My Journey in the Kingdom of Swaziland

My name is Charisse Ahmed and I am a fourth-year health education major at the University of Florida, double minoring in health disparities and African studies. From June 1st to August 22nd, I will be studying the barriers to HIV pediatric care in the country with the highest rate of HIV in the world: Swaziland, Southern Africa. Please join me as I embark on this journey of spiritual and personal growth in the Kingdom of Swaziland. Note: this is primarily a retrospective blog.

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, July 7, 2014

Day 37: Visit to Matsapha Comprehensive Health Care Clinic

Visit to Matsapha Comprehensive Health Care Clinic for data collection in Matsapha, Swaziland

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Day 36: Our Attempt to Attend Hlane Royal National Park

Hlane Royal National Park in Lubombo, Swaziland

We had the driver take us all the way to Hlane and unfortunately, we didn't go in because we had to book ahead of time to see the lions, which is what we mainly wanted to do. But I was able to take a picture of the sign. It was really cloudy today!

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Day 35: Malolotja Canopy Tour in Hhohho, Swaziland

Malolotja Canopy Tour

We made a reservation to go zip-lining at Malolotja Canopy Tour. We rented an automatic car at Affordable Car Hire and it stalled while up a hill so we had to wait for someone to check out the car, which made us an hour late to the Canopy Tour. Because of the inconvenience, Affordable Care Hire manager allowed a driver to take us there and back and also take us to another game reserve in Swaziland (since the plan was to go to Kruger National Reserve in South Africa, but we didn't have a car to get there.

The scenery during the canopy tour was absolutely breathtaking! Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera with me because it was recommended that we don't take cameras, until the tour guide told us that we could've take ours (but we already left the cameras in the car), so I didn't get to take pictures of us zip-lining. It was super fun!

Sunset in Malolotja after Zip-Lining

Friday, July 4, 2014

Day 34: The 4th of July in Africa!

Fourth of July Dinner at the Pub & Grill in Ezulwini, Swaziland

Chantal and Jessica had a seafood basket, ShaCoria had the Chicken Schnitzel with chips (which is the meal I usually get... I love it that much!), and I got the nasty chicken stew that took forever to make (everyone got their food and was practically done eating it by the time my food came).

Just cute dresses I saw in Happy Valley Hotel & Casino in Ezulwini

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Day 33: Visit to Good Shepherd Mission Hopsital

Data collection at Good Shepherd Mission Hospital

Maternal and Child Health Unit of Good Shepherd Hospital

As usual, we had to start off data collection using the DBS logbooks. Since the sample size is large, our research team will have to go back to resume data collection.

Good Shepherd was recognized as the facility with the best early ART infant initation

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Day 32: Lobamba Clinic

Resuming data collection at Lobamba, waiting on the data clerks to arrive

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Day 31: Trip to Luyengo Clinic, Piggs Peak and Lombamba

Luyengo Clinic, Manzini Region

So today the data clerks went back to Luyengo to resume with interviews and I went to Piggs Peak Government Hospital to finish data collection there. This picture was taken on my way from getting one of the data clerks for an interview in Luyengo Clinic. After picking up one of the data clerks, I got all the data clerks, the driver (including myself) some braai for lunch! The meal below was really cheap! It costed only 20 Rand wish is equivalent to about 2 US dollars! The meal came with chicken, pap, and salad (it's behind the chicken). Braai is also known as chicken dust and kitayama (which is all called barbeque in the States. This is my second time buying braai. For dinner, I had a traditional Ghanaian mean made by the Prekos. At the end of the day, we went and visited Lombamba Clinic to start data collection there. the Senior Nurse was hesitant to allow us to conduct the study at their site until I notified her of our connections with the Ministry of Health.

Initial visit to Lobamba Clinic to initiate data collection

Left: Braai and pap for lunch today

Right: Traditional Ghanaian meal (Fufu and goat meat)

The Kingdom of Swaziland