Swaziland is home to 1.1 million people. Of that population, 1 in 4 adults (2 in 4 of adults in their 20s) has AIDS, making Swaziland the world’s most severe HIV/AIDS epidemic. It is estimated that by the year 2050 the country of Swaziland will cease to exist.
It is Swazi culture to have multiple wives and as many girlfriends as you want. People believe that it makes you more of a ‘man’ if you have more wives. The king himself has at least 13 wives. To try to keep down the spread of AIDS the government has recently encouraged men to only sleep with their wives, not their girlfriends but the rate of AIDS is higher than ever. The epidemic has spread relentlessly in all the parts of the country.
Thousands of children have been orphaned by AIDS, and only 22% grow up in two-parent families. If AIDS continues to spread the way it is now Swaziland will not even exist in 40 years. We are here to see these statistics reversed. Below are some of the children we were able to work with this month. Please pray for country of Swaziland.
