Swaziland - Partners in Education

The PIES (Partners in Education Swaziland) Drop in Centre is in Mbabane, the capital of Swaziland.   Forty six percent of the Swazi population is HIV positive and 1 in 4 children are born with HIV. 10% of the population are orphans. The drop in centre was started in 1996 as a feeding programme for street children by two Swazi grandmothers. PIES was set up to help provide funds for the food and education for the children.

Today the centre feeds up to 150 children every week day. The children are among the most deprived and needy, often from child-headed families or families where the parent has no income. The children are fed simple, nourishing meals and are taught to read, write and do maths. Their medical and welfare needs are assessed and paid for. They are taught life skills, good nutrition and hygiene, good citizenship and cultural heritage and they are given the opportunity to play in safety.

In 2009 CMaD undertook to provide 3 years’ funding to employ a project coordinator and four other staff and to allow the centre to open 7 days a week – previously at the weekends many of the children had nowhere safe to go and were not fed.