Swaziland,
a country of 1 million people in the southern region of Africa, now
has the highest HIV infection rate in the world. In the age group 15
to 49, more than 38 percent of the population is HIV positive.
In
2001, MLI partnered with the Diocese of Swaziland and the
Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation to launch the first ever parish nurse
program in Africa. In
2003, MLI later conducted a second training workshop. Here, the
program was expanded not only to train nurses from eight other
Christian denominations, but also to train the first group of
“parish care supporters,” who assist the nurses with home-based
care.
The
director of our parish nurse program, Mrs. Thandiwe Dlamini, was
honored for her seminal work by receiving the 2002 Desmond Tutu,
“Following in the Footsteps” Award.
Her pioneering efforts in parish nursing have been one of the
reasons the program has been so successful.
As
the AIDS crisis deepens in Swaziland, we are looking to further expand
the parish nurse program. We
are at a critical point in time when these nurses are needed in every
facet of AIDS prevention and care -- from community education, to care
of the dying, to support of AIDS orphans.
Parish Nurses are strategically located on the front lines of
the epidemic, and their courage and dedication is an inspiration for
everyone.
MLI’s
parish nurse program has been recognized by the United Nations as an
example of a successful “faith health partnership.” Yale
University School of Medicine’s Center for Interdisciplinary
Research on AIDS positively evaluated the Swaziland Parish Nurse
Program.