Process Recording #1 - about Bulembu

I'm less than hopeful that there are many people still sitting tight to see if I'll be true to my word and actually post anything about my African adventures. But those of you who are reading this, thanks for being willing to follow along with my ramblings! I am by no means a "blogger" but I hope to at least be able to communicate some of my overseas experiences.
Before I embark on an extrapolation of thoughts and stories, I want to give an overview of the towns I was in, the organizations I was working with, and what I actually did day-to-day. I'll start in Swaziland.
So as you know from reading below, most of my time was spent in Bulembu, Swaziland. Now Bulembu is not just an ordinary town (if you had a chance to watch the video on Bulembu International's website, www.bulembu.org, you've had a little introduction). Set in the mountainous region of Northern Swaziland, Bulembu is a former mining town. A minining company built the town 60+ years ago to support the Chrysotile mine (a milder form of asbestos) but when the market for asbestos collapsed, the market for Chrysotile disappeared with it. In 2001, the company shut down the mine and walked away. This left the people of Bulembu (as well as many other Swazis) unemployed, the national economy dented, and a once booming town abandoned.
To thicken your understanding of the dilemma, it is necessary to have a fuller picture of the condition in Swaziland. This country tiny landlocked country (about the size of New Jersey) of about 950,000 people now holds the highest HIV/AIDS infection rate in the world (almost 39% of the population is infected) and an average life expectancy of 32. Tuberculosis and HIV go hand in hand, and according to the World Health Organization, Swaziland now has the world's highest TB rate. Additionally, almost 78% of the population is living below the poverty line. And what is more, with parents dying so young, the country now has an orphan crisis on its hands (~120,000 orphaned and vulnerable Swazi children). Not to sound calloused, but often when people think of Africa, they think of poverty and AIDS. What struck me quickly upon arrival was to learn that the UN is estimating that, at the current death rate, the Swazi people will cease to exist by 2050.
It is this national crisis that the team of Christian entrepreneurs and social developers (now comprising Bulembu International - BI) sought to step into. They purchased the town in 2006 and have basically begun a large-scale community development project. Bulembu Ministries Swaziland (BMS) is the on-site operating branch of Bulembu International (BI). The vision is to develop a town where 10,000 residents live safely with access to employment and necessary social services...a town an "infrastructure and programs to provide ongoing care for 2,000 orphaned and vulnerable children," giving them "access to education, health services and family structures so they can develop into young adults and emerging leaders with hope for the future" (Bulembu vision statement). The idea is that this ministry of transformation will soon be self-supported by "innovative, sustainable, and profitable businesses in the community" (goal = a self-sustaining community by 2020). Ultimately, this organization is hopeful that, by the complete restoration of one town (and the lives that it represents) through the transforming hope offered in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the future of Swaziland will take a turn for the better.

The "community care" side of things:
In Bulembu, there are 4 different sub-ministries (for lack of a better word) that house the incoming orphans:
the welcome center (a house where the children stay first upon arrival in Bulembu before placement in a more permanent setting), BMS orphan homes (currently about 8 homes each accomodating 8-9 kids and 1 Swazi house mom), ABC (Abandoned Babies for Christ) ministry (taking in abandoned babies from all over the country), and Jacaranda ministry (for sexually abused young girls). Additionally, there is a medical clinic, a christian school (Bulembu Christian Academy), and a community center (for care children in the village whose parents work during the day).

The "community enterprise" side of things:
There are currently 4 established businesses - timber, water, honey, and country lodge (hospitality) - with several more in the works (i.e. a diary, bakery, and tree nursery). The "future hope" exists not only for the incoming orphans, but the employees who are hearing daily about Jesus and being encouraged in a Christ-centered workplace.

I spent the first two weeks in the clinic and the community working alongside the nurses serving in Bulembu...
More to come (I promise my future posts will not be this long!)