In this episode, we sit down with Matt Gerber, HopeChest’s and Adventures in Missions’s Country Director of Eswatini. Matt’s dream is to see his country “heal itself from within” so that Africa can provide for the needs of its own people. We had lots of fun recording this episode and even discussed some surprising topics...including Matt’s birth weight! Of course, we also discuss challenges and opportunities that Eswatini is facing and what inspires him in his work.
In this episode, we sit down with Matt Gerber, HopeChest’s and Adventures in Missions’s Country Director of Eswatini. Matt’s dream is to see his country “heal itself from within” so that Africa can provide for the needs of its own people. We had lots of fun recording this episode and even discussed some surprising topics...including Matt’s birth weight! Of course, we also discuss challenges and opportunities that Eswatini is facing and what inspires him in his work.
Hi, I'm Rick Wright and on today's episode of build relationships break poverty, I sit down with Matt Gerber, hope chest and adventures in missions, country, director of s, t. his dream is to see the country heal itself from within so that Africa can provide for the needs of its own people met and I have a lot of fun in this episode and talk about some surprising topics including his birth weight. Of course, we also discussed the challenges and opportunity of Soi teeny is facing or what inspires him in the work. Let's dive into our episode.
Speaker 2:You get these rough diamonds and you see the potential and we put them in this mold that we call this was led leadership academy and you get this unbelievably focused, energetic young people back that has an absolute desire to change the country.
Speaker 3:Welcome to build relationships, break poverty, a podcast that challenges the western perception of international poverty. By elevating the voices of local leaders and processing how we can help to alleviate poverty without harming those living in vulnerable communities. We are children's hope chest and we believe that building two way relationships will break the cycle of poverty.
Speaker 1:Can you give us a little history of Swaziland where Swazi land is your passion for Swazi Atlanta and we're hear rumors. There's A. There's a name change in Swazi, so if you could help us out with that a little bit.
Speaker 2:Sure. Well, so was lead this one of the only two kingdom stolen. The world that is actually governed by a king I'm eat was a British colony until 1968 when it got its independence from Britain. Swaziland is also a very small country and it's landlocked between Mozambique and South Africa and it's pretty much a mountain. I'm very small about the size of Jersey here in the states. Very hilly, very beautiful, but not a lot of resources. Small population of just over a million and a also a country. When HIV AIDS was in the news, it was the highest infection rate in the world. Install these extreme poverty. Sixty nine percent of the the nation goes to bed hungry at least once a week. Forty five percent is under the age of 18. The middle generation is kind of missing. So you have quite a lot of old people and the very young people, and that's purely just because of HIV, AIDS, Swaziland deep get a name change that king did announced that, uh, uh, at his 50th birthday, um, to any changes to a swat teeny, the Kingdom of Israel, teeny we stole use was lead sometimes ishwar teeny. I'm like, see you at our borders that the name has changed to a Swat teeny. Um, but everyone still talks about Swaziland as a country in, in, in Africa, little little, little dot. The spiritual significance of Swaziland is, is that there's a prophecy on the country that it is the pulpit of Africa. Whatever happens in Swaziland that will flow out to the rest of Africa. That first spiritual significance is one of the reasons that I actually signed up on the dotted line to lead at, um, how Jason and interest in missions in Swaziland, very passive country, very nonconfrontational don't do conflict. And that is sometimes very frustrating. But we love Swazi man. We love the children of Swaziland. And, uh, we believe that we're making a difference there.
Speaker 4:Well, in about a year ago, I was blessed to be out there and see it firsthand and the beautiful country, the children, the impact, the love, the passion. But one of the other things you talk about is from a resource standpoint, the drought, it's impacted the entire country. Can you talk a little bit about that? And it's been going on for a few years now, right?
Speaker 2:Yes. Uh, the drought has had a severe impact specifically on even us as an organization on all our sustainability projects. Every, every one of them took a serious hit. Most of this was essentially lost all their cattle and which in the Swazi culture is actually their wealth and some of the, the meat companies took advantage of that by buying up these cattle at next to nothing. And there's no way for the Swazis to actually replace that wealth. So there is still a serious shortage of, of cattle in, in, in, in Swaziland. We are all holding our breath currently because the projections for next year is that we are going to have below average rainfall again, that makes any agricultural project that we have or that the people of Swaziland have been very difficult. We've drilled quite a, quite a few wells in the last few years. Some of them are actually dry because of the drought and it's just because of the water table that has fallen that much. Uh, as soon as we get some rain, those guys will start working again and then they run dry again. Um, but it's, it's very challenging because if you look at the history of Swaziland, they are, the people of Swaziland is substance farmers industry in Swaziland, very big percentage of the GDP is dependent on agriculture and the Indian effecting on rain. Just before I left, I, I saw that this was letting government again is in serious cash flow problems and that is always never a good sign. There's even talks about not paying school fees anymore for the primary school kids we, which would be an absolute disaster if that happens in Swaziland.
Speaker 1:You know, our partners, our sponsors, our donors, we continue to pray, but we need to continue to keep praying for what's going on there.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Swaziland needs a lot of prayer. Uh, we've, we've made a lot of elite with mater, you know, we've made a lot of progress specifically as an organization and the impact we have in the communities that we work in a, but there's still a lot of work. We're not blind for the fact that we have a long way to go.
Speaker 1:Well man, I know a little bit about your history, your background, your family. Tell us a little bit. You were born in South Africa, correct?
Speaker 2:That's correct. Very little. Interesting fact is I was actually the biggest baby that was ever born, stole, born in muscle bait inside.
Speaker 1:I'm writing that down.
Speaker 2:Fifteen pounds, 10 ounces, little monster. My mum nearly died when she had me, but, but that, that, that is what it is. What is very interesting, actually, about my life is that my parents medically could not have children and they prayed and asked the Lord if he would give them children that he can have back the oldest one, which I am the oldest and I have another brother and sister and all three of us as medical miracles. So I've been in ministry since 98. Uh, I grew up in a children's home. My father was the hate of her children. So, so looking after children is kind of in my blood. And that was in Berkeley Vase. It was a so 140 brothers and sisters and lots of fun. After school I studied to be a CPA, started a business. I've always, I have two passions in life. I like to make profit, I like to do business and I love to help people. Uh, and the two can go really hand in hand
Speaker 1:and I watched you firsthand. You're good with numbers. You are, you're, you're a unique individual. Like we all are. And came out as a baby and playing rugby right away. Huh? I love that. Well, tell us a little bit of how you got involved with hope chest
Speaker 2:in 2004. We partnered at that stage. I was with a South African organization called a service you have for Christ. We partnered with adventures in missions in Swaziland and to organize it, organization of Bruce Wilkinson Heart for Africa. And we did beat the drum outreaches in 2004. We visited 194 high schools, showed a Hollywood movie and it was a big call for abstinence to impact the next generation. Uh, you know, you can get HIV aids. I was in charge of all the logistics and finances for that. Um, and we actually pulled it off. We met, it was the biggest outreach and the history of church at 2000 participants. And because of that, after that I got married to the most amazing wife. I know. We felt our time was over at, at service for Christ adventures and missions. Safe Barnes asked me if I would be willing to come to the states and come and work at the head office. We took him up on that. We lived in the states for a year in Gainesville, Georgia, the other third world country, and uh, and on our way back to South Africa or when we were, we went back to southern Africa. We actually just went back to renew our visas and that was the time that the, that was the first time that adventures in missions and children's hope chest were together in ins in it for a vision trip. They asked if I would come and help out just with the logistics because it was quite a few of the more important people that were there. And in the middle of that vision trip, me and creek just looked at each other and we didn't even have to say anything. We just knew this is where the Lord wants us. Went to adventures, ambition of state. Listen, we're going to need strong leadership here. We're going to need drivers pioneers to get this off the ground and make this happen. Otherwise we're going to look like clowns, adventures in missions. Uh, the guys from admission, we look at it and say it now. I said, well, it's not really your choice because we believe this is what God wants us to do. And so we signed on the dotted line. I did have a lot of questions about how just, uh, I didn't know them that well. And, and coming from a background of a children's home, I, I asked, you know, how does the partnership work? Where's the integrity, what is the things that makes[inaudible] different from other sponsorship organizations that, that I had issues with and when I listened to the model, the community, the community, the fact that we require our community to travel, all of those things just made total sense to me and it brought a lot of integrity and transparency to, to hope chest. And that's why we commit. We commit to two ots then and is still there. Pioneered everything in Swaziland from the ground up. We've grown from me and Crete to a staff of over 100, currently
Speaker 4:over 100 and Swazi well in my time. And the next question, when, you know, there's so many ngos relief, organization, orphan relief, everybody, every nonprofit is coming in there and to, to support kids, families.
Speaker 2:What does set us apart as you see it? I think the thing that states how, just a part specific needs, wasn't it? This is that we really on closing the circle, we don't just do a certain aspect of bringing a kid up or raising up a child to make a difference or be a contributing adult eventually, uh, we support that child from the word go. I'm totally actually habits. I think our listic approach is very unique, but the thing that stands out for me is, is that we really focus on closing the circle on poverty as well as on an orphan care.
Speaker 1:Very well said. Yeah, I can. I see it firsthand. You know, as a country director, obviously you wear multiple hats. If there's such a thing a day in the average day in the life of a country director,
Speaker 2:I have to say between, but tween meetings, a staff management, uh, you know, uh, uh, approving expenses and, and, and listening to people and their needs, which we have a lot of people that will come to our office and come and ask for special health, uh, there's not a lot of time left and been in, in the earlier stole, you know, meetings with government and other role players and other organizations in the country. I do have to say I don't get out to the care points as much as I want to just because it's, it's sometimes crazy and the fact that we have a staff of over 100 now and a lot of this stuff is very young decision making. Not so easy. It's not a glamorous job. I can tell you that.
Speaker 3:Thank you for listening to this episode of build relationships, break poverty. If you are enjoying today's episode, consider visiting our blog. Consuming media can be overwhelming these days. Failure feeds with stories of hope. Receive a weekly story of hope. In your inbox by subscribing to our blog@hopechest.org, forward slash blog,
Speaker 1:you're going to tell us a little bit about a program or a project. You know, historically speaking, we partnered with churches, groups of churches or groups of individuals. We're really talking to the businessman now, almost corporate America, whether it be a large organization, medium organization are small and they're always saying, I want to invest. I want to invest in Swazi Atlanta might want to in a program, a project or just in the country itself. Tell us a little bit about, if I'm a CEO of a company, how can I get involved?
Speaker 2:There's always. It's always interesting if you look at any third world country, there's lots of opportunity. There's always opportunity for business. There's always opportunity to help and there's always opportunity to bolt. Just for my side as as a serial entrepreneur myself, I always, I look at the market first and then work backwards and in as Swaziland, you know there is definitely on the business site needs for services, specialized services and one of those are actually. We just kind of not so specialized. And you would think there should be guys like that. The problem is, is that, for instance, mechanics in Swaziland, that's just not honest. I mean we've been trying them all out and some other states have always come and, you know, to one of our projects that we were thinking of specifically is to, to, to open up our own workshop for four vehicles, hospitality, big need. We always struggle with lodging, other NGO struggled with lodging. I think there is a humongous opportunity for, for opening up a guest house or, or, or lodging facilities and actually have, you know, return on investment. They're things like good restaurants is, is. Uh, I personally think that we will eventually open up a restaurant that is the training school where we will train some of the kids in hospitality, in shifts, in working with food and food hygiene. And we will train there for other places. But that will be the hub. And there's tons of other other, other options. I'm on programming site. The bottom line is always record that if we don't invest in individuals and, and raise up these young people to be grounded character based full leaders and, and I believe that Swaziland has unbelievable booting angel in aspects of leadership development and raising up people to stop giving excuses for why Swaziland is not working and actually take Swaziland and say, hey, we can make this work.
Speaker 1:Well, that's one of the things I love about you because there's a level of accountability. Yeah, I mean you hold these kids and everybody else accountable to, to their futures. Um, you know, so, you know, we talk about some of the obstacles obviously with the drought. What are some of the obstacles, hurdles that you see in Swaziland as we move forward? I always see myself as a little bit different, you know, I don't see obstacles. I see opportunities flow that as an entrepreneur shaking
Speaker 2:and, and, and sometimes, you know, obstacles just needs a little bit of a, you know, and it becomes an opportunity. So, uh, I mean for us in Swaziland, I think we've built such an amazing name for the organization and we are literally so well respected that we are actually been just been asked by the deputy prime minister to be involved with writing the new child protection act. Fantastic. And the Child Protection Act was a big obstacle for us because the children were predicted, remember? And now this becomes an opportunity. So it's not, it doesn't have a lot of resources. We have to say that to each other that he's an obstacle, doesn't have a lot of fertile land but doesn't have a lot of water. But even in that it feels to me is an opportunity for providing water or getting people that's passionate about providing water involved and, and, and change the landscape of the country. The biggest, one of the biggest challenges I believe in Swaziland, and again, Opportunity in the end is that creativity is really hard. You will see if you go to a marketplace, everyone sells the same thing. Or if somebody does something that's successful, everyone else copies that. So part of that is an are my site. And I forgot to say that that's, that's actually a big part of my day to day stuff is to mentor my business leadership academy guys and say, Hey, let's think outside the box. Yes, yes. Let's think of what is, what is not here or what we do have, what we can use to bring something that is not regularly available. Yeah. It's, it's a hard question for me to, to enter as I was saying, you know, I, I see your other opportunity I choose to see opportunity or other than obstacles will. You've done such
Speaker 1:great job kind of on a different subject of mentorship. I keep calling about accountability. Talk to us a little bit about your shepherds and map program and how that is impacted. No,
Speaker 2:now you're, you're, you're, you're getting close to my heart here. Um, you know, our leadership academy, you know, is our flagship program by far. Uh, the transformation that we see through this program in the participants. You cannot even put into words. I get goosebumps every time I think about it. Even right now, I get goosebumps when I spend time with the shepherds because they are. It's just amazing. You get these rough diamonds and you see the potential and we put them in this mold that we call the saws led leadership academy and you get this unbelievably focused, energetic young people back that has an absolute desire to change the country. I love it that I talk of themselves as the SLA, the SLA movement, the slow movement. They're not a program. There are movement that is impacting the communities. They're impacting the country. And then if you add to that, you know, the involvement of our music ministry and our sports ministry and you start connecting kids through. This was my dealership academy and the Music Ministry and the sports ministry to their talents. Man. It is, it's a beautiful thing. It's a, it's an absolute beautiful.
Speaker 1:It is amazing and a beautiful thing and I got to see it firsthand and I saw the sports programs and again, I have to have some tea. I get emotional because I saw how those shepherds are impacting the kids behind. And you talk about, you know, moving, you know, passing it forward, do you see it firsthand? You've done such a great job and that all the kids succeed. Not all the kids get through the program.
Speaker 2:Eight, they don't. Uh, but that's, you know, that's life. So it's, it's, uh, not all of us can be Baker's, not all of us can be leadership developers, not all of us can be business people. Uh, and, and, and, and that's the thing. I mean, I think the biggest challenge has always been from the day I started this and I knew this was going to be, it is to actually connect the kids to their passion. Yes. Not to just an opportunity, but actually their passion because if you connect it to your passion then you are able to take a lot of slack, a lot of difficulty and still make it happen.
Speaker 1:You know, yesterday you and I are having a little bit of a conversation about the individual and relationship and you touched my heart. Talk to us a little bit about that. You have a passion for that. I mean sometimes we think about the community. We think about the country proof, you know, but it is, it's that individual, isn't it?
Speaker 2:It is. I mean, you, you eat an elephant one bite at a time, you know, in Swaziland to elephant and we are going to change Swaziland one person at a time, you know, there's no quick fixes and I believe I thoroughly believe that we as a, as a ministry in Swaziland is on the right track when we changed our vision, transformed individuals, transforming communities. That's our vision now. And uh, so we're, we're, we're focused on finding those diamonds, finding those potential leaders and, and investing in them and helping them, even resource them so that they can, you know, really have the biggest possible impact on the people that are out there. I mean, there is, I, I saw, you know, when you guys sent me a question on tell the story about one person that I can't. There's too many, you know, I mean there's a, it's just, you know, the individual and, and specifically, I mean that's the thing that keeps me there. That's, that's the best part of my life in Swaziland is to see one of these guys step out of his ears, his or her circumstances and grow and become this influencer of people in their community. I mean, what, what, what can be better than that? Nothing. I mean it's just, it's amazing.
Speaker 1:It is amazing and I tell everybody, no video anything. You have to be there. And of course I pushed because I'm always go to Swazi Atlanta with me. Let me show you what a child has become. A young adult is having an impact on the younger kids and I saw it in those shepherds is a great term. I have a, when I put my arm around a couple of separate and I'm like, you are a shepherd. You were absent. Shepherd of the lambs and they're following you and they look up to you and you are guiding light. So again, I get, like I say, I start to get emotional because I saw firsthand what you're doing and I'm out there talking to several people about supporting, you know, the leadership at cal as we move forward because it is. And again, you know, I get people like, oh, everybody's allowed through it. No, there's accountability. There's a level of. Not Everybody's going to make it
Speaker 2:about this was that leadership academy. We take 12 students a year. That's it. We have a parallel program that's running with this wasn't a leadership academy just to too bold a little bit more to capacity cold ambassadors of hope. They take another eight students. So we do 20 students at the most a year. And the reason we don't want to do more than that, it's just because it's about quality, not quantity. We want to be proud of each one of those students that goes through that programs. And we are, I mean, if you, if you look at the impact that some of these guys have, even now after leaving the Swaziland Leadership Academy program, it is unreal. Uh, you, you can't, there's no words to describe the impact that William has on his community. I mean, that young man has the ability to mobilize this community to do great things.
Speaker 1:You know, I didn't mean to interrupt you, but you know, I heard a little of the story. Can you expand a little bit on Williams story and you're, you know, he is through righthand person to you now.
Speaker 2:He, he, he is, um, you know, and there's, there's more, you know, but William went through SLA. He wasn't amazing shepherd at Guanine and even when he was a shaper t, he was kind of ahead of the curve by mobilizing the community to actually work at the care point doing a garden. Um, when the care care point had to be moved, you know, he mobilized the whole community to be part of that move, rebuilding the care point. He, he got his whole community together and say, listen, what's the biggest need we have? And they say electricity and he and the any mobilize the whole community to work and donate. And they raised the money so that every house in that community has electricity. Now he is passionate about renewable energy. So we starting these own renewable energy business. We have 65 home states currently that has a solar power. Kit's installed on the, on, on, in their, in their houses. And William was part of that. Currently he is being trained as a videographer in our it department. He is smart, he is grounded and he knows where he's going as an individual.
Speaker 1:You know, there's a, there's a story of. I keep saying it's like the rock thrown into the water. We focused on an individual support and we encourage the individual and the waves and the impact on the community is a unbelievable. There's a, there's a true story of. Yeah,
Speaker 2:and William is just an example, you know, I mean we haven't, I mean I haven't even told the stories of Buthaina or or, or do you know or lingo a lingo currently as part of the sports ministry, he led a group of young people. They designed a, a, like a vase that you put that you put over cattle so that you can see them in the dark because that's one of the biggest things that great accidents in Swaziland. So they won this competition and in October is going to California to represent Swaziland at the international conference or something, you know, or CDMO. That is, this is the epitome of love. I mean, there's nobody that I've ever seen in my life that has the ability to just love a child unconditionally and breakthrough every wall that child has within minutes. It is unreal how God uses that young man to impact the children that he, that he comes in contact with. He's currently a CPC carepoint coordinator, so he visits sick five or six key points a week, and if he gets that care point, you can just. I mean, there's a whole, it's like a flutter that goes through our appointed because Domo is there. It's just, I'm in there. It's unreal. You're passionate,
Speaker 1:contagious brother. I love it. Possibly. In closing, if you were to speak to the kids a Swazi, you know, what is the message you,
Speaker 2:it's time for this youth of Swaziland to take up the mantle. Yes. Um, it's, it's time for the youth of Swaziland to step up and, and, and raise above their circumstances. So many children are victims of their circumstances and it's time for the youth of Swaziland to stand up and say, hey, it's time for us to be counted. I believe that as we move forward and investing in this young people and raising up these leaders, there's God fearing character based leaders that we are raising up a generation that's going to take Swaziland to much, much higher heights. But for me the message to the youth of Swaziland
Speaker 1:is it's time. Well, I'm coming back to visit you and on that note, what's your favorite rugby team? Currently? My rugby team is like a brother in jail, man, you, you love him but you don't talk about them because they suck a little bit, but I'm a springbok fed you. I got the Jersey last time I was there and I wear proudly. It's amazing where people will walk the streets of the states and people so they know what it is. But uh, you know, and your favorite baseball team is my favorite bipolar. Well, I have to say, man, I've been watching rocky the rockies for the past few days and it's a pretty good team as a friend. I love. He's a brother in Christ. You're doing amazing thing, so we appreciate your time. Thanks. You've been a blessing for us. Absolutely. Thanks for the opportunity.
Speaker 3:Thank you for listening to this episode of children's hope chest. Build relationships break poverty. You can follow hope chest on instagram, facebook, and twitter. If you haven't yet, go to apple podcasts to subscribe, rate, and review our podcast.