What is it?
The Eswatini Fundraiser has been a charity, supported by Pacifica’s World History teacher and students since 2017 to help students in a school located in South Africa, Lavumisa. For some context, the beginning of this foundation began when one of our teachers, Mr. Buenafe traveled through Southern Africa in 2016 to visit schools in the nation. During his travels, Mr. Buenafe encountered a kindergarten in Lavumisa, which impacted him the most to want to take action to help, considering how it was run by local women without government assistance. In order word, everything provided to the young students in the school was by donations. Coincidentally, within that same year, Mr. Buenafe was able to come in contact with Ken Gluckman, who was the director of the organization Leap Years Angels. Since 2017 it has been eight years now that Pacifica’s World History teachers and the students have been wrong with Gluckman and Leap Years Angels to help support this school.

Why Eswatini?
For some context, the root of the school’s current situation is a result of how Eswatini is a small as well as lower-middle-income country. In 2024, it was reported that 55% of the country’s population was estimated to live below the low-middle-income consumption poverty line. In other words, it means they’re consuming less than $4.20 per day. As a result, it can be displayed as to why helping this school is so vital. After all, there’s no denying that the students growing up in Eswatini won’t be open to the same opportunities that would be guaranteed for them if they were born and living in the United States, such as teachers available to teach. Moreover, it should be considered how some of them don’t unfortunately eat regularly, on top of it. When asking one of the teachers involved about her thoughts on the fundraiser, Mrs. Howell said, “It’s been good, we do get pictures. Mr. Buenafe communicates more with the director, but he can get pictures and things like that. One year we had a water well, table, and chairs. So, you know things we take granted here at Pacifica. It’s like you know students has these nice chairs, they have nice things, they have little devices, they have free breakfast, free lunch you know? And these students need to travel so far to get their meal of the day and I also think it hits me a bit more too because my son is five. This is my son’s age. What all these children have to go through to do this, here it’s like all these toys and this. We have so much here and we’re grateful for it. So, its kinda why it kinda started and hopefully we’ll get more funds, so we can at least cover all their food.” From that alone, it shows how the support from Pacifica would naturally be a fundamental pillar in helping this school to function, especially with how it doesn’t have government support.

What is Pacifica doing to help?
Today, the World History teachers and students at Pacifica are annually organizing presentations in classrooms, during homeroom for one week in November to bring awareness to what this fundraiser is and why the students themselves should donate to the cause. The purpose of raising the funds for this school is to provide support to give them the opportunity of learning fundamental skills and to provide them with at least two meals each day. Thus, the goal of Pacifica is to raise $4,000+ to support kindergarten class as well as to provide them with the proper necessities they need and classroom supplies. Through this donation itself it will help change the way of life for these students for the better good since the money donated will not only feed them two meals a day, but also maintain all of the utilities needed to make the school function for nine months. When asking a volunteer sophomore student on why they decided to present for this cause, Maryann Tran, said, “This fundraiser is literally helping children getting taught in a school that has no government assistance, that means that the school needs money from others for basic necessities like food and school supplies. We need to continue to support it because it’s not like a one time donation will solve all the problems. Every year new children will go to school there and need supplies for their education.” During this time, students can make a difference through direct donations by putting cash in the envelope that will be provided by their fourth period teacher or in the homeroom the day of the presentation. Students and people outside of school can also donate through Venmo. Nevertheless, Pacifica makes it known how the true message of helping these students exemplifies gratitude and a passion we have of giving back to others.