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Blogs from Swaziland, Africa
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May 5th 2013
As an important note: At the end of July, I will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Late July in an effort to raise funds for Open Arms Home for Children. Please look at my fundraising website at: http://www.crowdrise.com/KilimanjaroSummitforOpenArms I hope to raise $1 for every foot I climb: 19,341 feet = $19,341. Please consider sponsoring a part of my climb up the mountain!! As I write this I am currently 10% of the way there! Lets get to 100% Our days at Open Arms are more filled now than ever with preparing the kids for school at 6:30am and teaching from 8:30-2 pm. In the late afternoon while there is no set schedule; there is always something else to do whether it is to pick up milk at the dairy farm, help kids with homework, paint, ... read more
March 24th 2013
Siteki, Swaziland (March 24th) Trying to catch up on emails while waiting in the airport in Joburg. One of the real jems in Swaziland is the homestead main house on Mabuda Farms. This has been in Mrs. Pons' family since the 1800's when they managed sugar plantations in Swaziland. The Pons family has taken over the farm and restored the house to its original purpose and it really stands out as seen in these photos. It is a rock house with thatched roof - lots of windows of breathtaking views of the farm.... read more
March 24th 2013
Siteki, Swaziland - Dr. Pons works through the Good Shepherd Hospital - a nominally Catholic Institution that is now largely funded with government funds. He has support from CBM as well (a European/Canadian-based eye care mission). This is where most of our clinical work was done - working in the clinic on Wednesday and Friday, with a day of surgery on Thursday.... read more
March 19th 2013
March 19, 2013 (Siteki, Swaziland) Swaziland is a monarchy, in the truest sense. The King Mswati III of Swaziland’s birthday is a national holiday. Each year it is held in one of four regions and this year it is in Siteki. We’re witnessing preparations for the king’s celebration seeing an upgrade to roads he’ll travel on (they are being converted from rut-filled rocky paths to paved blacktop) and celebration fair grounds that will host the people during the celebrations. On our tour of Good Shepherd Hospital at around 5 PM we heard this wonderful choir singing African acapella and discovered the nursing staff practicing for the King’s visit. Amazingly beautiful and engaging, we couldn’t resist but to enter the hall where they were practicing to enjoy their energetic and enthusiastic singing. A real highlight treat.... read more
March 19th 2013
March 19, 2013 (Siteki, Swaziland) The team that has come to visit Dr. Pons here in Swaziland includes five of us from Dean McGee Eye Institute: Dr. Brad Farris is a neuro-ophthalmologist who has been leading international work for DMEI for over a decade. Dr. James Simonson is the director of anesthesia at the McGee Eye Surgery Center and has come along to help advance, develop and support anesthesia efforts at both RFM Hospital in Manzini and Good Shepherd Hospital in Siteki. Two DMEI senior residents: Drs. Jacquelyn Jetton and Drew Bailey are here as part of the residency’s annual international ophthalmology trip. Dr. Jetton will be continuing on in international ophthalmology through a new fellowship in Global Eye Care at DMEI and will be spending two more months here in Africa next year. Dr. Bailey ... read more
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March 19th 2013
March 19, 2013 (Siteki, Swaziland) Part of the local Nazarene mission in this area is to serve the very down and out through an HIV Task Force. Led by women leaders in the community, this group of women reach out deep and far into local communities to find the poorest suffering from hunger, disability and disease (largely HIV and TB related condition) and brings encouragement, medicines and food to these needy and underserved. We are here in conjunction with a 30 person choir delegation from the Bethany Nazarene Church here on an “AIDS Awareness” musical tour. Yesterday we broke out into six teams, and paired with the local HIV representatives, we packed medical, food supplies and toys for kids to take out to these needy homes. We each were assigned different areas and set out in ... read more
March 19th 2013
March 19, 2013 (Siteki, Swaziland) Located on the eastern edge of Swaziland, Mabuda Farms almost at the Mozambique border in the Lobamba mountains. The farm is the Pons’ homestead and is also our “home away from home” during our stay here in Swaziland. This lush area of the Middlefelt was just high enough to protect earlier settlers from malaria. It overlooks the fertile Lowfelt fields with some spectacular views. Mabuda Farms is an oasis that hosts guests in a “bed and breakfast” format, but really is more than that. Its fields of crops, beehives, orchard, pastures in addition to a grand old main homestead, it has many smaller “duplex” cottages that host 8 people. The Green Shed hosts guests for meals and there are countless paths through the woods, pastures, and gardens. Spectacular sunrise and sunsets ... read more
November 27th 2012
Tuesday morning we hitched up the caravan and set off for Swaziland. Andy hadn't towed a caravan for probably about 20 years but he made a good job of it, except of course for the stop signs he missed ('I'll stop twice at the next one') and the speed bumps (STOP!) that snuck up on us when he was admiring the view. The border crossing was quick and easy – where do they find all those incredibly miserable people – and we were 'asked' if we would like to buy a passport cover for 'widows and orphans'. We wanted to get through the border as quickly as possible so agreed we would take one each, the lady was so shocked she gave us 2 extra free for our 'daughters'. We eventually arrived at Mlilwane Game Reserve ... read more
September 15th 2012
This was my 1st time out of the country (RSA). I was so excited to get my 2st stamp in my passport and say that I went to the Magical Swaziland. This country is so rich in culture and heritage, that i just wanted to see every attraction and explore more. My visit was a Week away in the stunning Ezulwini Valley with the mountain range surrounding us as a maganifisant back drop. We went to see the royal cral and hear all about the culture of the swazi people, intresting as I got to see the dance of the people, drink of thier home made beer and met a Shangoma. The House on Fire is a unique attraction, fairly new. But ba site to see as there are many artistic patterns, statues, sayings and funny ... read more
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary & Mbabane
Published: November 25th 2012Africa » Swaziland » Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
August 25th 2012
I got very lucky on the day I was leaving Sodwana Bay and South Africa. Curtis, from USA, who was also staying at Natural Moments, was leaving the same day I was for Johannesburg in his rented car. He kindly agreed to drop me close to the Swazi border, but in the end brought me all the way to the Onverwacht border post with Swaziland. At first, this didn’t look like it would be the best border to cross at. We had to follow a gravel road for a few kilometres before re-joining the tarred road to the border. There wasn’t a much signs of any other vehicles going through, which didn’t bode well for my hopes of getting a lift of some sort to the next town. The Swazi immigration official gave me some grief ... read more
