The concept of a thrift store was brought to our attention by Teen Challenge in Southern California, under Rev. Dennis Griffiths.We thought it was a brilliant idea. We began to collect clothes in Swaziland and opened our first store under a company set up to trade through the thrift stores. All profits go to the expenses born by the double orphans whom we serve and those on the residential rehabilitation program.

Teen Challenge UK collected clothes and paid for the containers to be sent out to Swaziland. We collected the containers as they arrived in Matsapha, Swaziland. All used clothing that is to be sold, has to have tax paid on it, which is high. We do get tax waivers on items not sold.

Each container is determined as to be sold or given away by the donor. Any item donated to be given away only is stored on the Hawane property and managed by Don and Elaine Smith. It is given away as instructed by the donor.

Each item which is to be sold is kept at the Timbutini packhouse, established for preparing stock to be sold only. Bruce and Wendy are responsible for taking care of the stock to be sold.

All the paper work for the containers is done by Bruce Griffiths. There is a lot of work done in the UK and in Swaziland to get the containers in. We are extremely grateful to the people that make this possible. The containers that have been sold has given us funds to pay expenses on Hawane and Emafini.

Teen Challenge UK worked really hard to collect the items, package and send them to us. The whole ladies centre bags the clothes, boxes others and the men's centre load the container. Teen Challange UK have really worked hard to support us in and through the thrift stores.

The taxes on imported used clothing is paticularly high. This is common to the common customs union as the region battles to secure jobs for those in the textile industury after having lost many to imported chinese products which are substantially less expensive than locally manufactured textille products. Thousands have lost their jobs in the textile industury. Therefore, the tax department has not been favourable to imported used clothing, even as a sustainability project for our youth.

We placed the thrift stores under Tashnika PTY LTD, a company wholly owned by Mr. Bruce Griffiths. We had to seperate the thrift stores further from Teen Challange Swaziland in order to satisfy the spirit of the government's intentions on section 21 NGO's not to be involved in profit making centres, even if wholly benfitting those whom we serve.