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The Bantwana Swaziland Matching Funds Campaign

Swaziland is home to the highest HIV prevalence in the world - a staggering 41% of the people are HIV positive - in a country of just over 1 million. Tens of thousands of children are orphaned today and by 2010, the number is expected to grow to 120,000.

The Bantwana Integrated Schools Program (BSIP), in partnership with ten elementary and high schools, is providing comprehensive services—from education and basic healthcare, to clean water and psycho social support—for 4,200 children. BSIP involves everyone in the community, from teachers to health workers, to make sure that programs are sustainable: its not a quick fix, its a durable one.

Due to escalating costs of food and fuel and ongoing severe drought, Bantwana's Swaziland program is facing a $200,000 shortfall in 2009. To close this gap, a small group of lead Bantwana donors has agreed to match up to $100,000 in new gifts given by the end of the year.

Here's an example of what your gifts will do:

• $100 supports a NUTRITIOUS SCHOOL GARDEN for 50 children who also learn practical farming skills so they can start a garden at home.
• $250 supports FOOD PACKAGES for 10 children for a school term, particularly those with no parents at home, reducing their vulnerability to exploitation when exchanging favors for food. Food packages supplement vegetables from the school garden.
• $500 covers PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT and HIV PREVENTION programs for 10 children to deal with the grief and hopelessness associated with the loss of their parents and family members, and to ensure they know how to protect themselves from HIV.
• $1,000 supports visits by a SCHOOL NURSE to treat basic ailments for 200 children which, left untreated, can develop into full-scale emergencies. Just last week, a child almost lost his leg due to a simple infection that was left untreated for too long. Last month alone, the Bantwana nurse treated 338 children in six schools - thats more than the total number of children treated in these six schools in the previous two years combined!
• $2,500 supports DURABLE, DEEP WELLS that ensure that children have clean drinking water, dramatically improving health and hygiene today and for years to come.
• Gifts of $5000, $10,000 or more are also welcome and will be immediately leveraged and put to work.

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Learn More About the Bantwana Schools Integrated Program (BSIP)»