My Nonprofit Reviews

I first visited Swaziland in 2006 on a side trip from touring game parks in South Africa, just as Young Heroes was being launched. The HIV epidemic was well entrenched and growing, and the plight of the orphans left to fend for themselves on their subsistence farming homesteads was heartbreaking..
Yet the bright eyes and smiles of the children as they played together in the packed earth yards of the homesteads was a testimonial to the resilience of the human spirit. The need was clear and evident; what was missing was a sense of hope for the future.
Hearing about the mission of Young Heroes as articulated by the founder, I was sufficiently impressed to ask how I could help. I learned that sponsorship involved modest monthly stipends for food, clothing, health and well-being checkups so they could remain on their ancestral homesteads, attend local schools and preserve their rights to farm the land. I decided on the spot to sponsor the three orphans who were playing in that dirt yard, with a promise to myself to return in a year to observe their progress.
The next year I returned to see them looking healthier and much happier, and their thankful looks and hugs nearly melted my heart.
I was invited to serve on the Board of Directors of the Young Heroes Foundation to support the work by the dedicated and competent Young Heroes staff on the ground, starting with 5 and now numbering 27 with over 180 community-based volunteers. The programs and initiatives, now numbering 8, has grown step-wise and sustainably, with the overarching goal of supporting the orphans in their hopes and dreams of growing to become educated contributing members of Swazi society. Especially gratifying to observe has been the practice of funding staff and operating expenses through grants from NGO's around the world so that close to 100% of the funds raised by Young Heroes Foundation is spent on stipends for the orphans, and that spending in turn helps to support the local farmers and educators.
If you are seeking a truly impactful humanitarian organization to favor with your charitable contributions, you have found one in the Young Heroes Foundation. Perhaps some day you might even travel to Eswatini to see first-hand the profound difference your generosity can make in the lives of the Young Heroes of Swaziland. Thank you!