament went well. Praise God! He is now going to put some pressure on the Chief of Maphiveni to allow us to start this project. However, it is now marula (a potent wine made from local fruit) season and the Chief is with the King sampling the latest marula batches and it might be several weeks before his return. 

Needless to say, there is progress being made for the Community Center plans. Here in Maphiveni, there is a garage and other buildings which have been empty as long as we've been here. Originally we were told that the buildings had been sold, but then we found out that they are still available.  One of the buildings would be ideal for the health center and also to house the project center. The buildings do need to be refurbished, but there is water on site and the place is already fenced off. 

Daran and Teresa will be meeting with the owner tomorrow, Wednesday, March 9 at 5p local time.  (when it's 5pm in Swaziland it is 8am CST- US). Please pray for this meeting to go well. 

If this plan to buy the existing buildings, we would have to look into other options such as buying property. Which in that case, Daran already has a company lined up to drill the bore hole for water, and an architect firm in Louisiana willing to donate the architect's plans for a solar-powered building. 

This is actually Manzini, another big bustling city, where we go on 

occasion to do all of our heavy shopping. 

We are heading to Mbabane tomorrow to spend a couple of days with Pastor Ken and Brenda and to do much needed shopping in the 'big city'. 

This is what our local town looks like. We often go here to purchase our produce, 

 other necessities, go to the library and the post office. 

Why a community center?

We wanted to give you some background and detailed information about the Community Center that we hope to start in Maphiveni and why there is such a great need for it.

Our Chips supervisor, Daran Rehmeyer, had put together a report to share with supporters back home and we have taken excerpts from it (with permission) to share with you at this time.

At first he shares the history of how Chips was started in 2008:

Caregivers and by default their children living in rural Swaziland do not have the resources to access HIV/AIDS related interventions. These resources include transportation, the knowledge to know when, where, and why to go for testing and treatment, symptoms that require immediate interventions, importance of drug adherence, nutritional requirements, and even drug storage.

CHIPS was organized to begin a program to identify children who are in need of testing and begin the process of counseling with their caregivers to bring them to testing. To make transport available to and from facilities for testing, counseling, treatment, and care as well managing the schedule of the child to ensure adherence.

And he shares the need for immediate intervention:
Without successful, comprehensive intervention and support, the morbidity and mortality rates of children who are HIV+ will only increase. Current statistics# indicate that 66% of children will not receive the anti-retroviral medications and support they need. As a result they will die. The mortality rate of children born with HIV and remaining untreated is:

32.5% by 1 year of age

52.5% by 2 years of age

66%-75% by 5 years of age

85% by 10 years of age

Initially focused solely on HIV+ children, the program was expanded within the first six months to accommodate caregivers to children who were also HIV+.

 

Daran, and his wife Teresa, soon realized that patients' health care needs changed as they started anti-retro treatments for HIV, ART. Patients now need long term care to address the other health issues that are there, TB, hypertenison, diabetes, various cancers, and STD's. With the increasing amount of patients needing various treatments and transport (which Chips has provided) to/from Good Shepherd Hospital, the quality of care decreases and the need for a local clinic has shown to be a great necessity. They chose Maphiveni for the site of the clinic because the of the close proximity of the homesteads in the area as compared to other settlements.

 

A stand alone clinic to cater to the ongoing health needs of the HIV+ population in Maphiveni would better serve the long term needs of this community. CHIPS transport could continue servicing the surrounding communities but bringing them to this clinic versus the 50 or more kilometers to GSH. The clinic would provide holistic health care to the HIV+ population. The clinic would serve as a dispensary for ARV’s as well as TB meds (a major opportunistic disease that co-infects many HIV+ patients). CHIPS would continue its proactive role in engaging people in the community to be and remain adherent to the drug regimens they are on (for HIV, TB, etc.).

As an ancillary function, the clinic would also house a community outreach building. The community outreach building would serve as a focal point for individual empowerment: adult literacy, support groups, training for income generation projects, etc. This is critical for two reasons. First, for the people of these communities to effectively take control of their lives, the underlying issues that maintain endemic poverty must be addressed. Secondly, long term health is also related to nutrition and nutrition is related to a person’s ability to purchase (or grow) sufficient and proper food for a balanced diet. Opportunity here would help these communities improve their baseline nutrition status and help move towards self sufficiency.

As you can imagine, there is quite a cost involved to purchase the land and build the clinic. Our estimated need initially for the clinic is about $50,000 and then there will be operating costs to maintain the clinic. Hopefully this will have answered many of your questions. If you would like more information, please don't hesitate to let us know and we willl do our best to answer your questions.

 

If you would like to help fund the clinic, the fastest way is an Online Donation via www.worldoutreach.org. Go to Donate and select our name, Stephens, Ian and Jenn- Swaziland. The system can process USA and International cards.

Or simply mail your check to World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate the check for Ian and Jenn, Fund Code #97

All italicized material quoted with permisision from CHIPS Children HIV Intervention Programme in Swaziland, Kudvumisa Trust, by Daran Rehmeyer 11.30.10

Popodvo

Here is Popodvo  in his new school uniform one day after school. Doesn't he look dapper? He very much enjoys going to school every day. This is thanks to our faithful supporters who have contributed to our Scholarships for Needy Children fund. If you would like to earmark a donation to our Orphan Care Fund or Scholarships for Needy Children, please just send us an email telling of your intentions.

Remember, if you want to support our ministry, the fastest way is an Online Donation via www.worldoutreach.org. Go to Donate and select our name, Stephens, Ian and Jenn- Swaziland. The system can process USA and International cards.

Or simply mail your check to World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate the check for Ian and Jenn, Fund Code #97