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A highlight of this year's continuing development activities were civic education workshops. "We do fully understand the importance of civic education and how it relates to development," said NEF's country director Kathy Gau, adding, "That way people will be better able to engage in a wide range of dialogue, both national and local, aimed at the development of the social and economic infrastructure of Swaziland."

In March and April Vusumnotfo provided 50 community leaders with a working knowledge of their country's new national constitution and an overview of its de-centralization policy. The Swaziland National Constitution became effective this January and Vusumnotfo responded to the challenge of adequately informing people at the community level so new development policies embedded in these documents can realize their full potential.

The project piloted this approach the previous November, conducting workshops for 43 community leaders on the Swaziland national budget.

While restructuring and income generating activities were slowed by community complications, program and organizational development made major strides including:

• public health outreach sites in nine rural areas;
• several Swazi volunteers recruited and international interns hosted for early childhood care and development activities;
• construction of domestic water supply and sanitation at the Ekuphumleni primary school;
• roofing of classrooms built by the community at the Hhohho AME primary school;
• installation of Round About Pump for domestic water supply at Vusweni primary and pre-school (as children play on the merry-go-round, they pump water from a bore hole to a tank which gravity feeds to water taps).

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