In three short days, we are headed to Swaziland. Looks like I’m going to be able to post some video on the blog! To keep you informed with the conditions and what is happening, here’s a short article about what the Anglican church is doing and what is currently happening with the drought and coldest winter in years:

Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is providing food aid to people
in Swaziland after ongoing drought. The country has been struggling
through one of its worst periods of drought in years.

In Swaziland, eighty percent of people are dependent on
subsistence farming, although only 10% of the land is fit for growing
crops. Drought, floods, and overgrazing has weakened the quality of the
soil needed to produce crops for harvest. It is estimated that over
350,000 people, or 1/3 of a total population of 1.2 million, have been
affected by hunger over the past four years.

Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is partnering with the
Anglican Diocese of Swaziland to distribute essentially food aid in
Shiselweni, the region most affected by the drought. The food
assistance includes bags of maize and beans and cooking oil for food
preparation. Vehicles are also being provided to transport the goods to
local communities.

“The Anglican Church in Swaziland is working to make sure that
the most vulnerable, the orphans and those living with HIV survive this
winter in the face of a decimated harvest,” said Janette O’Neill, ERD’s
Senior Director for Africa Programs. Read the rest HERE.