THE NEED

Eswatini is one of the few remaining monarchies in Africa - a diverse, vibrant nation of just over one million residents that boasts a rich culture and heritage, but faces many challenges.

Unemployment and poverty are high in Eswatini partly due to weak job creation in the formal economy. The unemployment rate is currently at 33%, which is the highest in over a decade and youth unemployment rate sits at a staggering 49%. An estimated 87% of Swazi people live below the poverty line. Eswatini is highly dependent on imports to feed its people, as national production is constrained by frequent droughts, erratic rainfall, prolonged dry spells, inadequate farming technologies, and low investment in agricultural development. The country also has the world's highest HIV prevalence at 27%. The AIDS epidemic wiped out an entire generation of working age adults, leaving only children and elderly. It is estimated that nearly half of the population of Eswatini are vulnerable children and over 200,000 of these children are orphans.