Staff Blog

Joe Writes From Swaziland

Intercordia Canada’s Executive Director, Joe Vorstermans, is currently in Swaziland visiting with SWAPOL (Swaziland For Positive Living) an NGO supporting rural people living with HIV/AIDS.  Read about his arrival in the last remaining absolute monarchy in Africa.  SWAPOL is funded by the Stephen Lewis Foundation.  You can find out more about SWAPOL at http://www.swapol.net.

Nov. 23…....
I’ve arrived in the Kingdom of Swaziland, as it says on a sign over the small airport. It is the last remaining absolute monarchy in Africa. The NGO I am visiting is called SWAPOL,
Swaziland for Positive Living. They are supporting programs for education about HIV/AIDS and offering medical treatment for those who are living with HIV/AIDS. Swaziland has the highest infection rate of any country in the world today… some figures suggest that 35% of adults are HIV/AIDS positive. I was told the the high rates are the result of much superstition and misunderstanding coupled with a very traditional life style.
Today I went out for the day in the mobile clinic with one of the nurses to a village about 70 km from Manzini. We arrived in a small village and there were about 12 people waiting on the porch of one house… all HIV/AIDS positive and being supported by SWAPOL staff. Each of the villages has a “Care worker” who is elected by the village to support the work on the ground and help people to be faithful to their drug regimes and testing. In the group there was a very elderly lady, several young women with their babies and a few middle aged men. They gathered for a brief prayer and then the nurse asks how everyone is doing. (I do not understand what is being shared because it is all in Swati.) but the reponses are a mixture of sadness and laughter. Then one by one they go with the nurse to the van and she treats them, records their condition and dispenses the ARV’s (Anti retro virol drugs). It takes a lot of courage for these people to be public about their illness as it means sometimes being stigmatized by the community.
I was struck by the simplicity of it all. While everyone waits their turn, there is just typical village chatter and babies being cared for and jokes made. Everyone has their “Medical Book” in their hands as they walk to the van for their appointment with the nurse. One little girl was sitting with her mother on the porch. She was very shy and all my attempts to make eye contact or get a laugh with an exaggerated wink were in vain. She stuck close to her mom and made sure her little dress was smoothed out and tucked underneath her. The nurse called out a name and they both got up and walked to the van and spent about 15 minutes inside. As they walked back to the porch, I saw the little girl carrying her Medical Booklet and her little envelope with pills. She is about 3 years old and that is her reality. Her mom picked up one of the babies and strapped her on her back and the little family of three left to walk back down the hill. It was a moment of heartbreak and hope - the harsh reality of HIV/AIDS in the midst of a support community struggling to move forward.

On the way back to Manzini, the nurse explained that the treatment program is only one of the challenges this family faces. There is a drought in Swaziland and it is difficult to grow enough food and families are malnourished and good nutrition is essential in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Then there is the lack of good employment that drives the men to the bigger centres looking for work and so splitting up the families.

The challenges are high here and the resources are less than needed but the spirit of the people is strong and the staff at SWAPOL is energetic and compassionate. Rule one at SWAPOL is never to judge a person and I quickly realized how important that is if one is to keep hopeful amidst the crisis. People need other people to survive and I was grateful to witness that today.
Joe