Some statistics have shown that Swaziland will cease to exist within the next few decades due to the AIDS / HIV epidemic. Approximately one out of every two Siswati people that you meet are HIV+. Back home, I remember hearing about the situation with AIDS in Africa, but it never really hit home with me. Africa was so far away and I didn’t know anyone personally infected with HIV. That’s all changed now.
Maswane, a 19-year old girl, was raped at the age of 14 by her uncle and possibly her brother as well. Now, five years later, she is unable to leave her “bed” because of pain that has overtaken her body thanks to the HIV that was passed on to Maswane. This is how she will live her final months, weeks, or days. True, people are becoming infected with HIV because of their promiscuity. But there are also innocent victims, like Maswane, that didn’t do anything wrong and yet are dying at such a young age because of the disease. Speaking of age… The expected lifespan for a male in Swaziland is 29 years old. For a female, the expected lifespan is 30. Our ministry contact, Pastor Gift, is 35 and considered a senior citizen.
Depressing isn’t it? This is the reality that they face here. Death is waiting outside their doors. It’s no wonder that there is a sense of hopelessness that hangs so heavy here. I had the opportunity to visit with Mantombi for a few days. Both she and her husband are HIV+. Amazingly, she is in her 40s. She’s very frail and sickly. Even the wind hurts her throat if she opens her mouth on a breezy day. Unfortunately, her husband, who works on the nearby farm, invests his wages in the bottle so that there’s none left for food. She is currently taking care of her grandson because both of his parents are working. She can hardly take care of herself. When asked if she had anything to share with us about her life, she could only share sad and painful memories. I think I’ve seen her smile once.
Part of our ministry here is to offer people hope. I feel so limited in what I can do for Mantombi and Manswane. Their needs are greater than anything I can satisfy. But it’s not me that they should be looking to for help. Without a doubt, they need the Lord and the hope that He offers to all that turn to Him. And the Lord has not forgotten Swaziland. Scriptures such as Psalm 71, 130, and 1 Peter 1:3-9 apply to them as much as they do to me. We’ve shared some of these passages with them and we’ve prayed over them. We trust and believe that Manswane and Mantombi and their situations are in the Lord’s hands. I continue to pray for them and for this country, that the tide would change, where the people would turn and follow after the Lord with all of their heart, mind, soul, and strength. Instead of their population decreasing rapidly, I want to see them begin to multiply in this land. I want to see the AIDS epidemic become a thing of the past. I want to see real and lasting hope restored in this place. I believe it can happen. I’m praying that it does.
