Today the entire group learned about Swaziland Positive Living (SWAPOL). The amazing woman who started it all, Siphewe Hlophe, came to breakfast at our hotel this morning to tell us a little about the group before we headed off on the day’s adventure. She repeated a story that she loves and we know from the book “Powered by Love” about the first time she met Stephen Lewis. Information about her and this story is on the Stories from Africa page of our website: Siphewe Hlophe_Eswatini.

SWAPOL supports and advocates for rural communities affected by HIV, AIDS and TB, with a focus on women and children. Across Eswatini, SWAPOL has 14,500 members in 55 communities. SWAPOL promotes HIV treatment and adherence, addresses stigma and discrimination and runs workshops, including on HIV and aging for grandmothers, vegetable gardening and nutrition. Their approach strengthens health and care by increasing reach, informing policy development and implementation, and overseeing public systems. The SLF has partnered with SWAPOL since 2004.

Women are disproportionately impacted by HIV and often initiate local support groups. Today we visited a remote community where one of the very first support groups started. It was a 2.5-hour drive, in 3 vans, with 1.5 of those hours being on a very bumpy and rutty dirt road through beautiful countryside. On the way we saw many children walking to and from their schools which were few and far between. When we arrived, we were welcomed by the entire community – the chief, a spokesperson for the community, members of three local support groups and pretty much everyone else in the community who wanted to get a look at us and share the lunch they had been preparing for us for 3 days! There were rows of chairs in a big tent and a long program ready for us that was at least half singing and dancing! (And yes, they got us up there too.) We started by breaking into smaller teams and looking at four different income-generating projects from the various groups. One group makes dish detergent, bleach and fabric softener to sell. Another grows beans and nuts and sells them raw and cooked and made into hot sauce and peanut butter. Another grows vegetables for sale and the final one makes beer and sews clothing such as school uniforms and vestments for churches. (The beer tasted strong and very ferment-y and packed a bit of a punch.) They gave each of us a beautiful beaded necklace and a gorgeous SWAPOL kanga. Then there was an MC, and a speech from the chief, then singing and dancing, then a speech from the community spokesperson, then more singing and dancing, then a speech from one of the women who had started the support group in 2001, then more singing and dancing, then a speech from Meg French (executive director of the SLF), then more singing and dancing, then lunch! All of the speeches were translated in one direction or another. Lunch was maize, maize with nuts, rice, beetroot, spinach, coleslaw, grilled chicken, beef and goat, and warm freshly baked cornbread. Everyone in the community was served and there was lots left over. They had takeaway containers ready and the community members eagerly filled up their containers to take home. (The SLF covered all of the expenses for this party.)

The speech by the woman who started the support group back in 2001 was extremely touching. Here is basically what she said, after taking a deep breath and a few minutes to start: “I feel tears burning through my eyes when I think of how far we have come. I think of the struggles we faced when we started way back. It was so difficult. We lost so many of our community members at the beginning. It was on a random day that someone came to us and told us that Siphewe could be the solution to our problems. From that day on I wanted to meet her because she was talking about HIV and AIDS when nobody was talking about it. I remember the day I met her in 2000. She gave me a good lesson about HIV and AIDS and that’s when my eyes opened and I wanted to help others. As a woman who had children and relatives affected by the virus, as well as myself, I wanted to know how best we could fight this epidemic. So I decided to gather a group of women and tell them what I had learned from Siphewe. For a long time people had believed they were dying because of witchcraft. She gave us knowledge about HIV and AIDS but also helped us to survive through income-generating projects. We worked with our support group women and are still working hard. We saw the community change from stigma and discrimination from in-laws and the community at large. The support group has grown to include young people willing to disclose their status in addition to grandmothers. In 2017 I had the privilege of visiting Canada. I felt welcomed and it felt like home. Flying was amazing and I had a very good time. I even got a chance to ride on a train. Thank you to SWAPOL for making this event not just for the support groups but for the community at large.”

The overwhelming feelings from this event were of celebration, gratitude, sisterhood and community. They couldn’t smile enough or tell us thank-you often enough. They were so happy that “this many white people” visited their community and they loved that so many of us were grandmothers. They cheered for us over and over again – when Meg spoke, when we tried to dance, and when we were leaving. It was a glorious day, ending with the reverse 2.5 hour drive that culminated with sunset over the hills and rush hour in the city.

We learned in our debriefing that ARV medication is no longer a big problem. Apparently the US reinstated the provision of medication for treatment, although not for prevention (called PREP). So these wonderful women we met are still accessing the medicine they need daily to stay well and continue helping others.