Over the past decade in Swaziland, now called Eswatini, serious drought and a rapidly growing HIV epidemic—whereby one-quarter of the population is living with HIV, more than any other country in the world—have resulted in dramatic increases in poverty. Sixty-three percent of Swazis are living below the poverty line and economic constraints in recent years have crippled social service delivery, while worsening food security has pushed the most vulnerable deeper into poverty.

The convergence of poverty and the AIDS epidemic has been particularly devastating for children: the government estimates that 30-45% of Swazi children (approximately 130,000-180,000) are orphans and/or living in highly vulnerable conditions. These children either live in child-headed households, with over-burdened elderly grandparents or extended families, or with chronically ill parents and struggle to have their basic needs met. These statistics underscore the extraordinary need for effective social welfare service delivery in the country, particularly for children, as well as the need to get vulnerable children and families into the HIV continuum of care.

In 2008, World Education's Bantwana Initiative began working in Eswatini using a school-based model to provide support to highly vulnerable children. The primary goal in Eswatini is to provide comprehensive support to vulnerable children and families by building the capacity of communities, schools, and government officials to provide critically needed services.

Watch a video on World Educations HIV-focused Life Skills Education Program in Swaziland, as well as Delivering DREAMS - Bagezile's Story, the story of a girl forced to drop out of school after having her baby because she could not pay the school fees and no one would care for her baby. Through the DREAMS Innovation Challenge (DREAMS-IC) project in Eswatini, Bagezile was able to return to school and work towards a brighter future.