JOPLIN, Mo. —
If you haven’t counted your blessings lately, consider Swaziland.
About 42 percent of the slightly more than a million people of this tiny country in southern Africa is infected with AIDS.
In a land where the life expectancy is about 40, it is no wonder that orphans are the rule rather than the exception.
It’s the latter that drew the most heartfelt attention from Christy Swank when she traveled there recently on a Christian mission with her classmates from Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma City.
Swank, an SNU senior who plans to graduate in May with a bachelor of nursing degree, earned her high school diploma from Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School in 2007.
Marking her fifth mission trip, Swank said that her experiences in Swaziland left a lasting impression on her life.
Many of the children she saw there were either primary or secondary orphans, which meant they lost either one or both of their parents, usually to AIDS.
“Because of this loss, these kids are living wherever they can, whether it be with an aunt or an uncle, or with a neighbor who took pity on the children and took them in,” said Swank, whose sister, Jamie (Swank) Odem, has gone on two mission trips herself.
A care point for orphans, GiGi’s Kitchen proved to be one of the most memorable places to visit.
“While we did things throughout our weeks in Swaziland, like paint a church, dig trenches, play with lots and lots of children and put on worship services for Nazarene Youth International, nothing can compare to the days we spent at GiGi’s,” she said. “GiGi’s provides programs, activities, education and a meal, all while teaching the children about the love of Christ.
“The one meal they receive at GiGi’s is their only meal of the day. A meal typically consists of Mealie Meal (what we would consider a staple food, which has no nutrition).
“However, because of the money we raised we were able to treat these kids to a piece of chicken and a piece of fruit, both of which are delicacies to them.”
Swank said that many of the children were unable to attend school after first and second grades because of the cost. Swaziland is like many of the sub-Saharan African countries where more than 70 percent of the people live on $2 a day.
“It was a very humbling experience to play with these children, get to know them, love on them and show them I genuinely cared about them,” she said.
In addition to working with the Nazarene youth ministry, Swank spent time with the HIV/AIDS Task Force.
“The task force is a group of local volunteers who identify people living with AIDS and help support and resource them with education, proper nutrition, medications, care, counseling support, etc., as they deal with the disease,” she said. “Although these days were some of my favorite, they were also some of the hardest. The poverty, hurt and pain that I witnessed is beyond words.”
The third group Swank worked with was the Luke Commission, a medical mission that served remote areas.
“Although it was difficult knowing that many of these people were HIV positive and many of them had progressed to having AIDS, it was an amazing experience to be part of a team that gave medical care to over 500 people in one day,” she said.
Of the 33 million people in the world with HIV, 22 million live in Africa, which has just 10 percent of the world’s population. That means that 67 percent of people with HIV live in Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, the disease is the leading cause of death, with 3,800 people dying every day from AIDS.
The projection is that by 2012 Swaziland will have an orphan population of 200,000, a fifth of the national population.
“How can we know this and not respond to this need,” said Kendra Thompson, who led the SNU group after having been to Swaziland twice before.
Address correspondence to Rich Brown, c/o The Joplin Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, MO 64802, or e-mail rbrown@joplinglobe.com.
Lifestyles
Related Photos
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Courtesy/Alicia Busic Christy Swank is surrounded by children from Swaziland during a recent mission trip. Many of the children are orphans, often having lost both parents from AIDS.
Discussion
Eye-opening experience: Mission trip exposes tragedy
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