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Experience God’s work, grow in your calling, and use your gifts!
Our volunteer program gives you the opportunity to actively serve in Eswatini and live out the Gospel in a practical way. You will be involved in projects like Royal Rangers and iLead, mentoring children and youth while gaining valuable experience in leadership and missions.
Whether working with young people, organizing outdoor activities, training leaders, or contributing to creative media projects – your talents and commitment are needed!
Do you feel called to this opportunity? We are looking for motivated young people who are ready to take responsibility and actively contribute.
Apply through us or one of our partners!
VM-International and Kontaktmission provide a platform in Germany to help you fundraise – including donation receipts for your supporters.
Alternatively, you can apply directly with us – just send us an email at info@the-elks.com
We look forward to hearing from you!
Eswatini: A Land of Diversity and History
Eswatini, the smallest country in the southern hemisphere, is rich in diversity. In April 2018, the country officially adopted a new name, “Kingdom of eSwatini,” as announced by King Mswati on the occasion of his 50th birthday. This change reflects the nation’s desire to return to its original name, which means “Land of the Swazis.”
Eswatini was an independent nation from September 1968, and this name change symbolizes its sovereignty and cultural heritage.
Good to know
Hello! We are the Elks, and we would like to introduce ourselves and give you a brief background on how we got to where we are and what our work entails.
We have been working as “the Elks” in Eswatini since 2012 and have two children, Annabel and Amaya.
Allison El-Kaakour, formerly Smith, came to Eswatini in 2007 to be a teacher at the Bulembu Pre-Primary School. In 2008, she began pastoring the youth group at the Bulembu Community Church, as well as teaching. She found her passion in youth ministry and teaching the children of Bulembu. In 2010, Bulembu opened up Royal Rangers, and Allison was part of a small cohort of leaders who helped get the very large outpost started. Within a few months, Allison was put in charge of pioneering and building the new ministry. With very little skill in scouting but a whole lot of heart, and amazing mentors in Cape Town who walked alongside her during the first few years, along with a team of dedicated young leaders, the ministry thrived and became a blessing to the children of the Bulembu Community.
Ahmad El-Kaakour moved to Cape Town, South Africa, in 2011 to volunteer under the Royal Rangers National Directors, Tammy and Gerhard Uys, for six months. During his time volunteering, the team from Cape Town made the long drive to Bulembu, Swaziland, to help run children’s camps. Upon driving into Bulembu for the first time, Ahmad felt the Lord calling him to this small town. During the six weeks they were in Bulembu, the Lord stirred Ahmad’s heart, and he applied for a job in Bulembu. Alongside that, he met Allison, an American missionary, and a relationship quickly developed. Ahmad moved to Bulembu in October 2012 to teach and work alongside Allison in running the Royal Rangers and youth ministry.
In 2013, we were married! At that point, we left teaching at the school and focused solely on youth pastoring and running Royal Rangers. In 2016, Annabel Grace was born, and shortly after, in 2017, Amaya Hope entered the world. Both girls are adventurous, kind, and love the outdoors and animals. They are avid Royal Rangers and love to accompany us on camps and planting new outposts.
In 2023, we knew the Lord was calling us further into Eswatini to partner with other pastors, leaders, and organizations in the holistic development of children and youth. We successfully handed over the Bulembu Ranger Ministry in 2024 to a dynamite group of young leaders and have since opened a not-for-profit called Anvil Ministries and relocated to the capital city of Mbabane.
We now focus on training churches, planting Ranger outposts, and providing leadership training nationwide.
Royal Rangers is an international program, which mentors children and young people in character building and leadership development. Adventure and fellowship in connection with the Christian faith offer an excellent basis for this.
We have established 4 new Ranger Outposts around Eswatini in the last year and will train 8 more Churches at the start of 2025. As we partner, shoulder to shoulder, with teams in the rural areas who share the same common goal, we see that this ministry is growing fast!
DONATION NEED:
1.600 $ is needed to establish one new outpost. This includes a starter package, training of the leaders, Uniforms, one Day Camp on site to launch the Ranger Outpost.
5,000 $ are needed annually for staffing purposes. This includes the curriculum development, starter kit packing, training, outreach outpost, and event teams.
4,000 $ are needed annually for special events – these are programs that help us further train the young leaders and engage cross country Outposts such as; overnight hikes, national outreaches, sponsorship for Kids camps, special skill training days.
35.000 $ are needed for an off-road vehicle to enable nationwide operations on impassable roads.
2000 $ for a reliable NAS-system to securely store critical data, including the Royal Rangers Curriculum, improve team collaboration, and ensure continuity despite frequent power cuts.
90000$ for the acquisition of a 14-seater AWD minivan to enhance mobility, enabling more effective transportation of staff, equipment, and participants to events, training sessions, and community outreach activities.
From the USA via our Partner |
From Germany via our Partners |
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We are grateful for every donation and help we have received over the past several years from families, friends, community and companies.
Today we live on 1400€ per month.
However, in order to develop stability and security in our project we need additional funds.
Do you have it in your heart to be a part of our work and support us monthly or one-time?
We need 100 people who give a small amount of only 10€ per month or more.
By giving up just one special coffee or takeaway meal, you can invest in our lives to fulfill our calling “to mentor the next generation”.
Thank you for believing in what God has placed in our hearts.
Together we can make a difference.
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Sepa Lastschrift*
Eine Sepa Lastschrift kannst du ganz bequem über die Online spenden Seite der VM-International einrichten. Klicke dazu unten auf den Button. Auf der Spendenseite wähle als Zahlungsart SEPA aus und vergewissere dich, dass das Projekt “575 El-Kaakour” dort angegeben ist. * (for Germany mainly)
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Donate online via PayPal
You can donate online by clicking on the button “PAY PAL”. You will be redirected to the VM-International website, where you can fill in the form, choose your payment method and then make your donation.
“Project 575 El-Kaakour”
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Please pray for us
For up to date prayer requests please contact us via E-Mail or WhatsApp.
+268 78673772
As an Ambassador, you will have the opportunity to represent our work in your community, workplace, school, university or church.
This is an important position that comes with a certain amount of responsibility, but at the same time it is
a great reward in knowing that your valuable time and resources are helping to spread the Gospel here in Eswatini.
We believe that as an ambassador you will have a significant impact on our work here in Eswatini.
We trust that when your passion is combined with God’s purpose, the impact will be tremendous.
For further information’s, flyer, popups or print media contact us.
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