Christian group assists Swaziland

By Natalie Garcia
The Collegian

A Fresno State professor and student participated in a spring break trip to Swaziland sponsored by the Christian organization Heart for Africa, to help AIDS victims in Swaziland by planting gardens.

The percent of people living with HIV and AIDS in Swaziland one of the highest in the world, with 42.6 percent of the population infected, United States ambassador to Swaziland Lewis Lucke said.

Participant and graduate student Mica Mirides said the group’s primary objective was to plant gardens of immune boosting vegetables for the Swazi people.

Kathy Morgan, a psychology professor and participant in the group, said the government provides free anti-retroviral drugs to fight AIDS, paid for by international donations. Two-thirds of the donations come from the United States, Morgan said.

But Morgan said the drugs are not always effective.

“People will throw them up unless they are healthy enough nutritionally,” Morgan said.

In the six days the group of around 60 people spent in Swaziland, they planted gardens for about 300 homes with help from the Swazi people. It the gardens continue to be maintained, Heart for Africa will return and provide an irrigation system for the gardens.

Swaziland is a small southern African country with a population of about 1 million. Like us, their economy is based primarily on agriculture and many of them are Christians.

Until recently, many Swazis lived a tough, simple but happy life in their rural communities and it was common to live into old age.

Now, a 15-year-old Swazi has a 6.5 percent chance of reaching the age of 35.

The stigma attached to AIDS has kept many people from being tested, hurting many Swazis.

“They don’t want to be tested,” Morgan said. “They say, ‘Why should I take a test to find out that I’m going to die?’”

Westerners could view their attitude toward AIDS as irresponsible, but for them, it’s about holding on to any shred of hope.

About 10 years ago, the infection rate in Swaziland was around 4 or 5 percent, roughly the same as the rest of West Africa, she said.

“It’s just skyrocketed in Swaziland,” Morgan said. And the ones that often suffer the most are the children, where there are about 20,000 AIDS-related orphans.

The goal of Heart for Africa is to help provide self-sustaining, nutrient-rich food sources for them, while also teaching them about how AIDS is transmitted and how to prevent against infection.

“As the Bible says, ‘Don’t give a man fish, teach him how to fish,’” Mirides said. “If you are not teaching them solutions to a problem, you are just enabling them to be dependent.”

When Mirides finishes her credential program, she is plans to go Africa for two years to continue her passion to help and educate people.

In Swaziland, children get a free education for three years and then the families have to pay for it. Many can’t afford to.

“I think it is ridiculous that there is no free education in this world,” Mirides said. “I do want to come back and teach others here about how to help and what to do.”

Both Morgan and Mirides believe the Western world’s tendency to throw money at the problem and run is not going to work.

Providing nutrition to people who desperately need it to have a fighting chance against AIDS, is only half the battle.

Community leaders and the Swazi government, with help from the international community are working to educate the Swazis about AIDS, something they know very little about.
The United States and Swazi government are advocating a faith-based AIDS education policy called ABC — abstinence, be faithful and condoms.

“They have a tradition of polygamy. Not that every man has more than one wife, but we met one man that had four wives and 38 children,” Morgan said.

There’s also more to the problem.

Morgan said she will continue to support organizations like Heart for Africa to help combat the AIDS epidemic in Africa and may return some day.

Mirides said she has found her calling in Africa and is eager to return, even though the landscape can be bleak.

“It’s one of the most disturbing things you will ever see, but it’s a weird disturbing,” she said. “At the same time you want to go back.”

Mirides has equal affection for the people she meets.

“You will never see anger or rudeness, they are loving people,” she said. “It’s life at its simplest beauty.”

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