The Kingdom of Swaziland

The Kingdom of Swaziland
Dreams Fulfilled

Why am I in Swaziland?

HIV is a global pandemic and claimed the lives of millions of people all over the world. One of my hopes is that there will be a cure for HIV during or after my lifetime. Not only do I believe in physical healing of HIV, but I also believe in spiritual healing by faith in God. God has called me to act on this issue and my work here in Swaziland is being done to bring Him glory. By the grace of God, I was accepted into the Minority Health International Research Training (MHIRT) program offered by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health. Due to my passion for HIV research and prevention, I was selected to conduct research on the barriers to antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation among HIV-positive children 2 to 18 months of age in Swaziland. With the relatively high rate of HIV among pregnant women and the relatively low rate of children initiated on ART in comparison to adults in Swaziland, this a major public health concern within the country.

What am I doing?

Just to get an idea of what I will be blogging about, I will be implementing a research project on the barriers to antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation among HIV-positive children 2-18 months of age in Swaziland. I will be carrying out the study at several different health facilities in Swaziland with my research partner and fellow MHIRT trainee, Chantal Harris, who also attends the University of Florida. Our main job is to carry out the study by following the research protocol with the assistance of data clerks, the primary investigators, public health stakeholders, and doctors associated with the project and ART initiation among children. The research project is also funded by UNICEF, which allowed us to hire data clerks to assist with data extraction, survey administration, and the facilitation of focus groups for the study.

Who do I work with?

My fellow MHIRT trainee, Chantal Harris, will be working on the research project with me all summer. She also will be living with me in Dr. Peter Preko's guest house in Mbabane, Swaziland. Dr. Preko is our host and mentor as well as one of the primary investigators of the research study. Dr. Pauline Jolly is also a primary investigator for this research project and also the director of the MHIRT program at UAB. Mrs. Nobuhle Mthethwa is another one of the primary investigators and is the National Paediatric ART Officer of the Swaziland National AIDS Program (SNAP) of the Ministry Of Health (MoH). We have four data clerks helping us to carry out the study, which are two Swazi women, Nelisiwe (Neli for short) and Nozipho, and two Swazi men, Ndumiso and Sibusiso. Two other fellow MHIRT trainees, Jessica and ShaCoria, are also here in Swaziland for 12 weeks, but they are implementing a different project (association between HIV status and cervical cancer among women) and live with a host family in Manzini, Swaziland. The UNICEF budget for the research budget also rendered us the opportunity to hire two drivers from Affordable Car Hire (Smangaliso and Sipho) to take us from clinic to clinic.

Monday, June 30, 2014

Day 30: Visit to Horo Clinic and Piggs Peak Government Hospital

Horo Clinic, Piggs Peak
Horo Clinic is one of the facilities in which my research team will be conducting the study. One of the data clerks and I went to Horo to begin data extraction and then we went to Piggs Peak Government Hospital, the mother facility to Horo, to further the data collection and determine the cases and controls for the study.

Piggs Peak Government Hospital

Just decided to take a picture of this study done at Piggs Peak. Just saw it hanging on the wall at Piggs Peak Gov't Hospital
Top: Photo taken on my way to Piggs Peak from Horo
Bottom: Photo taken on my way back to Mbabane from Piggs Peak


Sunday, June 29, 2014

Day 29: Church Sunday

Loving this new hairdo. Off to church. Super excited for God's future plans for my life!

Dinner today made by Lena

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Day 28: Youth Scholar Initiative Award

Today I found out that I won the Youth Scholar Initiative Award to attend the United States Conference on AIDS! HIV advocacy is  my passion and I'm truly blessed and honored by this award!

Day 28: Loc Maintenance

Re-twisted my hair for only 8 US dollars and $10 including the tip. My hair got a little thicker from before, but still not locked. I still have a long way to go.




Friday, June 27, 2014

Day 27: Braai at Luyengo

The data clerks have been working really hard on administering surveys so I decided to treat them to their meal for lunch - braai (which means barbeque in Swaziland), also known as sitayama. This is also a popular Swazi meal. I also treated the driver, Smangaliso. It came out to around 130 Rand (13 US dollars) including drinks, to feed the dour of us, which is really cheap!

The guys wanted to make the braai themselves
Fully cooked meal
View on the drive back to Mbabane. Below is a part of the stadium.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Day 25: Visiting Mankayane Government Hospital


Since we couldn't find all the information we needed at Luyengo,  had to go to the mother clinic of the facility, Mankayane Government Hospital, to use their EMR and confirm the cases and controls for the study.


View on the car ride to and from Mankayane





Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Day 24: Data Extraction at Luyengo Clinic

Luyengo Clinic
Saw University of Swaziland Agriculture Department during car ride
View during car ride back to and from Luyengo




Monday, June 23, 2014

Day 23: Authentic Ghanaian Fabric

Authentic Ghanaian Fabric - Dr. Preko bought it for me during his trip to Ghana

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Day 21: Youth Outing at Maguga Dam with Lighthouse Chapel International Church



Maguga Dam

More snapshots of Maguga Dam on the way to and at the LCI youth outing
Lighthouse Chapel International Church had a youth outing to discuss relationships at Maguga Dam. We also had braai (which is what Swazi call barbequing) after the relationship discussion with a pastor.

Braai

The girls and I at Maguga for the youth outing
Meeting new friends: Benny (in the Black sweatshirt in the photo on the right), Francis (in middle wearing a red sweatshirt in the bottom photo on the left), and Nhlanhla (we call him Lucky because we can't pronounce his name right and we didn't get a chance to take a picture with him). All of them go to LCI. Francis will be going to the States in August to study at the University of Oklahoma.
Pastor Joseph or Joe (of the LCI branch in Mbabane) in the middle and his wife Sister Cynthia (on the far right). They are both from Ghana any very loving and friendly individuals! Pastor Joe is very outgoing and funny.
Sunset at Maguga Dam

Friday, June 20, 2014

June 20: Farewell Dinner with Dr. Jolly

Dr. Jolly and I during her last night in Swaziland - Dinner at Ramblas
Dr. Jolly leaves to go back to the States tomorrow. She has worked so hard to get our research projects up and running and has been a major support system for me and the other MHIRT trainees. Not only is she the primary investigator on two of our projects in Swaziland, she is also supervising projects in Guatemala and Jamaica, where she will also be traveling to assist with the research projects in the other countries. She is an awesome MHIRT director and professor. Dr. Jolly really cares about the success of all of her MHIRT trainees and students. We will miss her warm spirit and good sense of humor!
Pictures of Chantal and Shacoria at Ramblas Restaurant

Our dinner at Ramblas. I had curry chicken with rice and vegetables (top right photo), Jessica had lab meet with mash potatoes and vegetables (middle right photo), Chantal had calamari (bottom left). And then we had brownies and ice cream for dessert and Jessica had carrot cake
Chillin' with Dr. Jolly on her last night in Swaziland - We were laughing at her "Just Chillin'" Sweatpants!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Day 19: Working on the Questionnaire

The questionnaire that is to be administered among the participants of the study needed a lot of work! I spent hour trying to revise it based on suggestions we received during the research training. We are planing to have it done by next Monday, before interviews start.

First KFC meal for lunch - Fully Loaded Box Meal for about 65 Rand (6.50 US dollars)

Going downtown and heading home on a Kombi

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Day 18: Return to Ezulwini Craft Market

Dr. Jolly, Chantal, and I returned to Ezulwini Craft Market. Dr. Jolly wanted to buy more souvenirs before her departure

"Stop HIV/AIDS Now" Painting at Ezulwini

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Day 14: Dinner with the Preko's

Traditional Ghanian meal made by Dr. Preko's wife, Lena

Later on in the day - eating Debonair's Pizza and watching TV with the girls

Friday, June 13, 2014

Day 13: Mantenga Nature Reserve and Swazi Cultural Village

Mantenga Nature Reserve and Swazi Cultural Village
Walking towards the cultural village with the girls and ran into a bull

More snapshots on the way to Swazi Cultural Village in Mantenga Nature Reserve. The top photo is Execution Rock - used to be location where criminals were executed by being thrown off the rock for committing violent crimes such as murder or rape.

Tour of Swazi Cultural Village

Mantenga Falls

The girls and I at Mantenga Falls

Day 13: Mantenga Lodge

Dr. Jolly and I taking a picture near Execution Rock
Craft market at Mantenga Lodge

 Lunch at Mantenga Lodge




On the way to Mantenga Lodge




Thursday, June 12, 2014

Day 12: Research Approval!

Since the clinics that we will conduct the research in are scattered all throughout Swaziland, today with two of the primary investigators of the research study, Dr. Jolly and Nobuhle, Chantal and I went over the logistics of traveling from clinic to clinic and created a tentative timeline for the research project as well.

Went to Baylor later today: this is a picture of the king, queen, and prime minster from left to right