Raising the bar - A numerical snapshot of Swaziland's HIV epidemic

www.empoweranother.org

I recently rediscovered a pdf document with an excellent statistical overview of Swaziland's HIV epidemic, compiled by UNAIDS and presented last year in Mozambique. (See link.) The Swazi-specific slides begin on page 13.

The king, the pawns, the same unfortunate box - Recent media

In a recent article in The Economist magazine titled, It’s Good to be King, the author asks why Zimbabwean leadership is being condemned worldwide while the Swazi king et al have escaped similar scrutiny. According to the article, Swaziland, the current rotating chair of the body dealing with peace and security for the Southern African Development Community (SADC), has banned political parties since 1973, while the Swazi king recently placed the opposition leader behind bars.

As readers of this blog (as well as Economist readers) know, Swaziland is hungry and poor. It leads the world in HIV prevalence (Botswana, where I currently live, is a close second). Though this blog for the most part avoids direct, bare-knuckle political commentary, the article linked above does not. It suggests that Swaziland’s leadership, beyond that demonstrated by HIV prevalence, is poor, and that the countries ailments are continually perpetuating by (and I am paraphrasing here) a monarchical milieu of polygamy, decadent royal spending, and, on substantial matters of governance and public health, careless inaction.

Here is the link again, in case you missed it.

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series - (20 of 20)

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series - (19 of 20)

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series (17-18 of 20)

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series (14-16 of 20)

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series - (12-13 of 20)

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series (11 of 20)

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series (10 of 10)

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series (9 of 10)

"because...my future is mine"

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series (8 of 10)

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series (7 of 10)

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series (6 of 10)

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series (5 of 10)

"Teach us about HIV and AIDS so that we can survive the virus."

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series (4 of 10)

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series (3 of 10)

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series (2 of 10)

Swazi HIV Awareness Poster Series (1 of 10)

On a totally unrelated note, don’t forget to read about "my birthday wish" below…

Recent media - Big funders and gender blunders

www.pbs.org

Article 1: "Bush To Request $30B, Five-Year Extension of PEPFAR"

President Bush went out to the Rose Garden last week and asked Congress to double current funding levels for PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief).

During the first five years after he leaves office, the figure would amount to 30 billion dollars. This would permit the number of people receiving access to antiretroviral drugs through PEPFAR to increase from 1.4 million to 2.5 million.

For the entire article, see: Bush Requests $30 Billion to Fight AIDS




www.yahoo.com


Article 2: "Cultural Traditions Regarding Women Fueling Spread of HIV in Botswana, Swaziland"

Physicians for Human Rights recently reported that cultural traditions that do not value women are fueling the spread of HIV in both Botswana and Swaziland.

"The legal systems in both countries grant women lesser status than men, restricting property, inheritance and other rights," the report said.

Women in these two countries often do not have control over sexual relationships, including condom use, and they are afraid that testing positive for HIV will jeopardize their relationships or lead to stigma.

As regular readers of this blog know, Swaziland has an HIV prevalence of about 40%, Swazi culture sanctions both polygamy and multiple sexual partners.

For the entire article, see: Discrimination against women spreading AIDS

Recent media – Diminishing workforces and community workhorses

See the links below for the latest on African workforce challenges and community-based HIV advocacy efforts.

MSF warns on southern African AIDS programmes (Thanks for sending me your article, Fran.)

HIV/AIDS and Local Action – The Drum Beat