What we do

As a small charity, we do not have the ability to fund big projects. We therefore identify smaller, affordable projects where our contribution can make a real difference and where every penny of the money raised from sales and from donations can be used in the best possible way. Thanks to the relationships we have built up over our years of visiting Manzini, we are able to find out from those working directly with children and young people what we can do to help.

When the trustees visit Manzini, they always take out as much luggage as possible, filled with donations for the local community. Our bags are filled with a wide range of items, and recently we took the followng with us:

Baby clothes and blankets knitted and donated by family and friends: these are shared between the maternity hospital in Manzini and families in the townships
Glasses: reading glasses are donated to the eye clinic in Manzini who also welcome donations of unwanted prescription glasses as the frames and parts can be reused and recyled with new lenses.
Bras: donated to women in the local community. Good quality underwear is unaffordable for many girls and women
Clothes for children, young people, men and women: the clothes are donated to projects run by MYC and to the poorest communities

And anything else we can carry! Thank you to everyone who supports us with their donations. Every single item makes a difference to somebody.

You can find out more about some of our work below or contact us at Manzini2985@gmail.com

Current projects

Enjabulweni

Enjabulweni is a residential home in Manzini which cares for up to 25 boys. In recent years, it has undergone extensive refurbishment, creating a secure environment for those who live there. The boys are cared for by a house mother and house father, and a social worker also lives on site to support them. Each boy has his own sleeping cubicle and there is a communal dining room. The team ensures that each boy is able to attend school and they have a light and spacious study area. A new kitchen and shower block completed the work.

Our contributions help provide the things that make Enjabulweni a home for the boys. Donations from MYC have enabled the purchase of new mattresses and bed linen for each of the new cubicles. During our visits we liaise with the social worker to find out what the boys need and purchase items in the local community. They usually need toiletries, socks, underwear, warm clothes, indoor shoes, school uniform, games and always footballs. In 2025, we were able to replace the boys' TV which had been stolen and bought a radio so the boys could chill with some music after school and at weekends.

Enjabulweni is the boys' home and it really matters that they can have the ordinary things that any children might want. This makes a difference to the quality of their lives in Enjabulweni and our small contribution can make a big difference.

Enjabulweni residential home

A refurbished cubicle

New bedding

Kitchen

Study area

Shower block

Dining room

The covered play area

The marimba band

Rehearsal at Enjabulweni and below ready to perform

The boys at Enjabulweni used to play in a very successful marimba band. The band was well known locally and as well as providing boys with opportunities to learn to play, they were hired for gigs and events. This experience helped the boys develop skills for life, whether musical, the commitment to rehearsing, working together or organisational skills. The marimbas were moved to Cape Town for safe keeping when Enjabulweni was temporarily closed for refurbishment, a process delayed by COVID. We were able to fund the return and led by two former MYC boys and marimba players, there have been some exciting developments.

The band is now called the Umzini Marimba Band and is building quite a reutation in Manzini. They have played at events organised by the municipality of Manzini and playing in schools to encourage more children to learn to play - and the Umzini players can offer lessons. The leaders, Majahonke and Bongeni, are working hard to produce publicity material and we were delighted to make a donation so they could puchase branded polo shirts, chinos and shoes for all the players. They look so professional.

Water for communities

Filling the tank at Eticancweni

The garden at eGebeni

Access to clean water is so important for communities across eSwatini. During our visit in March 2024, we were delighted to provide a diesel pump, pipes and a tank which would enable the community of Eticancweni to pump water from the river to their homes. Not only does this give access to water for drinking and washing, the community can also irrigate the gardens where they grow food for themselves and the neighbouring care point and pre-school.

More recently, we made a donation for the purchase of 3 electic pumps to support projects developed by Eco Ubuntu. Eco Ubuntu is project focussing on helping young people to be more aware of and responsible for their impact on the environment. The work includes raising awareness in school, training young people in solar technology and bringing watet to communities to enable them to grow food.

One of the pumps we funded was for a project at eGebeni primary school in a very rural area, and in June 2025, some of our trustees were able to visit to see the work in action. The pump ensures a consistent supply of water for irrigating a garden project next to the school. The community cleared a large patch of land to create a plot for growing a wide range of vegetables. When we visited, even though it was winter, we saw excellent crops of cabbages, onions, beetroot, tomatoes, and sweet potato. The crops are used by the school and the surplus is sold in the community to make enough money for tools, seeds and repairs.

In addition, each child in the school has their own small plot to cultivate to teach them skills in agriculture and they are responsible for ensuring the plot is productive and well maintained. The newest part of the project is the orchard. Every child has been given a young fruit tree to tend, and each one is individually named, so the project leader can see who is looking after their tree and who is not. If a seedling is being neglected, the child can be asked to address this. The project is totally organic, with no use of pesticides and the team have created two immense compost bins on the site. Children are encouraged to bring appropriate materials from home for the compost bins, and any dung they can collect from their community to help fertilise their crops.

The trustees were so impressed with the project and we are delighted that our contribution can make such a difference to the primary school and wider community.

The pre-school at Eticancweni

The pre-school is supported by MYC colleagues but is actually a municipal pre-school. Twenty four children attend the pre-school and are in the care of two wonderful teachers. In June 2025, we worked with them to purchase materials they thought essential to help promote children's learning and development. The teachers bought a wide range of books, stationery, art materials, resources for role play, games and puzzles and a teaching clock. We had brought a parachute with us and they teachers were delighted with this as they had not used one before. Everyone had great fun learning how to use it.

One of the teachers told us she really wanted somewhere comfortable where the children could sit for stories so while we were in Manzini, two of the trustees made floor cushions with materials purchased locally. The pre-school only has very small windows high up in the walls and it can be very dark. To address this issue, we purchased solar lights which can be moved around to bring light to the dark corners. The dark green paint added to the feeling of darkness, so we also bought white paint and the community repainted the classroom.

Some of the resources the teachers bought for the pre-school

Solar lights for the classroom

Past projects

Support for Phumelela Project

Phumelela Project is a charity in Manzini which works with vulnerable young people to address issues relating to Gender Based Violence, drug and substance abuse and the rehabilition of youth who have been in conflict with the law. Many of the young people supported by Phumelela Project are orphans and grew up in orphanages or homes (including Enjabulweni on occasions) and the vision of the charity is very much in harmony with the aims and purposes of MYC. We have been pleased to support their work which helps young people move from care to eSwatini society.

Much of their work takes place in the area around Manzini and safe transport for the staff is essential, so we made a donation to help our colleagues buy a reliable car. On a previous visit, we took several suits and smart trousers and jackets for Phumelela to lend to young men for interviews and other occasions. In March 2023, we gave the staff a donation so that they could buy smart clothes for the young women they support too.

Reusable sanitary towels

In 2017, we ran a project whilst in Manzini which focused on sharing information about reusable sanitary towels. Many women simply cannot afford to buy sanitary products and will use other materials which may put their health at risk. Girls who cannot afford sanitary products will often not attend school during their period. Many days of valuable education are lost in this way.

In July 2017, we took out the materials needed to make reusable sanitary towels and made up packs containing patterns and all the pieces needed to make the items. We distributed these packs to as many individuals as we could so they could share with their wider communities. In the picture, one of our trustees is demonstrating how to make the reusable pads to a midwife and an accountant who was at the time working for MYC. Both young women were cared for by MYC as children. We also made up packs of completed sanitary towels to give to women involved with MYC.

Hope House

Hope House is a hospice in Manzini where patients can live with members of their family in individual units which are homely and comfortable. We have donated items which can be used by residents, including blankets, health related items (eg incontinence pads) and books/toys for children.

Kahle Kahle Goods

Khale Khale Goods is a project run by Melanie Heston-Dlamini in Manzini. In her light and airy workshop, Melanie offers free training in sewing to young women who have no employment. As they work together to produce a range of beautiful bags, Melanie also helps the young women to develop life and business skills, giving them the confidence to find work.

We were delighted to be invited to visit the project in March 2023 and to lead a session on personal responsibilities. Everyone made us very welcome and we placed an order for a range of bags to bring bag to the UK to help with our fundraising. The sewing machines are in constant use and MYC left a donation for Melanie to pay for repairs to those currently not in use, thus creating opportunities for more young women to join the programme.

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