Meet The Children

Meet Nkosithando Nobuhle Dlamini
Date of birth: 6 March 2008

I was informed by Save the Children Officer, Sandile Ndzimandze, about a 15 year old girl who had gotten pregnant from a 16 year old, school boy. The girl, Nkosingphile Mabuza, was a full orphan and living on her own at her homestead. The neighbours, an elderly couple, were watching out for her and helping her. She gave birth on the 6 March 2008 to a baby girl but was struggling to look after the baby on her own. She then sort help from the baby’s father’s family. The paternal grandmother took the baby and then informed the police that the baby had been abandoned to them. Consequently, the police arrested the mother for abandoning the baby. On investigation, Save the Children was called in to help, and the police placed the baby back with the mother. The baby was starting to show signs of mal nutrition, and as the baby was only 3 weeks old, it was decided to place the baby into ABC Ministry, for her own safety and protection, while investigations were going on. The mother informed me that she is HIV positive and on treatment and so was unable to breast feed the baby. The baby received AZT medication for the prevention of HIV for the 1st month. The baby is doing well and growing nicely.

Meet Ciniso Mathew Nkambule
Date of birth: 5 January 2008

Doris Maselela phoned us to tell us of a baby boy who was dying. The baby weighed 2.9kg at birth and at 2 months old was weighing 2.8kg! The mother is mentally handicapped and has been admitted to the Mental Institute in Manzini. The granny had brought the baby to Doris Maselela for help, as she was very concerned that the baby would die and she had really tried to help the baby but was unable to. The Maternal Grandmother and Grandfather are separated and the baby’s mother, Lungile, was living with her father who is an abusive and aggressive man. Lungile then left to go and be with her mother, who is now living at Lavumisa and who ended up with the baby. Doris tried to go and talk with the grandfather but he put his dogs onto her and chased her away. The baby was admitted, on a Sunday, to ABC Ministry and very weak and small. He was covered in a bad skin rash and had nappy rash with bleeding skin. We have done a DNA test on him. The DNA test came back as negative to HIV virus. He is growing well and now weighs 6.2kg at 4 months old.

Meet Nolwazi Dianna Ciya
Date of birth: 20 December 2007

I received a phone call from the Social worker at Piggs Peak asking ABC Ministry to take in a 1 month old, baby girl. The mother had died at the end of March and the grandfather was trying his best to look after the baby but the baby was very sick, weak and close to death. We didn’t know the name of the baby and so I named her “Dianna”. Dianna was very black in complexion and very weak. She was very close to death. She was too weak to cry and her whole body was swollen and puffy. I had to feed her with a syringe at first because she was too weak to suck and had very bad oral thrush. She had very bad nappy rash and her buttock was bleeding. She was filthy dirty and smelled very bad when we got her. Later on we found out that the baby was 4 months old. She also had severe chest infection which has since cleared up. She is doing very well and is becoming more active. Her swelling and puffiness has gone down. She grabs toys and smiles when we talk to her. She is sucking well off the bottle and starting to eat baby porridge. She is gaining weight slowly.

Meet Siphamandla Philipe (no surname)
Date of birth: 14 November 2007

The Good Shepherd Hospital social worker, Sindi, phoned me to tell me of an abandoned baby boy who had been in the children’s ward for 2 months. Dr Halo the attending pediatrician was concerned for the baby’s health as there were a lot of sick children in the ward and he felt that the baby could become sick as a result of so many sick children around him. The baby had been found abandoned in the bushes next to the primary school at Lomahasha, as a newborn, and had been taken to the hospital by the investigating police officers from Lomahasha police station. We agreed to take him into our home and Doris Masilela was informed. He is a healthy, big boy and doing well.

Meet Professor Isaiah Melusi Banda
Date of birth: 23 July 2007

We were approached to help with this very sick baby who was dying because the parents were unable to look after the baby. The mother is mentally incapable and the father is very old. We agreed to take the baby in and he came in a very severe state of neglect and mal nutrition. At 7 months old he was weighing only 3.5kg. He was very weak and extremely dehydrated on admittance. With constant, regular, good nutritional feeding and stimulation, the baby is growing and developing well. He is crawling, running in a walking ring and he smiles a lot. Weight at 10 months old is now 7.2kg

Meet Judy-Jane Hlengiwe Dlamini
Date of birth: 30 January 2007

Judy was found as a newborn baby, abandoned at the Mozambique Border, in the bushes. She was taken to the local hospital by the Border Police and we were asked to fetch her 3 weeks later. Judy’s mother has not been traced and she is living with us at ABC. She is a healthy, contended and happy baby. No relatives have been traced as yet.

Meet Ziyanda Purity Xaba
Date of birth: 22 September 2006

Manzini Police asked if we could take in this little girl who the mother tried to kill. The mother is a prostitute in Manzini and her mother, who is now deceased, was also a prostitute. There is no family for them and the mother turned to the Police for help. The Child Protection officer spent time, over 2 months, counselling the mother and the mother agreed to sign adoption documents. The mother is well known to the Police in Manzini.

Ziyanda was overfed and unhappy when we got her. She had no energy and just sat. She suffers from Asthma and her chest wheezes a lot. Since being on a healthy diet she has more energy and is trying to stand and walk and is now crawling everywhere.

Meet Celumusa Simelane
Date of birth: 19 September 2006

Celumusa was very mal nourished when he came in with ginger hair and kwashiorkor. His mother, Bagezile, was working as a casual labourer in the forests and she would leave him alone at home when she went to work. He was unable to crawl when he came to us and only sat. His granny is always drunk and is seen at the Shabeens in Bulembu on most days. Bagezile said that she doesn’t know where Celumusa’s father is and he abandoned her when she was pregnant. She is now married to another man and pregnant from him. Her husband does not want Celumusa and he is an unwanted child. He is doing well now that he is being fed regularly on a healthy diet. He is crawling and trying to walk. He talks a lot and loves to run around the house in the walking ring. His granny does visit him sometimes but she is mostly drunk and we refuse to allow her into our Home in this condition.

Meet Doris Omwami Bothma
Date of birth: 25 August 2005

Doris was brought to ABC Ministry by Cathy Rowe who works in the community with young mothers. This mother was 16 when she had the baby and was all alone. Cathy tried to help her to care for the baby but the mother was continually leaving the baby wherever she could. The baby was burnt by fire on her left forearm and left upper thigh. The mother told us that she had left the baby next to the fire and gone out and when she came back the baby had fallen in the fire and burnt. Doris came into ABC Ministry with infected burns, covered in Scabies and very dirty with faeces all over her as she had not been changed or bathed. Doris also had bad Kwashiorkor with ginger hair swollen belly and skinny arms. She could not crawl or walk and was nearly 15 months old. Doris’ mother consulted with her aunty, who is her guardian and they agreed that it would be better if the child was put out for adoption.

Doris is now 2 years old and is growing well. She is much happier and her burns have healed well. He mother has moved in with a new boyfriend who doesn’t want Doris.

Meet Nonsikeleo and Siyabonga Matsenjwa
Date of birth: 28 June 2006 and 26 November 2004

Doris Masilela phoned me on the 7th November 2007 very concerned for the welfare of a brother and sister, Siyabonga and Nonsikelelo, aged 3 years and 17 months. This brother and sister have been abandoned by their mother and father, regularly, and left in the care of a grandmother who cannot look after them. They are both very mal nourished and weak from hunger. They were both covered in scabies on admission to ABC Ministry. We agreed to take them into ABC and they were brought in the next day by the granny and Doris the Social Welfare Officer.

Meet Mayenziwe Anny Ndziyane
Date of birth: 16 April 2006

Mayenziwe was brought to us through Lighthouse Homes. She has a 6 year old brother who was looking after her as the mother had been admitted to Hospital and there was no one to care for them during the day. The brother has been admitted to Lighthouse and we were asked to take her in as she is too young for their homes and we want to keep the siblings together in the same village.

Meet Thandezile Charlotte Dlamini
Date of birth: 5 January 2006

Thandezile is an abandoned baby who was found, by and old woman, as a newborn wrapped in a plastic bag alongside a river bank in the Fontaine area, Mbabane. Her cord was cut long but not tied. She was taken to the Mbabane Government hospital where she lay in the Dumped Babies Ward for the first 6 months of her life. She was given to ABC Ministry by Babazile Scigwane and when we got her, she was very weak and neglected and unable to even hold up her head. She was covered in a fungal rash. She has Flat Head Syndrome from being left to lie in one position for long periods of time. She has developing well and is now a healthy toddler. She tested negative to the HIV virus.

Thandezile is a very quiet child who likes to frown at everything.

Meet Amanda Nokutula Dlamini
Date of birth: 21 November 2005

Amanda was abandoned by her mother on a bench outside of Ward 5 of Mbabane Government hospital. She was then admitted to the Ward 8, dumped babies’ ward for 2 months. Her mother was never traced. She was very sick and was dying as a result of neglect and mal nutrition. She was given to ABC Ministry by Social Worker Babazile Scigwane, where she is now growing and developing well. She is a healthy toddler and has tested negative to the HIV virus.

She is 22 months old and is a quiet child.
She loves to play outside.
She likes riding the toddler bikes and playing dolls.

Meet Sipho Dlamini
Date of birth: 5 October 2005

Sipho and his twin sister were admitted to the hospital in October 2006 with his mother by a man who was supposed to be Sipho’s father, but he was never seen again. The mother was very sick with AIDs/TB. Sipho weight only 4.3kg at 1 year old and was also very sick. He tested positive to HIV and also TB. His mother remained in hospital with him and died in January 2007. The twin sister also died as she was too sick to recover. The mother’s parents were very old and were unable to take him or to care for him, so he lived in the hospital for 5 months. He has had no contact with any family. We were asked to take him at the end of February by Matron Constance and Dr. Joyce from the Good Shepherd hospital, Siteki, as he needed lots of attention and special care. He was in severe depression and was refusing to eat. The doctors felt that he needed to be in a home environment. He is growing well and has responded well to his treatments.

He is no longer on TB treatment but is still taking the Anti-Retroviral Medications
He is now in the ABC toddler program and has started to walk.
He is healthy and happy.

Meet Nkosingiphile Zoë Mbuyisa
Date of birth: 5 August 2005

This little girl was admitted to the hospital together with her mother who was very sick and dying as a result of TB-AIDs. She was found to be a ‘Failure to Thrive’ baby and was put onto ARV treatment for HIV. Her mother died shortly after admission in the hospital and Zoë was left there by her father who has disappeared and not been traced by the police. She lived in the hospital for 5 months and we were then asked to bring her home as she had improved so much and needed a safe environment to live. The hospital was not sure of her age because she had no Health Card and her mother died without telling them the details of the child.

Zoë is in the ABC toddler program
She is on ARV treatment but is still not 100% health-wise.
She is a quiet little girl with little energy.
She loves to sit on her own and play with her dolls.

Meet Nomphilo Rachel Dlamini
Date of birth: 22 July 2005

This baby girl was abandoned on a farm in the Mpolienjeni Area of Siteki, at the age of about 1 year old on the 6 July 2006. She was very sick, neglected and mal nourished and weighed only 4.5kg when found. She was taken by the police to the hospital and lived in the hospital for 5 months before we were asked to take her into our home. She is HIV positive and is on ARV treatment. She is doing very well and is now healthy and strong. No relatives have been traced to date.

Nomphilo is now about 2 years old and we have her attending the ABC Toddler program. She is healthy on the ARV treatment and her weight is now 12kgs. She has developed well and is a happy, busy little girl.

Meet Siboniso Dexter and Celiwe Kanya Mabaso
Date of birth: 21 January 2004 and 27 December 2003

This brother and sister were found abandoned in a hut on a homestead near the Mozambique border. They were suffering from severe mal nourishment, neglect and deprivation. Siboniso, although he was 2 ½ years old, could not walk or crawl. He was very weak and had no muscles as the body had absorbed the muscle for protein to survive. The sister was also weak and unable to walk and ants were eating Siboniso. The police found them and took them to the local hospital where they stayed for 1 month. We were asked to bring them home as no relatives have been traced and they are now doing so much better. They are both negative to HIV but Siboniso is on TB treatment. Both children are very angry and have problems with trusting adults.

Meet Enoch Njabulo Matsebula
Date of birth: 18 February 2005

We were asked by the Matron of Good Shepherd Hospital to help with this baby. He was born prematurely and weighed only 1.3kg at birth. His mother had died shortly thereafter as a result of Aids. His father and mother were married and the father did want him but was unable to care for such a tiny, sickly baby. He was also without a job and also sick. There was another older child that he was looking after as well. We agreed to help this family and with the hospital’s backing and the father’s permission, brought Enoch in to live with us. His father phone’s us occasionally to find out how the child is doing but he is still without a job and unable to care for Enoch.

Enoch is 2 ½ years old and is in the ABC Toddler Program.
He loves to play with a ball and is able to kick and throw a ball very well.
He laughs a lot and is a very happy child.

Meet Siphiwe Lillian Michelle
Date of birth: Date of birth unknown

Lillian was found by a Pastor who was walking past a shack in Mangwaneni squatter camp, Big Bend. He heard the baby crying and broke the door down to get the baby out because the baby had been abandoned there. He took the baby to the Big Bend Police Station, who on investigation, found that the mother was deceased and that the father was in prison serving a 2½ year sentence. The so called father had left the child with a care giver but because of lack of funds the caregiver had locked the door and left. The baby was taken to the Good Shepherd Hospital, Siteki, where she stayed for four months. She was then brought to us through Sarg. Siphiwe Dlamini, who named the baby after herself as the baby’s name and age was unknown. The Good Shepherd had asked the police to remove the baby from the hospital because it was not healthy for the baby to remain in the children’s ward. The Police Officer doubted whether the father was the father because, on questioning, he could not tell them the name of the baby.

Lillian is in the ABC Toddler program
She loves to play with her dolls and tie them on her back.

Meet George Mandla Masina

Date of birth: 1 June 2004

Georgie is 3 years old and is in the ABC Toddler’s program.
He loves cars and trucks.
He also shows signs of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Dyslexia.

Meet Timothy Nkosinathi Dlamini
Date of birth: 15 February 2004

Timothy was born to a 13 year old, prostitute mother who is an orphan living in Mangwaneni Squatter camp, Big Bend. She prostitutes to make a living as she has never been to school and cannot get a job. She lives with her older sister who is also a prostitute. She found herself pregnant and asked us to help her and to take the baby. After she gave birth to the baby, the baby was removed from her, for his own safety and protection, by the police officers and brought to ABC Ministry. His father is unknown.

Timothy is now 3 years old and is in the ABC Toddler program.

Meet Angus Sibusiso Mthembu
Date of birth: 21 April 2002

Angus, at 3 months old, was brought to us by the C.P.U. Officer of the Siteki Police. The Invhuna, Mr Wiseman Nfshengila, had notified the police of this case and asked if ABC Ministry would help. The baby’s mother had died giving birth to him. He was her eighth child. Every one of her children had a different father. The baby’s father and mother were not married and his father is in prison for raping young girls under the age of 11 years. The baby was left in the care of an old lady named Juanna Mambaliving who lived in the streets of Siteki. Angus was very sick when he came to us as he had been left in the sun for long periods of time and was badly sun burnt. He also was very dehydrated. He is now a healthy and strong little boy. He is here as a place of safety.

Angus is in Pre-school at Stepping Stones, Valley of Hope Mission School.
He likes to watch TV.
He is learning to skateboard and likes to ride his bike.
He also likes to play marbles and toy cars.
He enjoys helping with the horses and feeding them.

Meet Michelle Fezile Masuku
Date of Birth: 6 August 1999

Michelle’s mother, Annie Safundza, had worked as a Domestic worker for my friend, Yvonne Douglas, in Big Bend. Annie was very concerned as she had tested positive to HIV and was very sick. She asked me to help Michelle if anything happened to her. We agreed to help and Michelle came to live with us in 2004 as her mother had died as a result of Aids and there was no one left in her family who could look after her. Michelle’s father was a married man who had many girlfriends and children. He refused to acknowledge that he was the father. Michelle had full blown Aids when she came to us, as she was not receiving any treatment for the Aids. She had also been on TB treatment that had been stopped before the end of the course. The child was very sick and weak. We took her to the Aids clinic and she was tested and put onto the ARV’s treatment and penicillin shots for the TB. She is now in good health, growing well and attending school. She is a full orphan.

Michelle is in Grade 2 at Valley of Hope Mission School.
She loves to skip and play with her dolls.
She likes to colour in and do jigsaw puzzles.
She likes to laugh a lot.

Meet Ngelozi Dlamini
Date of Birth: 13 March 1998

Ngelozi was the 9th child born to a prostitute mother living in the squatter camp. She did not know who the father of the baby was and informed us that she had tried doing abortion 3 times but that “the baby was stubborn and held on.” Ngelozi’s oldest sister of 21 years, at that time, approached us and asked us to rescue the baby as her mother was planning to kill her by not feeding her. We brought the baby home to live with us when she was 3 weeks old and the mother’s words to us were “What took you so long to come and fetch her because you know that I don’t want her”. Because there were problems with her mother’s boyfriends, we went to court and the magistrate ruled that Ngelozi was to remain in ABC Ministry as a place of safety. Her mother died in 2006 and she is now a full orphan.

Ngelozi is doing Grade 3 at Valley of Hope Mission School.
She loves to knit, look after babies and cook and bake.
She plays volleyball and loves to jump rope (skip).

Meet Khetsiwe Princess Matsenjwa
Date of Birth:1 September 1997

Khetsiwe was referred to us by Dr. Tim Nun from Ubombo Private Hospital, Big Bend. She was an extremely neglected and mal nourished little girl. She was nearly 2 years old and wore 3-6 month old baby clothes. She would sit and rock backwards and forwards for hours at time and showed signs of mild Autism, Social Deprivation and also Attachment Disorder. At 9 months old, she had been abandoned by her mother, to an abusive, alcoholic father. He would lock her in his room and go on drinking binges for days at a time, leaving the baby alone and unattended, where she would lie and play in her urine and stools. She was placed into our care by the local hospital and has developed into a healthy child. The police tried to locate Khetsiwe’s mother but found that she had left the country and gone to South Africa. She was never found.

Khetsiwe is attending Valley of Hope Mission School and is doing Grade 3.
She loves to sing and is in the school choir.
She enjoys playing soccer and volleyball.
She is a tomboy and loves to climb trees and ride her bike.
She likes to help with our 6 horses and groom them and feed them.

Meet Collin Sihlonganyane
Date of Birth: 1 September 1998

Collin’s mother tried to kill him at birth as she is an alcoholic living in the local squatter camp and she didn’t know who the father of the baby was. She got pregnant when she was drunk and her husband was in RSA running away from the police. She is married and feared what her husband would do to her when he found out that he was not the father. She tried to give birth in the bush but had serious complications and we were called in to rescue the baby. Collin was born dead as the umbilical cord was wrapped 4 times around his neck. He had been strangled within his mother. After the doctor got him out of his mother, he administered oxygen to him and he revived. He is with us as a place of safety as his family live in Mangwaneni Squatter camp, Big Bend, and they are alcoholics, drug addicts and prostitutes. When he was 3 years old, his mother tried to get him back but the Police refused to allow her and the matter was taken to Big Bend Courts. The magistrate ruled that Collin was to remain in ABC Ministry as a safe place until the family could prove to the courts that they could educate him and care for him and give him a proper home. We never heard from the family again.

Collin is doing Grade 4 at the Valley of Hope Mission School. He is very clever and skipped Grade 2 in 2006.
He suffers with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) which makes him difficult to handle some days.
Collin loves to play soccer and is the goalie on the school soccer team.
He loves to ride his bike and skateboard.
He enjoys reading and computer.

Meet Jose Madolo
Date of Birth: 11 February 1996

José was found in the local squatter camp, Mangwaneni, Big Bend. The women in the camp approached me to help him as his mother was slowly killing him. His mother was a 12 year old runaway from Mozambique and found that she was pregnant at 12 years old. She gave birth to him in a Sugar cane field and tried to kill him but a lady passing by managed to hit the mother and stop her from killing the baby. We brought José home to live with us at 6 weeks old and last heard that his mother had had her 5th baby by 19 years old. She has gone back to Mozambique and we have not heard from her since 2002.

José was a very sickly baby and suffered with severe allergies and asthma attacks. He still needs a lot of medical attention as he has constant Asthma.

José is 11years old and is doing Grade 4 at Valley of Hope Missions School.
He enjoys riding his bike and skateboard, playing rugby, golf and basketball.
He loves people and has lots of friends and he loves to help people.
José helps to look after our 2 dogs.

Meet Christopher Mashiyane
Date of Birth: 25 February 1994

Christopher came to us from Mangwaneni squatter camp, Big Bend. His mother would regularly lock him in her windowless shack and leave him there for days at a time, while she would go on drinking binges with boyfriends and forget all about him. He had 2 older brothers and we were also feeding them and caring for them in the squatter camp. Christopher was 2 years old when we were asked by the Gogo’s in the camp, to help him as they heard him crying in the shack. He was very neglected and had very bad kwashiorkor and he wore 6 month old baby clothes at 2 years old. When he was removed from his mother she asked us “what took us so long to take him because she didn’t want him.” Christopher’s father had been killed in a ‘hit and run’ accident when his mother was pregnant with him and she ended up in the squatter camp. She has never had contact with him in all this time and went on to have more babies.

He is 13 years old. He is still scared of the dark and hates to be left alone. He is attending Valley of Hope Mission School and is doing Grade 6.
He loves to fix things and is our bicycle mechanic.
He enjoys riding bikes, basketball, fixing things and drawing.
He is the drummer in the Praise and Worship group at church.
He plays the drums in a band called “Fire of Life”.
He enjoys watching TV and learning computer.
He likes to help with our 6 horses and groom them and feed them.
He is also responsible for feeding our cat every day.

Meet Andrew Bongani Dlamini
Date of Birth: 11 November 1992

Andrew was living on the streets in Big Bend as he was being badly abused by his uncle (his father’s brother) and aunty whom he lived with, and in March 2004 we decided to bring him into our home as we were unable to get him into any other children’s home in Swaziland at that time. Sarg Siphiwe Dlamini and myself had been working with Andrew in Mangwaneni Squatter Camp, Big Bend, since he was 3 years old (1996). His mother abandoned him at 9months old and left him with his father at Mangwaneni. His father died as a result of AIDs in 1999 when Andrew was 7 years old and he was left with his stepmother, who died a year later, also AIDs related. His uncle would beat him regularly and abuse him badly and he would run away and live on the streets. He was not attending school. He was not sniffing glue and drinking alcohol like the other street children but we were not sure as to how long he would withhold from the temptation of doing such things, so we brought him into ABC Ministry as a permanent child on request by Sarg. Siphiwe Dlamini.

Andrew is 15 years old and attending Valley Of Hope Private Missions School. He is in Grade 7.
He enjoys bike riding, playing soccer and basketball.
He sings in the Praise and Worship team for church.
He is the lead singer in a band called “Fire of Life”.
He is studying Art and doing well in his drawings.
He is also learning computer
He likes to help with our 6 horses and groom them and feed them.

Meet Joshua Sambulo Richter
Date of Birth: 13 November 1992

Joshua was a physically abused and abandoned baby and was found living in an extended family situation where there were 13 other children to be cared for by the Gogo. He was 12 months old when we found him and extremely mal-nutritioned. His mother had abandoned him at 9 months old with people living at Siteki and never returned for him. He was then taken to his paternal grandfather who already had 13 grandchildren he was trying to care for. We adopted Joshua in 1993.

Meet Samsen Celumusa Richter
Date of Birth: 30 March 1992

Samsen was adopted by us in 1992. He was our first baby to enter our home and was the beginning of ABC Ministry. He comes from a crippled, Epileptic and mentally handicapped mother who was raped at the age of 19. At birth Sam was removed to his father’s family and escaped being taken to the witchdoctor to be used for sacrifice. He “refused to die”, which were his grandmother’s words to me. We took him in when he was 4 months old. He was suffering from severe mal nutrition, social deprivation, neglect, detachment disorder and later he was diagnosed as ADHD.