Swaziland Vision Trip

I jumped the last hurdle today (getting the okay from work) and am officially on board for the Children's Hope Chest vision trip to Swaziland this October (19-28). The trip will be led by Rick Clapp, who has a real heart for the country.

Simply put, Swaziland is ground zero of the HIV/AIDs crisis. USAID reports that greater than 1/3 of the population is living with HIV/AIDs, UNICEF has stated that 40 percent of the country's children suffer from chronic malnutrition, and the United Nations has proclaimed that the country is headed toward extinction at the hands of the disease by 2050. Arguably the worst part of situation is the plight of orphans left behind by the dying older generations. Not only are they left to fend for themselves, but they are vulnerable to the most hideous abuses. Abuses that perpetuate the spread of this disease.

I don't have all the details yet, but I know most of our time will be spent visiting care points and spending time with the children at those care points. I am cautiously excited about the opportunity and praying that great things will come out of this trip. I know some great things are already in the works. I hope to have exciting news to share about those things in the works and the outcomes of this trip in the near future.