About us

Print
PDF

In the 1960s John Tibbs was Rector of All Saints parish in the capital of Swaziland, Mbabane. It was in Mbabane that he met Jack Dobson who was a teacher at the local Trade School. Jack had gone to Swaziland in the 1950s as a draughtsman and builder and, working through the Church of England, helped build a secondary school and a pineapple farm at Usuthu.three children at broken window

Jack later became Rector and also Dean of All Saints cathedral in Mbabane and, although now retired from an active role in the church, he continues to live in Swaziland and is the Charity’s key contact for its work. Jack trains local men in building techniques and supervises all the Charity’s building projects.

The friendship between Jack and John led to an informal charity being formed to help children in Swaziland receive an education and in 2008 this charity officially became the Swaziland Schools Projects Charity with a Charity Commission registration number of 1123689.

The Charity is fortunate to have 8 Trustees living in various parts of the United Kingdom and is chaired by John Tibbs. You can find contact details by following this link to the “contact us” page.

The Charity complies with all statutory requirements and there are minimal financial overheads. The Trustees take no expenses from the Charity and visits to Swaziland by Trustees are fully self-funded.

Before the Charity became officially registered, it funded many school fees and many basic building projects such as classrooms, kitchens and toilets.

For more information about what has been achieved, please visit the “History” page or follow this link. You can also see a list of what has been achieved by looking at the “past projects” page or by following this link. To see what we are currently raising money for please go to the “current projects” page.

arentwecuteThe Charity operates in the northern part of Swaziland in the Hhohho district and has supported six schools with building projects and about 40 schools by paying some of the school fees for some of their poorest children.

Income to the Charity is mainly through personal donations and in the last financial year (2010) was approximately £20,000, a sum which makes a significant difference to the lives of children in Swaziland. IF you would like to see our latest accounts please follow this link. 2010 Accounts

Possible building projects are discussed with local chiefs and school committees and often Jack will harness local people to help by clearing the ground or feeding and housing the builders.

Each year the Charity adopts a list of projects for which it raises money but the nature of the changing priorities in Swaziland means that often the list has to be changed to respond to local circumstances. For example, the recent edict that it was compulsory for all children aged 5 and 6 to attend school, and that this would be supported by some government and EU money meant that all of a sudden, many additional children arrived at some schools leading to problems with insufficient accommodation or teachers’ houses.

At the recent AGM, John Tibbs was elected Chairman, Robin Davies was elected Secretary and Gina Alderson Treasurer. Thanks were passed to Michael O'Dell who has had to resign as a Trustee and to Matthew Lawson whose work commitments have led to his resignation as Secretary. In addition to Robin, the Trustees were also delighted to welcome another new Trustee, Brian Woodrow

To see what we are currently raising money for, please go to the “current projects” page.

 


Raising Money For

Currently we are raising money for the following:

Bursaries

So that over 200 children from the poorest communities can attend school. Only if these children receive an education will they have any chance of escaping poverty. Fees have to be paid for all children attending school (except orphans) and the bursaries help the poorest. The Swazi government pays all the teachers' salaries, so the fees are for things such as books, administration, electricity and school meals. The fees are the equivalent of about £45 a year (primary) and £300 a year (secondary). If the fees are not paid the children are not allowed to attend school. There are signs that the government is starting to put more money into the education system but the Charity will need to continue to raise money for bursaries for many more years.

Projects