eSwatini is part of the Holy Spirit Region.

MISSION
 

The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are missioning in Eswatini since 1972. The Sisters started their mission at the St. Philip’s Mission establishing community care programs in response to the need in communities.
 

St. Philips is a village in the Lubombo Lowveld of Eswatini, about 100 km south east of the capital Mbabane. When the sisters first arrived in eSwatini in 1971, St. Philips was not more than a bunch of huts and there was no paved road.

The sisters started working community care programs to respond to the immediate needs of the population, focusing on mitigating the challenges facing local communities including high poverty, poor health, increasing nutritional needs, lack of education and the need for child protection. In the ‘80s, with the outbreak of HIV, the sister started to take care of the sick and of the many orphans who lost their parents to AIDS. 

Many improvements have been made since 1971, however, poverty remains a major challenge in the area. Economic insecurity and unemployment have increased further in recent years due to climate-related shocks, including severe drought, leaving households ill equipped to care for themselves. The country has also struggled to attract foreign direct investment to boost the economy through new jobs. This has meant there is already very high unemployment, estimated at 40% and as people compete for fewer jobs, the labor conditions deteriorate. 

Health is another concern in the country. In spite of the significant progress in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic and new infections are declining, the country still has the world’s highest prevalence.  In addition, the country has the highest prevalence of cervical cancer.

Today they expanded their services through Cabrini Ministries Eswatini.
Cabrini Ministries (CM) is a Catholic community care organization. Legally established in 2006, CM was built on the foundations of the work started by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC), who arrived in Eswatini in 1971 to respond to the needs of the people.

CM’s approach to service delivery is family centered in a comprehensive and integrated family manner. Over the past year, services provided to the communities included homestead assessments; case management, gender-based violence (GBV) services; primary healthcare provision; cervical cancer screening, treatment and referral; counseling; educational assistance; learning and development through play; education resource hub, and community education. Whilst the communities we work in are gradually developing, there are still underlying issues e.g. GBV and poverty. As an organization we continue to strengthen community education to ensure that the community is sensitized on GBV. We also conduct case management and family assessments for purposes of information gathering as means of providing a comprehensive package of services.

Some of the staff come from the communities we serve which makes it easy for CM to understand challenges faced by the population and to collaborate with community structures. CM understands that much can be done through collaborating with other stakeholders and, as such, we collaborate and coordinate our activities with stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health, the Department of Social Welfare (DSW), CANGO’s Children’s Consortium, hospitals and clinics, police, local and international NGOs and donors.

Communities

• St. Philip MSC Community

Healthcare

• St. Philip’s Clinic
• Outreach Healthcare Programs
• New Abilities Center
• Pre-school
• Resource hub (after-school program, school orientation, library, internet access for education..)
• Sponsorship for high school students

Family Services

• HIV and TB education and awareness programs
• GBV prevention and case management programs

If you would like to receive updates about the mission and the Holy Spirit Region, visit www.sacredheartcabrini.org, follow the Facebook Page, or write to us at info@cabriniworld.org. We will put you in touch with the sisters in that geographical area.

Thank you!