SAVING ORPHANS THROUGH HEALTHCARE AND OUTREACH INC
1110 WEST 42 St Suite 200E, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46208 saving-orphans.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: Saving Orphans through Healthcare and Outreach (SOHO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that exists to improve the quality of life and life expectancy of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs), especially child-headed households in communities deeply affected by HIV/AIDS. SOHO exists to heal, educate, feed, empower, and nurture orphans and vulnerable children, especially those from child headed households, in communities deeply affected by HIV/AIDS

THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF SOHO IS TO HEAL,EDUCATE, FEED, PARENT AND NURTURE ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN, PARTICULARLY FROM CHILD-HEADED HOUSEHOLDS IN COMMUNITIES DEVASTATED BY HIV/AIDS. SOHO's long term vision for orphans and vulnerable children in AIDS affected communities is a safe living environment where the physical, mental, spiritual and emotional well being of children are addressed, education is supported and skills are developed such that the children embrace their personal worth and reach their full potential. The programs address food, education, health care, emotional well being and life skills impacting physical and mental health and imparting inner strength and spiritual nurture.The goal is to improve the quality of life of the population served and to improve life expectancy of the children. SOHO programs include the establishment of Welcome Places, in cooperation with SOHO-Eswatini, which are multipurpose centers to school, feed and as to serve the broader community.

SOHO programs include the establishment of welcome places, in cooperation with Seeds Of Hope Outreach, Eswatini (SOHO Swaziland.). These are multipurpose centers to school, feed and nurture orphans and vulnerable children, as well as to serve the broader community. The centers provide a safe environment for children who are at risk in their own homesteads or communities. SOHO programs include: a combined daily feeding program from Mhlosheni and Nhlambeni, together serve 123 children over 1230 meals weekly and food parcels that benefit 350 children monthly. In the Sidvokodvo area about ten minutes drive from the school at Nhlambeni, is Marekamp, a derelict community also called the ' Squatter Camp'. Here jobless people brew home made beer to sustain themselves. This community housing over 100 children is unsafe and unsanitary . Some of the children live without adequate adult supervision, making them prime targets for predators. SOHO has begun an Outreach program where a cleanup campaign engaging the youth of the community was launched and a garden program started with seed funds from a faculty member of Andrews University, Michigan. Regular gatherings were hosted for the children where they received snacks or a meal and encouragement. Close to 1000 meals were provided through this program in addition to food parcels for some of the most vulnerable families. A soccer based empowerment program was started for under aged youth, some barely in their teens, who were being recruited to make home brewed beer instead of attending school. Save Orphans Kick AIDS and Abuse ( SOKAA) has been instrumental in helping some thirty youth to improve themselves. The feeding program has served over 69,200 meals and snacks as SOHO seeks to prevent nutritional deficiencies that impact the health of the children. Food Parcels Provided to families at risk, consist of a month's supply of maize, beans, soup mix, cooking oil, soap and other necessities. When medical professionals visit, free clinics are held along with a range of activities that help develop socialization skills. The first Welcome Place at Mhlosheni is a 4000 square ft multi -purpose center. On-site there is a pre-school where enrichment programs improve the learning and well-being of the children. In addition to schooling, there are graduation events to engage the community and emphasize the importance of education in communities where children are sometimes kept home to attend to house work. There is a feeding program which provides food for orphans and vulnerable children from the pre-school, as well as community members. At the end of the school year, the children perform songs, skits and cultural dances for the community. This community engagement encourages the children and assists to build this pre-school populations self-esteem and to develop communication skills.

The second Welcome Place at Nhlambeni, the opposite side of the country, houses the Hope Discovery Learning Center (HDLC). Children from the neighboring indigent community, known as the Squatter Camp, are able to attend. Additionally, SOHO programs include homestead visits to address the general health and well-being of families, as well as a community gardens to engage the children and community members. In 2018, the educational program continued to expand to better address the needs of children with disabilities. SOHO's Hope Discovery Learning Center (HDLC) is one of the first inclusive learning schools serving children with disabilities as well as mainstream students in eSwatini (formerly Swaziland). The University in Swaziland does not have a program to teach special education; therefore, SOHO brought trainers in from other areas to work with the school staff and help lay the foundation for an effective program. The plight of children with disabilities is often dire. There is a history of abuses which include deprivation of opportunities for education. SOHO has begun developing this program to assist, not only the children, but also to help care givers understand each child's needs. In addition, we hope to show the community at large that disabilities do not mean that the children are evil. Two teams of 24 mental health professionals which included doctoral candidates in Psychology, from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, and Faculty members from Georgia State University and Adelphi University, provided services to the children as well as training sessions for teachers. They conducted assessments on all students at SOHO Welcome Paces and some at-risk children from Sidvokodvo Primary School located near HDLC in Nhlambeni. Many of SOHO's students are residents of the Squatter Camp. An Assembly was held at the school and stress/burn out sessions were provided for the teachers. Approximately 150 children and 13 teachers benefitted from these services provided by SOHO. In addition, counseling was provided for specific at-risk children. These mental health professionals conducted Substance Abuse and Suicide prevention seminars for teachers and students. The team from Nova Southeastern provided snacks and clothing and did counseling for children from Marekamp near Nhlambeni. They also visited, Ekukhanyeni High School, a partner school where SOHO provides mentorship and emotional support from visiting psychologists. After five suicides among students occurred within just one month, the SOHO team was asked to provide suicide prevention training, individual counseling and group intervention sessions for 650 students and approximately 30 faculty and administration. A SOHO volunteer team of 20 Faculty and graduate Architecture students from Andrews University, visited Ekukhanyeni School after the suicide of a sixth child. Group sessions, prayer and peer mentoring services gave encouragement to the 650 students and their faculty and administration as well. The Andrews University also spent time at Marekamp where they conducted inspirational programs for approximately 120. The children were provided with shoes and rain coats as well as snacks and beverages. Sessions with various student groups addressing substance abuse prevention, suicide prevention and depression were held at a partner High school, Fundukwela. This school loses many students to marijuana growers. Here, SOHO held an assembly for over 600 students, as well as small group sessions. The team also visited orphan homesteads, assisted with healthcare programs and provided grief recovery seminar for grannies and women from the communities served by SOHO

SOHO engages in awareness raising of issues such as Gender-Based Abuse and Human Trafficking. Sexual exploitation of girls and domestic abuse are critical issues in eSwatini as one in three girls is abused. An annual Forum is held in Indianapolis, IN, generally in September, featuring a notable guest who deals with social issues affecting the orphan population that SOHO serves. A special program recognizes the contribution of this individual who is making a difference. S/he inspires social awareness and encourages participation in issues that affect the population served in eSwatini. The guest for the 2018 program was Josina Z. Machel, daughter of President Samora Machel of Mozambique who had an untimely death, and Graca Machel, widow of President Nelson Mandela. A victim of domestic abuse, she has become a strong advocate for protection of women and girls from violence. She also partnered with SOHO to host a forum on gender-based violence in eSwatini earlier on. In 2019, the guest of honor was Dr Brook Parker Bello, an internationally recognized author, social activist, speaker and survivor of child trafficking. A Forum Co-Sponsored by Kwanis International provided a platform for community leaders to address the issue of human trafficking in the U.S. Dr Brook Bello Parker was honored as a Game Changer for the impact her programs have had in the U.S. and elsewhere to educate on and prevent human trafficking. As SOHO seeks to address gender-based abuse and human trafficking affecting many orphans and vulnerable children in eSwatini, we engage in efforts to address these same issues locally as well. Child headed households lack effective adult supervision. Children are at risk of abuse, exploitation or disease. Educated and equipped, women can be better care givers, community educators, mentors, income earners and role models. Women are seen as essential elements to revive and rebuild communities. SOHO programs at our welcome places strive to educate, feed, and nurture orphaned children, as well as empower women in the communities to strengthen and protect vulnerable children from harm.

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