Angela from Young Heroes testing a child for HIV
I know I promised an entry about the clinic I am working at while we are here in Swaziland, I will get to that soon, I promise, again. One reason I have not wrriten is because Mike is hoarding the computer to do photography work, and I feel like people really just want to see his photos. So this is a prelude to an entry yet to come about my experiences at the clinic here in Mbabane. I want to set the stage and let you know the uphill battle that the doctors here in Swaziland face against the HIV/AIDS epidemic that is plaguing and killing this country.
As a disclaimer before I start -- much of my information about cultural practices here in Swaziland I learned about from the American doctors I work with here. Please don't take this as gospel truth, it could be a biased view that I am hearing while here. The facts about HIV rates are true even though they are absolutely unbelievable.
Swaziland is a country of 1 million people and located at the western edge of South Africa next to Mozambique. It is a small country, approximately 6,600 square miles, making it one of the smallest countries in Africa -- approxmately the size of New Jersey. The government is one of the 3 remaining monarchs in Africa, run by King Mswati III. This is a peaceful country with little to no political turmoil. It has been run by the same monarchy since the 1960's when they won their independance from the British. The king has numerous palaces through out the country. Desite his riches 69% of the Swazi population lives below the poverty line, defined as approximately US $22/month. The Swazi people appear happy with the king, but oppositional parties are officially banned. Even the paper seems to be run by the government -- there was an article today about arrests at a protest at a border crossing but we could not figure out what the protest was about. The skeptisicm to the government seems to come from foreigners, and this may have something to do with the alarming rate of new HIV infections and AIDS related deaths.
Swaziland has now surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest HIV infection rate. Yes, this small country has the highest rate of HIV infections in the entire world:
Infection rates in 15-19 year olds: 29.3%
Infection rates in 25-29 year olds: 56%
Infection rates among pregnant women: 42.6%
Take a minute to think about that, think about Mike's photographs, about every other person that he photographs is infected with HIV and will likely die in the prime of their life.
Why is this happening in this small country that few people had heard of when I first mentioned that I was going to work here for a month? HIV was likely first brought into this country by Swazi men who went to work in the South African mines. They would have sex with the sex workers around the mines, become infected with HIV and then return to their wives in Swaziland. The spread of HIV was further perpetuated by the fact that Swaziland is a polygamous society; the king currently has 13 wives. And it appears that dating many women, under the pretense that they are looking to take a new wife, is part of the Swazi culture. What appears to have the most impact in the impressive rates of HIV in this small country is the lack of public awareness and eduction campaigns. While some other countries, such as Uganda, have launched country wide educational campaigns to encourage condom use and single partners, Swaziland has yet to do so because it is not part of "Swazi culture". There is little understanding of the disease here and even less acceptance. A woman with HIV who discolses to her family can be kicked out of her husband's home and can lose her children as well.
It is a very sad situation, and even though I know the facts I cannot fathom the magnitude of the problem. Swaziland is dying, they are losing their adult population at an alarming rate. These are people who are supposed to be in the prime of their lives and support the economy, and instead they are stricken with a deadly illness. It is an unbelievable problem without a clear and easy solution.
I know that the Baylor clinic where I am working is part of a solution and they are do amazing things for both the pediatric and adult poplulation of this country. I cannot wait to share more with you about the work these wonderful doctors do here for the Swazi children and their care givers.
Leah
As a disclaimer before I start -- much of my information about cultural practices here in Swaziland I learned about from the American doctors I work with here. Please don't take this as gospel truth, it could be a biased view that I am hearing while here. The facts about HIV rates are true even though they are absolutely unbelievable.
Swaziland is a country of 1 million people and located at the western edge of South Africa next to Mozambique. It is a small country, approximately 6,600 square miles, making it one of the smallest countries in Africa -- approxmately the size of New Jersey. The government is one of the 3 remaining monarchs in Africa, run by King Mswati III. This is a peaceful country with little to no political turmoil. It has been run by the same monarchy since the 1960's when they won their independance from the British. The king has numerous palaces through out the country. Desite his riches 69% of the Swazi population lives below the poverty line, defined as approximately US $22/month. The Swazi people appear happy with the king, but oppositional parties are officially banned. Even the paper seems to be run by the government -- there was an article today about arrests at a protest at a border crossing but we could not figure out what the protest was about. The skeptisicm to the government seems to come from foreigners, and this may have something to do with the alarming rate of new HIV infections and AIDS related deaths.
Swaziland has now surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest HIV infection rate. Yes, this small country has the highest rate of HIV infections in the entire world:
Infection rates in 15-19 year olds: 29.3%
Infection rates in 25-29 year olds: 56%
Infection rates among pregnant women: 42.6%
Take a minute to think about that, think about Mike's photographs, about every other person that he photographs is infected with HIV and will likely die in the prime of their life.
Why is this happening in this small country that few people had heard of when I first mentioned that I was going to work here for a month? HIV was likely first brought into this country by Swazi men who went to work in the South African mines. They would have sex with the sex workers around the mines, become infected with HIV and then return to their wives in Swaziland. The spread of HIV was further perpetuated by the fact that Swaziland is a polygamous society; the king currently has 13 wives. And it appears that dating many women, under the pretense that they are looking to take a new wife, is part of the Swazi culture. What appears to have the most impact in the impressive rates of HIV in this small country is the lack of public awareness and eduction campaigns. While some other countries, such as Uganda, have launched country wide educational campaigns to encourage condom use and single partners, Swaziland has yet to do so because it is not part of "Swazi culture". There is little understanding of the disease here and even less acceptance. A woman with HIV who discolses to her family can be kicked out of her husband's home and can lose her children as well.
It is a very sad situation, and even though I know the facts I cannot fathom the magnitude of the problem. Swaziland is dying, they are losing their adult population at an alarming rate. These are people who are supposed to be in the prime of their lives and support the economy, and instead they are stricken with a deadly illness. It is an unbelievable problem without a clear and easy solution.
I know that the Baylor clinic where I am working is part of a solution and they are do amazing things for both the pediatric and adult poplulation of this country. I cannot wait to share more with you about the work these wonderful doctors do here for the Swazi children and their care givers.
Leah
