Swaziland Vision Trip - Debriefing Part I

I returned from Swaziland on Thursday around 10AM. I could not be happier to be home and with my family again. But this trip has definitely burdened me with an even deeper conviction to be God's hands and feet to the children living in such a desperate place.

After arriving in Swaziland and meeting with the amazing leaders of AIM and CHC's work on the ground we were presented with new Swazi stats for January 2009.

- Life expectancy: 28.7 years
- HIV infection rate: 46.6%
- 70% of children will be HIV positive by the time they are 15 years old
- The population has fallen from 1.2 million to 953,000 in the past two years
- There is a 6% chance for a now 15 year old Swazi to reach age 30
- 56% of children are not in school because they can not afford it
- No job growth since 1995 (currently 95,000 jobs - same number as in 1995)
- Unemployment is at around 60%
- 120,000 orphans, greater than 12.6% of the total population
- more than 70% of the nation lives under the "bread line"

These stats were the worst I have heard yet. So the situation is not getting any better. Obviously, there is a great need to care for the orphans of Swaziland as there is a generation of fathers and mothers that has been removed from society. HIV/AIDs has removed the crucial young adult and worker age individuals from society and left few to provide and support the children of this nation.

During our stay we saw the same thing over and over - Grandmothers (GoGos) taking care of their deceased children's children. And many GoGos were taking care of more children in need beyond their blood relatives.

For me the purpose of this trip was to identify a point of entry to begin working for these people. Ideally that would include working with our home church to sponsor a carepoint and begin making a difference in the lives of the orphaned children of Swaziland. Carepoint sponsorship provides a regular meal on a daily basis for the children located near the carepoint and regular discipleship from indigenous Christians. Sponsorship also allows for a community to community connection, with individual child sponsors united to provide beyond the immediate needs of the community. Like drilling wells and building churches and playgrounds.

I will post more from this trip in the near future, as there is a lot more to share. I will also be gradually adding photos to my Picasa web album.

I am burdened, but committed to prayer and fasting on behalf of the children of this nation. I hope all who read this post, and those to follow, will feel burdened as well.