SOHO supports the philosophy that sustainable solutions address the wholeness of body, mind, and spirit. SOHO emphasizes health education which includes both physical and mental wellness as well as programs that address basic needs such as food, clean water, safe shelter and life skills. By addressing the wellness of the total person and stimulating resilience and a sense of self-worth, SOHO adds a programmatic dimension that will magnify the net impact of its many services:
- Physical Health – health-care, food, nutrition, clean water
- Emotional Wellness – assessments in child-headed households, suicide prevention and counseling support
- Intellectual Development – preschool, tuition support, tutoring
- Life Skills – coping skills, livelihood skills, empowerment building
SOHO Welcome Places
One thing that orphans learn early in life is that they are not welcome. Stigma is associated with their situation which makes pain a daily reality and OVCs typically fall prey to abuse. Consequently, there is an extremely high suicide rate among OVCs, particularly those in child-headed households. SOHO Welcome Places, currently located in Mhlosheni and Mbekielweni Swaziland, are multi-purpose centers with a safe and nurturing environment where children can find food, shelter, education, counseling, and life-skills training necessary for their survival.
Free Clinics
In Swaziland, due to the lack of accessibility to hospitals and adequate health-care, many children lack basic medical care or are “treated” by traditional healers. SOHO conducts periodic health-care trips where teams of volunteer nurses and health-care providers operate free clinics in rural areas that are not well served. Clothing, shoes, and school supplies are simultaneously distributed to those in the greatest need. These rural clinics have been conducted in various sites around Swaziland, Lesotho, and KwaZulu Natal and thousands of children have received treatment and medical attention.
Agriculture
In partnership with Andrews University, University of Swaziland, and Purdue University, SOHO is developing farm projects to feed OVCs as well as provide needed training. A sixty-seven acre multi-faceted farm project in HhoHho, Swaziland will feed orphans, provide agricultural training to local Swazi farmers, and provide employment for families affected by HIV/AIDS. As the farm grows, SOHO plans to establish agricultural teaching facilities and market the surplus produce to buyers in Swaziland and South Africa.
HIV/AIDS Prevention
According to the Alliance of Mayor’s Initiative for Community Action on AIDS at the Local Level (AMICAALL) in Swaziland, there are several factors that influence the spread of the disease including cultural practices, knowledge gap, low status of women, poverty, lack of healthy recreational activities and over emphasis of condom use compared to abstinence and mutual faithfulness. Swaziland has the highest HIV/AIDS infection rate in the world.
In partnership with AMICAALL, SOHO is developing an HIV/AIDS prevention program that emphasizes education, behavior modification, and empowerment for positive life choices. The program objectives are to provide accurate information on HIV/AIDS transmission, reduce stigmatization, reduce risky sexual behaviors, increase the number of young people practicing abstinence, and provide wholesome alternatives to recreational sexual activity such as music, art, physical fitness, etc.
SLICE – Students Learning through an International Care-giving Experience
SOHO seeks to encourage local U.S. youth to become change agents by increasing their social awareness, improving their value of diversity and involving them hands on in addressing the global problems of HIV/AIDS, poverty, and hunger. Schools, churches, or other youth community programs can adopt a child-headed household. SOHO will connect these U.S. youth with child headed families in sub-Saharan Africa, facilitating communication exchange. In addition, the U.S. youth team will be responsible for fulfilling a need of their partner African child-headed family. This program enables youth to develop leadership skills and it engages them in international philanthropy where students can appreciate the benefits of their efforts on a personal level.
Food
SOHO provides food for Orphan Care Points in Swaziland as need arises. Parcels, including food supplies for cooking, soap, household necessities, hygiene supplies and school supplies, are made available to OVC households in crisis. As more food generating resources become available, it is our hope to see fewer and fewer child-headed households exist without adequate food.
Clean Water
In collaboration with Andrews University, SOHO has drilled wells in a number of communities so that clean water can be available for consumption. At the HhoHho Farm site, three wells have been dug and at the Mhlosheni Welcome Place water from a new well has replaced the contaminated water that was previously used for drinking and cooking.
SOHO is collaborating with Purdue University to engage graduating engineering students in water projects that benefit communities in dire need.
