[E-mailed from Swaziland]
Today we drove about forty-five minutes outside of the Ezulwini Valley to visit the Esitjeni Kagogo Centre, also affectionately called a "Granny" center ("Kagogo" means "grandmother," and grandmothers hold a respected place in this society). There are approximately 277 centers like this all over the country, building on the Swazi concept that grannies provide a safe haven for the family, built and maintained by money from the Global Fund and (PRODUCT) RED. These centers are service delivery points for small communities, all-purpose community centers, and where orphans are looked after by volunteer caregivers -- usually grandmothers -- who form an informal community collective.
When we arrived we were greeted by a powerful force of a woman, our host and guide Inkhosikati La Mtsetfwa, the leader of this community, and thrown right into action as lunch was being prepared, as usual, for up to 250 children each day, about half of whom are orphans and who come to the center to eat and play. (These children's parents died of AIDS before they were able to access the ARVs which are now freely available here, and which would probably have saved their lives.) Inkhosikati gave me a great big hug, then grabbed my hand and attached it to a bucket filled to the brim with very hot beans fresh from the fire, and led us into a room where a small assembly line of woman dressed in traditional Swazi garb was busily dishing out plates of food as the children lined up outside waiting to be fed. I took my place in the assembly, began scooping out cupfuls of beans and pouring them over "lipalishi," a thick porridge made of cornmeal, a dietary staple in Southern Africa, and handed a plate to each child, while a couple of the older women gently reminded each child to say "thank you" ("Ngiyabonga") after taking their plate.
Once every child had been given a plate of hot food, they sat quietly on the floor of a classroom next door to eat their first, and more often than not, their only meal of the day. If their stomachs would allow and if there was enough food left over, they were permitted "seconds." While the children finished their meals the volunteer elders who cooked and served them came together for a proper introduction to us. We explained our tradition of Mothers' Day back home in relation to the purpose of our visit and assured them that their stories would be brought back to mothers across the world who were also coming together in a sort of collective to contribute to the Global Fund through their purchasing of (PRODUCT) RED.
The women gave us wraps decorated with images of the King's face, which we were told to wear over our pants, in order to dress like "proper" mothers, and then sat us down perform a public service message all about HIV/AIDS and its effects on their community. Tamsin and I were invited to join all of the other women who were singing and dancing "backup" to the music, so we did. "When in Swaziland"...! After a good laugh, at our expense, we were sung a "thank you" song by all of the children.
The concerns that were shared with me here were related to the overriding issue of sustainability that we have encountered throughout this short stay in Swaziland. Will the ARVs that are saving lives now still be there in the future? And, what about the other basic human needs such as food, water and shelter, especially for these countless thousands of orphans? The ARVs are now accessible to most Swazis, but one cannot take this medication effectively without those other basics that are often lacking. How can a Swazi or any other African not live day-to-day when the road is as long as it is for the infected?
Through our collective purchasing power, we have together made an impact and proven that (RED) money is making a huge difference in the lives of thousands. Let's keep this thing moving and growing so that we can offer to many more than those we met in these past days the promise of sustainability, which is of such concern on the receiving end of our efforts. We can do this.
--Christy
