WATER : Swazi Village Gets a Self-Sustaining Water Supply

No one loves the bill collector, and Sifiso Shongwe gets a chilly welcome as he goes from household to household collecting money for Maphilingo's community water scheme.

SWAZILAND: Budget Cuts Ahead but More Money for Education and Health

Her swollen feet are a constant reminder to Sanele Matsebula that she needs to take her medication.

RIGHTS-SWAZILAND: Property Rights At Last for Women

A recent court ruling has finally given Swazi women the right to own and administer property in their own names.

SWAZILAND: Long-distance Learning Certificate for Caregivers

Every Tuesday you will find 70-year-old Precious Dlamini under a tree, weighing children and babies from her local community as she monitors their health and nutrition.

SWAZILAND: Dating in a Time of HIV

Jabulile Dlamini* is sweet sixteen and has never been kissed. And she is not expecting to be kissed any time soon or to even receive any gifts this Valentine’s Day.

SWAZILAND: Dreams of Free Education Deferred

Ten-year-old Tembuso Magagula sat outside her classroom with her shoulders hunched against the cold today, tears streaming from her eyes. Her long-awaited first day of school had turned into a nightmare.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Everything Left to Accomplish*

"It’s clear now – we’re not getting a binding deal at the end of tomorrow," said the president of Friends of the Earth-United States, Erich Pica.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Zenawi Stands Alone In Copenhagen

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi says Africa must compromise and be flexible towards other countries, if the U.N. Climate Conference ending on Dec. 18, is to reach an agreement.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Adaptation Funds Must Reach Africa’s Women Farmers

One of the key components of global action on climate change will be measures to adapt to changes that are already unavoidable. The Global Gender and Climate Alliance argues that specific attention be paid to the needs of women.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Poor Vendors in Swaziland Worried by ‘Flora Protection Law’


For close to three decades, Jeremiah Mkhonta has earned a living by selling firewood by the roadside. It's not exactly lucrative: the father of 15 often goes for a fortnight without even selling a single four dollar bundle of firewood.

HEALTH-SWAZILAND: On ART Since Birth

Seven-year-old Ntombi* frowns after swallowing the tablets her grandmother has given her. The HIV-positive child has contracted multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).

SWAZILAND: Help Sex Workers – Senator

It is one of the world's oldest professions, dating so far back that it is even mentioned in the Bible. But in the deeply cultural and religious country of Swaziland, Senator Thuli Msane stirred a hornet's nest when she publicly challenged a new strict bill opposing prostitution.

SWAZILAND: More Boreholes, No Water

In the drought-stricken area of Siteki, Tibuyile Maziya has been trying to fill up her four 20-litre buckets with water at a community for the last four hours. With a baby on her back and two more buckets to fill up, 19-year-old Maziya says she walks to this well at least three times a week to get water for her family of 15.

SWAZILAND: Educating Angels

It is not a typical classroom setup where pupils sit in rows facing the front with a teacher lecturing before them.

SWAZILAND: Sunshine Brings the Gift of Water

It is break time. A handful of pupils of Sitsatsaweni Primary School are crowded around a 25-litre bucket to wash their hands before tucking into a meal of samp and beans.

SWAZILAND: Bringing Men on Board to Reduce Maternal and Child Mortality

Swazi men have very little involvement in caring for newborns and mothers, yet they are critical partners in ensuring their well being.

SWAZILAND: Govt in Court Over Property Rights

In a battle for gender equality, well-known Swazi women’s rights activist Doo Aphane has taken government to court. Aphane is contesting legislation that prohibits her from registering property in her maiden name jointly with her husband.

POVERTY-SWAZILAND: Planning Oversight Halts Food Security Programme

A Food-for-Work programme, which cleverly aims to combat both environmental degradation and food shortages, has come to a halt due to lack of long-term planning.

DEVELOPMENT: Social Enterprise in the Swazi Highveld

In 2006, faith-based charity organisation Bulembu Ministries Swaziland took over management of an all-but abandoned mining town, situated on a 1,700 hectares in northwestern Swaziland.

SWAZILAND: Resurrecting Bulembu

In 2005, Bulembu was a ghost town. The once-prosperous mining town's population had fallen from 10,000 to just 100. The beautiful houses that used to accommodate company staff and their families, schools that had been among the best performers in the Kingdom, shops, clinics - all fell quickly into disrepair when the asbestos mine closed.

SWAZILAND: Donor Support For Health Sector Drying Up

As the global economic downturn begins to take its toll on developing countries, Swaziland's health system - already strained by the burden of HIV/AIDS - has come under severe threat. The third of the national health budget which comes directly from donor agencies is abruptly drying up.