Whether your child is a newborn or an adolescent, it's fun decorating your kid's room. If you have a knack for interior design, perhaps you go above and beyond, mix and match, and style your child's room to perfection. Or, maybe you're the type of person who likes to go to a furniture store and buy every piece in a specific collection.
Regardless of the type of decorator that you resonate with the most, finding kid-friendly home decor can be really fun, especially if you still maintain some of your childhood charms and would love to show them by outfitting your kid's room with fun, playful themes.
Parents play an essential role in a child's life. They're responsible for satisfying their kids' psychosocial and physiological needs while giving them a good education and preparing them for life's challenges. Without parents to do their part, children become orphans, facing many problems and distress.
According to UNICEF, there are 140 million orphans worldwide, and 5,700 more children become orphans every day. Most of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa, home to multiple countries with high orphan rates, and a primary cause of this issue is natural disasters. In the last 20 years, almost 750,000 people have died because of this issue, leaving hundreds of thousands of children without parental support.
Many orphans live in today's world, and you can find them in every country on the planet. There isn't one place that doesn't have a significant number of children living without parents to love them. However, some countries do have higher numbers than others.
Africa is a continent that has a large population of orphans. As a result, many people wonder how they can help—no one wants to see so many children struggling to survive without their parents. But before anyone can provide aid, they have to fully understand the problem.
It's no secret that the pandemic has affected everyone. You can look far and wide and find everyone in between sharing a story about how COVID-19 has impacted their daily life.
Many people have lost jobs, loved ones, financial stability, and general confidence about the future. However, people are trying to move forward now that economies are reopening and vaccines are becoming available.
Those who are experiencing this return to normalcy are understandably excited and ready for what's ahead. Yet, there are many people who aren't as thrilled, and it's not because things are returning to normal. It's because normalcy still looks so far away.
In Eswatini—a small southern kingdom in Africa—Swazis are struggling to pick up the pieces of their lives that the pandemic shattered. While the government is doing what it can to help, many Swazis are still experiencing hardships that are starting to gain international attention, and one of those hardships is hunger.
Hunger in Eswatini was a pre-pandemic problem
Hunger has always been a primary issue in Eswatini. Although efforts to alleviate the problem are ongoing, the kingdom still suffers from severe unemployment and poverty, leaving Swazis with few opportunities to regularly put food on the table for their families.
Making matters worse, the weather in Southern Africa is unpredictable, and those living in the region are currently in the midst of a climate emergency. At the beginning of 2020, before the pandemic reached Eswatini, widespread flooding and frequent droughts had left 45 million people across Southern Africa with severe food shortages, and women and children bore the brunt of this issue.
The Southern African Development Community—a region consisting of 16 nations that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change identifies as a climate "hotspot"—hasn't had a normal growing season in the past five years. The UN reports that seasonal rains have been late in many countries, contributing to an unprecedented hunger crisis.
The problem is so bad that it's reached a level the World Food Programme has never witnessed before. Their independent assessment found that the number of food-insecure districts has doubled, and an additional 1.1 million people in Southern Africa face acute malnutrition.
Among the nations hit hardest is Eswatini. Before the pandemic reached its borders, Swazis were already struggling to find consistent sources of food, and COVID-19 has only made things worse.
The impact of COVID-19 on hunger in Eswatini
As a result of COVD-19, more than 347,000 Swazis, including 180,000 children, are encountering acute food shortages. What was once primarily fueled by erratic weather conditions, hunger in Eswatini has become an even bigger issue because of job losses and steep food prices that people encountered during the pandemic.
Research suggests that 60,000 Swazis are now "experiencing emergency levels of hunger, meaning that without immediate action, they could face starvation or even death." These numbers are high for any nation, but they're especially high in places like Eswatini, where the population is only 1.1 million. A third of the kingdom is experiencing hunger, and hundreds of thousands of children face the worst aspects of the issue.
Towards the end of 2020, The Global Network Against Food Crises held an event to provide the latest data on how COVID-19 was impacting hunger in places like Eswatini, where the issue was already thriving. Multiple leaders presented different strategies to alleviate the problem.
One strategy focused on pairing developed countries with those most in need to "accelerate agri-food system transformation," and another approach honed in on decreasing the immediate effects of the pandemic while "strengthening the long-term resilience of food systems and livelihoods."
How you can help decrease hunger in Eswatini
If you want to help counter COVID-19's impact on the hunger crisis in Eswatini, you do have the opportunity to make a significant contribution.
Khutsala Artisans supports orphaned and vulnerable children in Eswatini by giving all of its profits to Heart for Africa, a faith-based humanitarian organization. With the money, Heart for Africa helps decrease hunger in Eswatini and specifically focuses on one of the groups most affected: children.
If you want to come alongside this mission to decrease hunger in Eswatini, Khutsala Artisans sells beautiful handmade home decor and jewelry that you can buy. In fact, in the spirit of helping reduce hunger, here are five kitchen items that you can purchase from Khutsala Artisans.
If you don't like water rings from coffee mugs and cups staining your furniture, then you should check out the handmade Wood Coasters. Carved from a bloodwood tree in Eswatini, these items showcase the vibrant dark red sap that oozes out whenever the tree is cut. Beautiful and unique, these coasters come in a set of four that are great for gatherings or everyday use.
Buy the Wood Coasters HERE.
There's nothing like enjoying the beautiful weather by having a picnic or people over to hang out. To set up the food for either activity, check out Khutsala Artisans' Charcuterie Board. Also crafted from the unique bloodwood trees in Eswatini, this handmade item is elegantly cut with smooth edges and mesmerizing colors. The charcuterie board also comes in two sizes.
Buy the Charcuterie Board HERE.
Add some flair to your wine glasses by buying the Wine Glass Charms. Available in sets of six, each charm is made from SwaziMUD beads, which are hand-rolled and glazed by artisans. Additionally, all of the sets have different themes. One comes with silver charms that symbolize hope, while another contains sky-blue beads with leafy charms attached at the ends.
Buy the Wine Glass Charms HERE.
Handcrafted in Eswatini, the Lucky Seed Bowls feature beautiful beads that come in various natural colors, including ivory, mahogany, and olive. Building this unique bowl requires three artisans, one of whom creates the frame while another strings the beads and the other wraps the beads onto the frame. Available in multiple sizes, the largest bowl is a great place to house fresh apples, oranges, and bananas on your countertop.
Buy the Lucky Seed Bowl HERE.
This item may not be something for your kitchen, but it's definitely something you can wear in your kitchen. The Share Hope T-Shirt pushes Khutsala Artisans and Heart for Africa's mission to the forefront.
Each letter in the word represents something specific: H stands for hunger, O stands for orphans, P stands for poverty, and E stands for education. These areas of life are the sole focuses for Khutsala Artisans and Heart for Africa, so wear this t-shirt to showcase the mission you're helping achieve.
Buy the Share Hope T-Shirt HERE.
The road to helping Eswatini recover
As with anything, it's not going to be easy to help Eswatini recover from the effects of COVID-19, especially since Swazis were already facing an uphill battle. But with more people's help and commitment, everyone—including those who need it most—can bounce back from the pandemic stronger than ever before.
When you go to bed on an empty stomach, how do you feel? Are you uncomfortable, restless, and annoyed? Do you get hangry and snap on a few loved ones? Or, have you never gone to bed with an empty stomach and have dozed off feeling content and satisfied?
Unfortunately, while it’d be wonderful to say that everyone goes to sleep after a good meal, the reality is so much different. Every night, about 8.9 percent of the world’s population goes to bed on an empty stomach. For context, that’s 690 million people sleeping without having a good meal.
What's one thing picnics, wineries, and get-togethers all have in common? They typically come with charcuterie boards. These tasty, beautifully decorated boards are something that's easy to enjoy. Whether they're simple or extravagant, charcuterie boards always include some of the best meats, cheeses, spices, dips, veggies, and bread.
But have you ever wondered where this favorite household item comes from?
Every year, a special day comes around where you get to celebrate the amazing woman who raised you. And while it’s important to recognize this woman’s efforts on a daily basis, there’s something beautiful about taking time to do it on Mother’s Day.
During this celebration, you get to reflect on the love and care your mom has shown throughout your life and honor her for the person she’s helped you become. It’s always fun to remember your mom cheering for you on the sidelines during soccer games, taking you to practices after school, helping you do homework when you’re confused, and dropping you off at college to become an adult.
These instances—and many more like it—are what give you a deep love for your mother. And this love becomes especially strong when you realize some people don’t experience the same thing.
While mothers are supposed to protect, love, and care for their children, some fall short for various reasons, and this fact shouldn’t convince you to judge someone. However, it should hopefully fill you with a deeper sense of gratitude for the mom you have in your life.
On Mother’s Day, this thankfulness usually leads to gift-giving. Right now, you may be wondering what to buy for this special celebration, but luckily, Khutsala Artisans has the answer. If you’re looking for a meaningful gift, you should consider the handmade Mother’s Day jewelry at Khutsala Artisans.
Why is Mother’s Day meaningful?
A meaningful gift for Mother’s Day makes sense because this holiday’s roots are steeped in meaning. Most people don’t know the history of Mother’s Day. Some just enjoy the holiday for what it is: a time to celebrate a loved one. But Mother’s Day has always been rooted in something special.
In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation to declare the second Sunday of May as a “public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.” This proclamation was the formal birth of Mother’s Day. However, a copywriter named Anna Jarvis was the one who spearheaded the movement.
In the mid-19th century, Jarvis’s mother had the idea for Mother’s Day. After teaching a Sunday School lesson, Jarvis heard her mother recite a beautiful prayer: “I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother’s day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life.”
Scholars believe this prayer was founded on a different vision for Mother’s Day than the one we see playing out in modern times. Jarvis’s mother was likely hoping to have a day where moms got together to serve other mothers who were less fortunate than them.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, it was common for infants in the Appalachian region to die before their first birthday because of epidemics that sprang from poor sanitary conditions. The elder Jarvis wanted to help moms practice excellent hygiene to prevent this issue. But when she died in 1905, her daughter picked up the baton to fulfill her dream.
However, instead of focusing on helping other mothers, Jarvis created a more uplifting message to market Mother’s Day. Likely using her advertising background, Jarvis marketed her mom's dream so that it wouldn’t seem like a beggars’ holiday but one where even poor mothers felt rich because of their kids’ love.
This meaningful messaging was something that Jarvis believed in because she loved her mom dearly. And it’s because of Jarvis’s love that she accomplished her mother’s dream and inspired a day where everyone can take time out to recognize and honor their mom the way she did.
What makes Khutsala Artisans’ jewelry meaningful?
While you can’t always create a holiday to express how much you love your mother, you can buy her heartfelt gifts instead. At Khutsala Artisans, you can find an entire collection of handmade Mother’s Day jewelry that’s beautiful, versatile, and meaningful.
These pieces are created by artisans in Eswatini, a kingdom where many mothers struggle to care for their children or abandon them because they can’t watch them suffer from a lack of food, opportunity, and financial resources. These mothers are typically living in poverty and are experiencing hunger, unemployment, and a lack of education.
But when you purchase something at Khutsala Artisans, you help support the Swazi mothers who make our handmade Mother’s Day jewelry so they can give their families the best life possible. You also uplift every employee at Khutsala Artisans who isn’t a mother but provides for their moms.
What’s also great is that all of the profits from your purchase go to Heart for Africa, a faith-based humanitarian organization that cares for vulnerable and orphaned children. With the profits from Khutsala Artisans, the team at Heart for Africa not only raises great men of character, but they also raise wonderful women who will have the education, opportunities, and financial resources to support their children.
Shop handmade Mother’s Day jewelry
Now is the time to buy handmade Mother’s Day jewelry that celebrates your mom and helps support and raise a new generation of wonderful mothers. For good gift ideas from Khutsala Artisans’ Mother’s Day collection, check out these five pieces of handmade jewelry.
If your mom brings a lot of joy into your life, there may not be a better gift than the Swazi MUD Joy Bracelet. This timeless item is a great way to thank your mom for all of the laughter, smiles, and love she brings into your life.
This bracelet also features Khutsala Artisans’ signature SwaziMUD beads, which are hand-rolled by artisans in Eswatini. And the pewter tag that says “joy” is hand-stamped as well.
Shop the SwaziMUD Joy Bracelet HERE.
Perhaps your mother likes to garden and loves flowers. Maybe you even have memories of hanging out in your mother’s flower garden and helping her care for the plants. If so, you may want to get the Flower Earrings.
Available in white, yellow, and purple, these pieces are handcrafted and beaded by the Swazi designers at Khutsala Artisans. And they are fun, colorful additions to any spring or summer wardrobe.
Shop the Flower Earrings HERE.
Ever spread your arms out wide and tell your mom, “I love you this much”? Or, have you ever told your mother, “I love you to the moon back”? Usually, these phrases mean you love your mom a lot and that your love is pretty much infinite.
If you want to give a gift that symbolizes that love, you need to buy the Infinity Bracelet. This handmade Mother’s Day jewelry is available in multiple colors, including teapot brown, peony red, buxi green, and mirror black. And the infinity sign comes in either bronze or silver.
Shop the Infinity Bracelet HERE.
If your mom loves earrings more than bracelets, but you still want to show how infinite your love is for her, check out the Infinity Loop Earrings. These pieces are handmade, hammered infinity signs that provide a unique twist to hoop earrings. They also come in silver and are versatile pieces that your mom can use for dressy and casual outfits.
Shop the Infinity Loop Earrings HERE.
You always need people in your life who are pillars of strength, and oftentimes, mothers play this role. Whether you’re going through a fresh heartbreak or a sickness, your mother is right by your side, encouraging you and supporting you through it all.
What better way to recognize this strength than with the Swazi MUD Strong Bracelet? This handmade Mother’s Day jewelry contains Khutsala Artisans’ signature SwaziMUD beads that are hand-rolled by artisans in Eswatini. The pewter tag has always “strong” hand-stamped on it and can be a daily reminder of the strength your mom has given you.
Shop the Swazi MUD Strong Bracelet HERE.
Make Mother’s Day gift meaningful
It doesn’t matter what handmade Mother’s Day jewelry you buy from Khutsala Artisans. Your mom will love it. Every piece has a meaning, and every piece makes a difference. So, shop the handmade gifts from Khutsala Artisans’ Mother’s Day collection.
Shop with purpose here.
If you live in a place where going to school is an everyday occurrence, you may not have faced many barriers to education. Maybe you went to preschool, primary school, and secondary school without doubting that you'd drop out one day. And perhaps you even went on to college, got an internship, and found a well-paying job.
While this journey is available in many countries, there are places where getting a formal education is nearly impossible. Unfortunately, millions of adults and children around the world lack access to education.
Research suggests that 59 million children of primary school age are denied an education. And nearly 65 million adolescents don't have access to a secondary school.
One reason for these numbers is the conflict and natural disasters that are prevalent in various countries. These two factors have disrupted and stalled the education of 75 million children.
However, another common barrier to education is the teachers. In one of three countries, less than three-quarters of teachers receive training that meets national standards. As a result, 130 million children in school never learn the basics.
And the ones who aren't attending school are likely working. Studies indicate that in 2012, 168 million kids between the ages of 5 and 17 were child labor workers.
The barriers to education in Eswatini
While there are common obstacles to education, some barriers are specific to a particular country. For example, in Eswatini, the most prevalent reasons children skip school have little to do with conflict zones, natural disasters, and child labor.
Those barriers do exist in some capacity. But in the small kingdom of Eswatini, there's a different set of unique obstacles that Swazi children and adults face. For context, here are five barriers to education in Eswatini.
For girls in Grade 7, the most common cause for dropping out of school is teenage pregnancy. This obstacle is also one of the top causes among girls from as early as Grade 5.
Typically, two reasons contribute to this barrier. One reason has to do with the vulnerability of Swazi girls. Research indicates that girls between ages 15 to 17 are more likely to be pregnant if they are orphans.
However, the second reason has to do with arranged marriages. In Eswatini, it's common for young girls to marry older men. A report suggests that 17% of all married women in Eswatini were married before they turned 18.
Most people are unaware that Eswatini has the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS. In 2019, there were 200,00 Swazis living with the virus. Twenty-seven percent of those with HIV/AIDS were adults between the ages of 15-49. And research suggests that in 2019 there were 2,300 AIDS-related deaths in Eswatini.
This virus plays a significant role in school attendance. Any money that could go to a child's schooling usually has to go towards treating whoever in the family has HIV/AIDS. And if no one is available to care for the sick individual, the child typically stays behind to look after their ill family member.
Because Eswatini has a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, many children have lost parents or guardians to the virus. In fact, studies suggest that around 25 percent of Swazi children have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS.
When this tragedy happens, it becomes even harder for kids to get an education in Eswatini. Without a parent's support, children can frequently miss school and become more susceptible to food insecurity and exploitation.
Even more troubling, orphanhood can have a devastating impact on children's mental health. Some kids in Eswatini experience mood swings, withdrawal, social difficulties, phobias, and aggressiveness. And these symptoms decrease performance in the classroom and potentially contribute to high repetition and dropout rates.
While it's normal for kids to fuss about going to school, the attitudes towards schooling in Eswatini are making it very challenging for children to stay in school. In a report that highlighted interviews with Swazi teachers, perpetual absenteeism was one of the primary causes of dropouts among boys.
In the interviews, teachers cited "hatred of school," "revolt against reprimand," and a general dissatisfaction with school authority as leading reasons for school dropout. And these negative perceptions go a long way in preventing children from getting the schooling they need to excel in life.
School should be a place where children feel comfortable and loved. That's the type of environment that'll allow kids to perform well. But unfortunately, some children in Eswatini don't feel comfortable in the classroom.
Research suggests that school is sometimes a dangerous place for Swazi girls. Sadly, there have been many instances where teachers sexually abuse their female students. Additionally, the threat of violence against children, especially girls, is also prevalent when walking to and from school buildings.
The number of Swazis living in poverty in Eswatini remains high. Research indicates that 58.9 percent of the rural population lives below the national poverty line, and 20 percent of Swazis are extremely poor.
This barrier is a significant one because parents can’t afford to pay for their children’s schooling. In Eswatini, primary education is free. However, parents must pay for their kids to go to secondary school. And if they don’t have the funds, they don’t have the opportunity to give their kids a basic education.
The consequences of not receiving an education
The barriers to education lead to many consequences, and that's especially true in Eswatini. The inability to get a quality education has created two significant issues in the kingdom.
The most obvious one is the cycle of poverty. Without a proper education, Swazis struggle to get the few jobs that are available, forcing most of them to live on less than US$1.90 per day. This extreme poverty then makes it difficult to pay for the next generation's schooling, and the cycle continues over and over again until someone stops it.
In even worse scenarios, the inability to go to school and find a job leads some Swazis to abandon their children, creating an orphan crisis in Eswatini. Without financial resources, it's challenging for adult Swazis to take care of their kids, so they opt to leave them behind instead of watching them suffer.
Help break the barriers to education
Tearing down the barriers to education is imperative if children are to grow up with opportunities and the chance to live a comfortable life. Many countries need your help in providing tomorrow's leaders with the education and resources they need today. And one of those countries is Eswatini.
Khutsala Artisans, a Heart for Africa initiative, is committed to helping children in Eswatini get the education they need. All of the profits from Khutsala Artisans goes towards Heart for Africa, a faith-based humanitarian organization that uses the money to care for orphaned and vulnerable children in Eswatini.
With the profits from Khutsala Artisans, these children receive the necessities that everyone needs in life. However, they also receive school supplies, books, backpacks, and a quality education at Project Canaan Academy.
The opportunity to go to an excellent school is what's going to help these Swazi children get great jobs and earn the financial resources they need to care for themselves and their families. But what's just as exciting is that the Swazi employees that work for Khutsala Artisans earn the financial resources they need to go to school and give their children an education.
If you want to get involved in this mission, don't hesitate to take advantage of the beautiful handmade jewelry and home decor that Khutsala Artisans offers. The money from your purchase will go towards a child's future and help sustain employees who need the financial means to create a better quality of life.
A great teacher knows how to instill confidence, become great mentors, give fresh advice, and help you discover what you want to do in life. When you find these kinds of teachers, it's important to highlight them for all of their accomplishments.
Doing a teacher spotlight is one of the best ways to acknowledge teachers that are positively leading tomorrow's leaders. And in countries like Eswatini, where many schools don't have resources to provide a great education, teacher spotlights offer an excellent way to recognize those who are still doing what they can to make a positive impact.
