SUCCESS!

On Friday afternoon, after dropping my parents off at the airport (more on this in next blog entry), I crossed the border back into Swaziland and received the best text message ever from the Assistant Peace Corps Director in Swaziland:

"Hi Justine...I just want to let you know that your project has been funded!"

That's right, I've raised all of the $8591.69 I need to begin my water and community garden project for my community! I should get the money in the next 2 weeks, which means I can begin the implementation of the project sometime in the beginning of April. I can't wait to tell my community that we have the money!

I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the project, everyone who passed along my emails and links to videos and blog and website addresses, everyone who raised money at their workplace or school or club, and everyone who has helped me along the way. Unfortuantely I don't know who you are (they don't tell me for another couple of weeks), but YOU know who you are!

If you happen to have been raising money to donate to my project, or if you were planning on donating but didn't get a chance, I suggest that you donate to another Volunteer in Swaziland, Erica Briant, who is raising $2697.78 to build a workshop building for a women's sewing cooperative in her community. The beneficiaries of the project are the women themselves, who will have greater capacity to make school uniforms (that's what they do) so they have a better income, as well as the school children in the local community who receive the uniforms. It's a great project initiated by a great volunteer, so I promise the money will be used wisely! The link to her donation page is posted below:

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=645-082

On that note, I'm off to my house to play with my new Dremel tool and sewing machine and to watch DVDs that my parents brought for me. And, hopefully, to write a blog about the adventures I've had over the last 2 weeks with my parents here. Tomorrow I'm back in town to hang out with the kids at Pasture Valley, then plan the first of a series of workshops for Bambanani (formerly Bambani Sandla, we changed the name) that will take place on Monday. Busy, busy, busy!

Love from the Swaz!
Justine