Today we will talk with my good friend Joshua Ward about Bulembu, Swaziland. Swaziland is surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland depends heavily on South Africa from which it receives more than 90% of its imports and to which it sends 60% of its exports.  Joshua was born in Southern Africa and is a 3rd generation Swazi. He grew up in ministry life, with both parents in vocational ministry. 

Swaziland, now Eswatini, has the highest HIV rate in the world, resulting in over half of the child population either being orphaned or vulnerable. Struck by the masses of children flocking to the streets of the capital city, Kevin Ward, Joshua’s father, resigned from his corporate job to start caring for orphans. 

Starting out as a soup kitchen in the capital city, serving street kids, the ministry has grown to include family-based orphan care, community development, a men’s rehabilitation center, and a safe house for abused women. Together, we are on a mission to bring Kingdom Transformation, One Life At A Time, and we believe we can really transform this entire nation within 1 generation.

Joshua spent much of his childhood on a farm, where he and his family lived with 50 orphaned and vulnerable children. It was here that the Lord birthed the vision of Bulembu – an abandoned mining town rebuilt to be a refuge of safety for the orphaned generation of Eswatini. 

After studying business in Tennessee and working in corporate America for a little while, Joshua was quickly drawn back to serving the ministry. Joshua now lives in Phoenix, AZ. He attends CCV and serves at the Verrado campus, and leads Partners in Action, a 35-year old Phoenix-based nonprofit that is focused on resourcing Kingdom Transformation in Eswatini and beyond.

He is married to his college sweetheart, Caroline, who is a part of the CCV worship community.

They don’t have children yet but are excited for that season to come. In the meantime, their Corgi puppy proves to be challenge enough for them.  

LINKS 

Website: https://www.bulembu.org/ 

                https://www.partnersinaction.org/ 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Bulembu 

Instagram:  @bulembu 

Linked in:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuadward/ 

Christ’s Church of the Valley: https://ccv.church/ 

CCV Missions:  www.ccv.church/missions  

Pastor Larrie Fraley: linkedin.com/in/larrie-fraley-53445032 

Email: [email protected]