Gogo Rosemary's Community Kitchen

My son Aaron Levine is a Peace Corps Volunteer in Swaziland in the Youth in Development program. He works with schools, community members, community organizations, and Non-Governmental Organizations
to provide interventions and education pertaining to healthy living, prevention and mitigation of the effects of HIV/AIDS, life skills, employment skills, and providing basic services for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs).  Aaron was attached to Eric Rosenberg High School in Gege in the southern region of Shiselweni last Septmeber, having arrived in the country for training in June 2015.  He has been doing work to help the youth of the community empower themselves and make a difference in their lives and their community, but sometimes there are economic barriers that are too much to be overcome by children with no parents or children heading households themselves.

Aaron was approached by Nomen Manana, the local Scouts Leader, a version of the American Boy Scouts that also accepts girls, to do something for the community.  It is a  rare and wonderful thing to be approached by a focused and driven member of the community with access to a ready and willing work force, so Aaron leaped at the chance.  Knowing that the OVCs of the community were underserved Nomen wanted to build some sort of orphanage to house and teach the local OVCs employable skills.  Aaron suggested using a nearby store that was abandoned and unused and refurbishing it instead of making an entirely new structure. They approached the owners, who leased it to them for 300E ($20) a month, which will be offset by the repairs they will make on the structure. Upon a closer examination of the structure, they decided to turn it into a community kitchen for the OVCs in the Eric Rosenberg area of Gege.

The inkundla (community head) of Gege has a list of all of the OVCs in the area, but truly every person under 18 in Swaziland is considered an OVC by the Peace Corps. The spread and affect of HIV/AIDS is felt in every corner of the country by everyone in one way or another.  Every child has lost a parent, older relative ,or sibling.  Every adult takes care of, or provides for in some way, at least one OVC, at least one extra child.  This project is a small part of relieving that strain of HIV/AIDS on the community and empowering the youth in their economic, social, and emotional struggles.  This project is targeting those OVCs with no parents and no solid source of income or food, and will attempt to provide them with at least one extra meal a day.  Aaron and Nomen hope to also build a garden to provide more balanced nutrition to those served, and a brick yard to teach OVCs how to build for themselves.

The money for this project will go squarely into the refurbishment of the community kitchen. The money will cover labor, cement blocks, cement, doors for the building, new windows, vents, corrugated iron for the roof, paint, wood for shelves, a large water container, gutters to collect rain water, and grates. The
floor needs repairing, new shelves need to be built, the building needs to be repainted to prevent further weather damage, and new windows need to be installed.

Local workmen and builders have given their quotation of the work on the building, and will be hired for all repairs.  Aaron will be building the shelves himself with
either pallet wood or shelving wood with the help of the electric tools from Eric Rosenberg High School.

The winter months south of the Equator (June, July, August) are the dry season of Swaziland, and to have the building refurbished by September would be a perfect intro into summer and the beginning of the third term of school.

Aaron will personally be in Gege for at least another year, so the sooner they can refurbish the building, the sooner they can establish a community kitchen, and the sooner they can start more projects from there.  He lives right next door to the location and will be working hand in hand as long as possible to set OVCs and those looking after them on the right track.

Aaron's commitment to Peace Corps work is the latest step in a long career of society and community service.  He firmly believes in the Peace Corps model of sustainable development, personal and community empowerment, and providing grants to Peace Corps-sponsored projects spearheaded by PCVs, which requiers the community itself to provide labor, materials, and overall envolvement to stop the cycle of the needy relying solely on financial assistance from outside organizations and governments.

While the Peace Corps development model is a better philosophy that focuses on the needs of the community as expressed by the community, some parts of the host country don't have the infrastructure to support their OVCs to even begin the empowerment process or have had a negative history associated with such development in the past.  That after one year of service Aaron has only met one or two community members willing to engage in the work necessary to better their own community is an example of those negative experiences.  This kitchen is one step in the right direction for sustainable development in Gege that is lead by a leader in the community, is drawing on local labor and expertise, and will be a shining example of development in the community.

To have this kitchen built and used as a center for more programs in the future would be the height of Aaron's Peace Corps service.  He went to  Swaziland with a burning hope to help those in need and a head full of admittedly naive ideas.  Instead of dumping those ideas on the ground when encountering the reality of the situation in Swaziland, Aaron decided to hold out on the hope of helping, but not painting himself as “yet another white savior” that would find emotional fulfillment in the mundane and extreme struggles of others.  The confluence of Peace Corps, communal, and personal goals that is this kitchen project would be a crowning achievement not only for him, but also any community development done in the Eric Rosenberg region of Gege.

Your contribution will not only change the lives of hundreds of OVCs over the years but will have a lasting affect on the emotional make up and beliefs of the community itself. Swaziland is a small country; from your donations it could be safely said you are helping the future of an entire country and you can donate well in the knowledge that, when he leaves, Aaron will have left the Swazis in charge will full understanding of the responsibility set forth in front of them.

On behalf of the Kingdom of Swaziland, Aaron and I thank you for any and all contributions to this project.