Swaziland is a small, land-locked country in Southern Africa situated between South Africa and Mozambique.  Rooted deeply in tradition, the country is one of the last remaining absolute monarchies in the world, ruled since 1987 by His Majesty King Mswati III.  Though the vast majority of Swaziland’s roughly 1 million people are Christians, traditional Swazi culture is still very much alive in the country.  The most well-known celebration of Swazi culture is the annual Umhlanga or Reed Dance, when young women come from all corners of the country to dance for the king.   

Outside of the country’s two main cities, Mbabane and Manzini, most Swazis live in traditional stick-and-mud or cement structure homes in the rural areas.  On one rural homestead several generations of families live together, each in a separate building, ensuring that long-established traditions and values are passed from one generation to the next.  Because of the slowly fading tradition of polygamy, which is still somewhat present in the rural areas, one homestead may be home to as many as four wives.  Most families in the rural areas survive on a combination of subsistence farming and remittances from family members living abroad or in the country’s cities.  The staple crop of most families, which most grow on their homesteads, is maize, which is supplemented with boiled vegetables, gravy, beans or a small portion of meat for most meals. 

Education in Swaziland is based on the British school system and includes primary (Grades 1-7), secondary (Forms 1-3) and high school (Forms 4-5).  Courses offered at schools include geography, mathematics, science, siSwati, English, religious education, agriculture, and business studies, though schools in Mbabane and Manzini often offer subjects as diverse as French and music.   All students learn English beginning in Grade 3, though many people in the rural areas, particularly the elderly, communicate only in siSwati.  Because of high school fees and because progression in school is based on passing a series of exams, many children in Swaziland do not complete school beyond Grade 7.   

Since the early 1990s, Swaziland has been plagued by a number of developmental issues, the most significant of which is HIV/AIDS.  In addition to having the highest rate of HIV infection in the world (42.6% of pregnant women), Swaziland also has one of the highest rates of Tuberculosis (TB) in the world.  Economically, Swaziland has very few natural resources or indigenous industries, relying largely on South Africa both for imports and employment.  Since 2000, Swaziland has also been stricken by drought conditions that have created a long-term food security problem, particularly in the eastern portion of the country.  For these reasons, many international and non-governmental organizations maintain a presence in the country, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), PSI, Catholic Relief Services, USAID, Lutheran Development Services, WorldVision, World Food Programme, and UNAIDS.   

Along with these other organizations, His Majesty King Mswati III invited the US Peace Corps to send trained HIV/AIDS volunteers to the country in 2001.  Beginning in 2002, the Peace Corps has sent between 20 and 40 volunteers each year to assist in teaching HIV/AIDS prevention education and assist in the care and treatment for people living with HIV, as well as the mitigation of the harms created by the epidemic.  Currently, there are about 60 Peace Corps Volunteers living and working as HIV/AIDS and Community Health Educators in Swaziland. 

HIV/AIDS and Swaziland

Unfortunately, Swaziland’s children are no exception.  By 2007, 31.3% of all children in Swaziland had lost one or both of their parents to AIDS, with a disproportionate number of these orphans living in the Shiselweni Region.  It is estimated that there are 15,000 Swazi children under the age of 15 currently living with HIV or AIDS.  The numbers are devastating, but what does it really mean? 

Before the scourge of HIV/AIDS, orphaned children would be cared for by uncles, aunts or grandparents, but now even the extended family is suffering from HIV.  In the Shiselweni region, over half of all homesteads are currently caring for at least one orphan of AIDS, but this arrangement is neither ideal nor permanent.  Many homesteads lack the food or other resources to care for these additional children, particularly if the orphans are also sick with HIV.  Many cannot afford to send these orphaned children to school.  Even worse, many children are shuffled from one homestead to the next as their aunt, uncle, grandmother or neighbor also dies of AIDS, eventually leaving them with nowhere to turn.  Because of HIV/AIDS, there are many child-headed households in Swaziland.   

Currently, about 33% of the individuals who SHOULD be receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) are receiving treatment.  A number of organizations, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), are assisting in the distribution of necessary drugs (the majority of which are donated by the WHO), as well as the monitoring of side-effects.  Support groups have also been established to provide an open environment in which people infected with or affected by HIV can seek advice from others, discuss the difficult issues they face with their families, and participate in income-generating projects.