With the world’s highest HIV/AIDS rate, Swaziland has 15,000 HIV-positive children under 15 and 130,000 who are orphaned or vulnerable to abandonment, neglect, extreme poverty and abuse. To care for, raise and educate these children and babies, Laura Mc Seveney-Sprague created Gaĕa, named after the Greek mother goddess. Currently in the planning stages, by 2014 Laura is looking for Gaĕa to become a multi-functional site with a nursery and clinic for abandoned babies; children’s homes; a pre-school, hospital and training center; and a sustainable farm.

Born in England, I grew up in Swaziland wanting to be a doctor. During my school holidays, I used to work in local hospitals. I spent time in the neonatal wards with women who had just given birth, and I saw that they often abandoned their babies. I realized there was a real problem that needed to be addressed. When I went into my family’s business instead of going to medical school, it went to the back of my mind. But when I had my girls, it became real for me. You imagine walking away from your own children, and you understand how desperate the women have to be to do that.

I’m still in the planning stages, but for me, the biggest achievement so far has been getting statistics showing the plight of children here in Swaziland. I’ve had to fight to find them; some people here are afraid of the negative publicity. It’s been a major accomplishment to raise awareness. A lot of people know it’s quite bleak, but they don’t know the full extent of the problem.

Healing Holiday Tourist Packages will help us promote and fund our work at Gaĕa. They’re designed to give guests the opportunity to experience healing by coming to Swaziland, interacting with the children, working on physical projects, meeting with life coaches, and attending self-mastery workshops.
They’ll spend a maximum of two weeks with the children, which is not enough to form deep bonds. We don’t want the children to feel abandoned again when guests leave. But it’s enough time for them to give the children love and attention, and reflect on themselves. Also, by exposing the children to many different kinds of people, we’ll teach them to appreciate a variety of religions and cultures, which is very important.

I’m trying to create a global concept that will equip our children to make a positive contribution to society. Children need to be aware of diversity and the importance of caring for the earth so they’ll be able to restructure the way we live in the world. By creating a blueprint that can be taken from Swaziland and implemented on a global scale, I hope to change how children think and are raised.

• Learn who you are, what you believe in, and what you stand for.
• Originality: find a need in the market, then service that need.
• Perseverance: you’re going to have days when you want to give up. You need to get up in the morning, check your attitude and just push on.
• Be good to yourself and your environment. You’re not alone in the world: whatever you say or do has an impact on others, for better or worse.
• Turn criticism that comes your way into something positive: either learn from it or work with it to strengthen yourself and your dream.

It’s always been a must for me that Gaĕa goes global. And winning the award would make my first step out into the world that much easier.

Laura is coached by Johanne Johansen, INSEAD MBA 09 and Mary Cronin, executive coach, on the writing of the business plan and the marketing plan.