Our Programs

The Litsemba Rising Project is a bold, three-year initiative (2023–2026) transforming Eswatini’s higher education campuses into safe, inclusive spaces where vulnerable children, youth, caregivers, and families are protected from sexual harassment and violence, anchored by the Campus Sexual Harassment Prevention Intervention (CSHP) and implemented in close partnership with Women Unlimited Eswatini and the University of Eswatini (UNESWA). Supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) through the What Works to Prevent Violence: Innovation Grants (What Works 2 Programme), Litsemba Rising tackles sexual harassment and related forms of violence by shifting norms, policies, and behaviours among students and staff, strengthening institutional systems, and building a critical mass of trained campus champions. The project promotes the welfare and protection of vulnerable groups, improves campus climate, and generates evidence that can be scaled to other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Eswatini and beyond, with public and private donors invited to invest in deepening and scaling this systemic change so that every young person in Eswatini can learn, live, and lead free from violence and discrimination. 

The Read@Home project (2024–2025), funded by the World Bank and implemented in partnership with Eswatini’s Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), is a pioneering pilot intervention designed to transform early learning outcomes by introducing young children to books, empowering caregivers, and fostering rich home reading practices that strengthen school readiness across Eswatini. Grounded in robust global and national evidence showing that early access to books and interactive book-sharing significantly boosts language, cognitive development, and long-term literacy, the project aims to strengthen caregivers’ knowledge, skills, and confidence to support early literacy at home; nurture a sustainable culture of reading and peer learning among caregivers; expand access to culturally relevant, age-appropriate reading materials; promote children’s literacy, language, and cognitive development; and build teacher capacity to integrate literacy in early childhood education settings. Targeting children aged 0–5 years and their caregivers across four Tinkhundla (Maseyisini, Mayiwane, Mafutseni, and Sithobela) spanning all regions of Eswatini, the initiative uses a hub-and-spoke model that connects Grade 0 schools (hubs) with pre-schools (spokes) in seven chiefdoms while also reaching out-of-school children, ensuring that even the most vulnerable families are not left behind. To date, Read@Home has directly benefited 752 children and 610 caregivers, surpassing its original target of approximately 750 children, equipping families with books, tools, and practical guidance to nurture foundational literacy skills and support lifelong learning journeys, marking a major step forward in strengthening early childhood education and community empowerment in Eswatini.

The Young Women Economic Empowerment (YWEE) project (2022–2023) is a proven, high-impact initiative that strengthens the economic resilience of young rural women in Eswatini by growing their agribusiness skills, incomes, and confidence, and it now seeks renewed and expanded investment from public and private partners to reach more women, more communities, and deliver deeper, lasting change. The project was designed to rebuild and grow women-led agribusinesses in the wake of COVID 19, focusing on young rural women whose livelihoods were severely disrupted by the pandemic, and was funded by the German Federal Ministry through GIZ with implementation support from GOPA Worldwide Consultants (GmbH) in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.

It operates in eight constituencies across the Lubombo, Manzini, and Hhohho regions of the Kingdom of Eswatini and has established a scalable model that can be expanded with additional support. YWEE empowers young women agripreneurs in horticulture and broiler production through practical agribusiness training, financial literacy, market access support, and field-based peer learning, enabling them to immediately apply new skills in their enterprises. The primary beneficiaries are young rural women entrepreneurs, many of whom are single or primary caregivers and main income earners, and by stabilizing and growing their agribusinesses, the project indirectly benefits vulnerable children, youth, and extended families who rely on them for food, education, and basic needs.

The initial phase from 2022 to 2023 established the model, partnerships, curriculum, and beneficiary networks, and with new funding, the next phase can be structured as a three year programme with clear annual targets for women reached, enterprises strengthened, and income and employment outcomes tracked over time. To date, over 300 young women have received comprehensive training, including hands-on field visits and peer exchanges that build confidence and practical know-how, leading to stronger business management, improved productivity, better market access, and more resilient household incomes that contribute to broader socio-economic empowerment in rural communities.

Public and private partners are now invited to co-fund the next phase of YWEE—expanding to new constituencies, increasing the number of women reached, and deepening support with access to finance, infrastructure, and advanced technical assistance—so that thousands more women can transform their agribusinesses and break the cycle of poverty for the next generation.

This project, generously supported by our donor partners, was implemented over two years in the Sithobela and Siphofaneni regions of Eswatini, targeting 1,800 at-risk adolescent girls. The initiative focused on strengthening educational retention among school-attending girls and providing alternative education platforms for adolescent wives and young mothers who have been forced to leave the formal school system. By addressing key vulnerabilities, the program aimed to enhance girls’ educational outcomes, increase their social protective assets, and transform community social norms surrounding girls’ education.

Aligned with our mandate to improve the lives of vulnerable children, youth, and their families, the core objectives of this program include:

• Preventing school dropout by using an Early Warning System that identifies girls at risk and offered proactive support.
• Enhancing social and protective assets through the facilitation of Protect Our Youth clubs.
• Providing scholarships to sustain the education of girls vulnerable to discontinuing secondary education.
• Conducting community sensitization campaigns to elevate the understanding and value of girls’ education within families and community structures.

In tandem with prevention strategies, the program also empowered teen mothers who have exited formal schooling by delivering non-formal education and mentorship opportunities. Early Childhood Stimulation training equips young mothers to foster optimal development for their children, ensuring a positive intergenerational impact. The success of this initiative was underpinned by strong collaboration with local community stakeholders, education authorities, and youth-focused organizations, ensuring a holistic and sustainable approach to breaking the cycle of poverty. By equipping girls and young women with education and life skills, this program contributes significantly to reducing their vulnerability to disease, including HIV and AIDS, and enhances their long-term economic opportunities, ultimately fostering resilient families and communities.

The Organization supported by key development partners, the National Case Management System (NCMS) for Eswatini was developed in close collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) to establish a harmonized, HIV-sensitive framework for social welfare service delivery. This initiative targeted vulnerable children, youth, and their families across Eswatini, with initial implementation focusing on 10 communities within the Lubombo and Shiselweni regions.

The core objective of the NCMS is to enhance the quality and accessibility of social work services by strengthening referral pathways and coordination mechanisms among governmental agencies and civil society organizations. By integrating regional stakeholder forums and empowering community-based cadres such as Community Case Workers, the system ensures timely identification, referral, and continuous follow-up of vulnerable children to the appropriate services, contributing to effective case closure.

Underpinned by national policies and statutory regulations, the project successfully developed a comprehensive national framework, including standard operating procedures, a Social Worker Manual, and community worker handbooks to support case management. Capacity building efforts include tailored training programs and a coaching and mentoring plan to enable DSW social workers' adoption and sustained use of the NCMS.

Strong partnerships with DSW facilitated quarterly regional stakeholder forums to improve care coordination and address implementation challenges. Furthermore, social workers were supported to train and supervise community volunteers, reinforcing service delivery at the grassroots level.

Through these collaborative efforts, the NCMS advances our mandate to improve the well-being and resilience of vulnerable children, youth, and families by establishing an integrated, sustainable social welfare system responsive to their needs.