Pasture Valley Children's Home
Pasture Valley Children's Home was established in 2003 with the aim of providing a loving, Christian home to neglected and orphaned children from the Shiselweni region of Swaziland.
We seek to:
- Rely on God's wisdom and guidance at all times
- Provide a safe environment in which the children can live, learn and grow
- Encourage moral development and Christian discipline in the children
- Maximize each child's opportunities so they may reach their full potential
- Provide education for all children to Form 5 or age 18
- Foster a sense of culture, creativity and entrepreneurship among the children
- Encourage the sustainability of the home through vegetable gardening
- Ensure a high quality of care by providing ongoing training for caregivers
Currently, Pasture Valley cares for 12 boys and 12 girls on the farm. Ranging in age from just a few months to 18 years, they are:
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The children stay in two houses on the farm, each headed by a Gogo (grandmother), where they live together much like a typical Swazi family. As part of the family, each child helps out around the house and on the farm, just as they would on a traditional homestead. Each of the school-aged children attends the local public school down the road, and the little ones spend their mornings learning in a one-room preschool on the farm. On Sunday mornings, the children attend church in the neighboring town of Nhlangano.
For information on volunteer opportunities at Pasture Valley Children's Home, see the "How You Can Help" section.
Our Housemothers
Everyday tasks at Pasture Valley Children's Home are taken care of by the home's two housemothers, Constance and Nelly. In addition to cooking, cleaning and gardening, these women are the primary caregivers for all of the children at the home, providing assistance with homework, medical attention and emotional support.
Stella House: "A star for the Lord"
Gogo ("Grandmother") Constance Mamba was appointed as housemother when the children's home first opened in 2003. During her interview, she described a recent dream in which she was surrounded by many children, saying that she knew God was calling for her to care for children. She currently takes care of the 14 children living in Stella House, a new house that was built in 2009 when Pasture Valley expanded to accommodate more children. Since her appointment in 2003, Gogo Constance has received training in HIV/AIDS information, treatment and counseling, Nutrition, Hygiene, and Safety in the home.
Gogo Constance is a Christian and loves children, particularly babies. She has a passion for gardening and has taught the children many valuable skills, including how to harvest reeds from the river on the farm to weave grass mats. Unfortunately, her health has declined in recent years, as she has suffered a nearly fatal heart attack and she continues to suffer from high blood pressure. In February 2010, Gogo Constance will celebrate her 60th birthday.
David House: "A heart for the Lord"
Make ("Mother") Nelly Mohammedy was appointed as housemother in August 2009 when the children's home expanded. She currently cares for the 10 children living in the David House, which she keeps spotlessly clean. Because the preschool room is located in the house, she also assists with preschool in the mornings. Make Nelly is very knowledgeable on HIV issues and ensures that all HIV-positive children take their medications regularly. In addition to her HIV training, Make Nelly has received specialized trainings on Nutrition and Safety in the home.
Make Nelly comes from the Mhlosheni area of Swaziland and is a Christian. Though relatively new to Pasture Valley, she is well-loved by all the children in the home. She has a wonderful singing voice and enjoys teaching the children songs, which she does every evening during Bible reading and prayer sessions.
How it all got started
Aware of the hundreds of neglected, orphaned and struggling children in the region, we at Pasture Valley had long felt a calling to do more than just farming. In 2002, after hearing the inspiring story of a South African farmer and evangelist who was caring for 20 orphans on his farm, we felt that we could do the same on our farm. We prayed that God would somehow confirm our shared desire to turn an abandoned house on the farm into a children's home. That same week, the overburdened SOS Children's Village in Nhlangano visited the farm, asking if Pasture Valley would be willing to create a residential care facility to assist in the care of orphans. It was exactly the confirmation we were waiting for and we were confident that God supported our ambitions. Immediately, we began remodeling the old house and figuring out how exactly to run a children's home.
By October 2003, Pasture Valley Children's Home was completed, Gogo Constance was hired as a house mother, and the children's home was sent their first child: a 3-month-old baby girl. Today, 6 years later, Pasture Valley provides a stable Christian home to 12 boys and 12 girls referred by churches, child welfare organizations, and the Swaziland Police Department's Child Protection Unit. Though these 24 children represent only a small fraction of Swaziland's orphans and vulnerable children, Pasture Valley has given these 24 a brighter, more certain future.
Children's Home Newsletter
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