Our day began early today, as it has for the past 2 weeks in preparation for the event. We are so uncertain of so many things but one is certain—this is happening! Five months of planning and working through a foreign system of NGOs, government agencies, and, more often than not, unnecessary and nerve-wracking bureaucracy.
We loaded our 8 ton truck just before 7am and went through checklists trying to cover our bases. After grabbing a few forgotten items, we were on the road to Siteki where the nation walkers met during the evening to prepare for the first day the walk. Registration didn’t go quite as planned…or as orderly as I thought. People came who said they had registered but we did not have their papers and a lot of people who turned in papers did not show up. So far, we have about 50 walkers and about 25 volunteers. Beans and rice for all!
The first walker to arrive in Siteki was a 63 year old mkhulu (grandfather) from a community near Mbabane. He is HIV positive and member of an active support group. He was such a kind man when he arrived and offered to help us with the cooking and setting up.
Before bed, we had a welcome session and introduction to the event schedule. It was a little chaotic—walkers were arriving late, people were talking over one another, and not everyone was on the same page…or even in the same library. Most of the walkers are younger and speak English well but others speak no English at all and it was really difficult convincing the youth to help their elders by translating. On top of the chaos were some rather unhappy Swazis—to their dismay, we did not serve meat for dinner and our announcements indicated that meat would not be frequently served. Swazis love their meat… Bed time…some time around midnight for myself and the other organizers.
Day 1:Toilets clogged, water supply evaporated, 4am wake-up call, transport late, smiles on all faces…ok, not all faces. Who decided to start the event at 8am? Oh, yea, the Prime Minister. We arrived at the Sicunusa border gate with enough time to muster a few yawns, hang up our banner, set-up, and welcome the Prime Minister and his entourage. It was a typical government-initiated event—all the VIPs said a few words about HIV/AIDS and the importance of prevention and testing while the audience responded with polite applause. Judith, our Fort Worth Sister Cities representative arrived during the speeches and gave a quick introduction. She has been living with HIV for about 18 years and is an HIV/AIDS activist in Texas as well as at the national level. I can tell she will be integral in educating the Swazi public about living positively.
The end of the event was a bit rushed. I was left in the parking lot figuring out where to put Judith’s luggage, how to get the banner down from its high positioning, and coordinating the Peace Corps cars. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister was on a mission to walk to Mhlumeni Primary School, about 11 km down the road. The following 3 hours seem a little blurred…I recall running to catch up to the walkers after I completed some of my tasks and rubbed elbows with some VIPs and then I remember having to run back to where the Prime Minister was taking tea and snacks with the VIPs along the road. The walk was anything but cohesive. People trickled down the road 3 km. That can’t happen again. We are lucky—it’s Sunday; there was no traffic. But, the police are not going to put up with us stretching out across multiple kilometers.
When we arrived at the entrance to the school, UNICEF called into the radio to update Swaziland on the progress of the walk. Everything went relatively smoothly but we had a few challenges ahead. A lot of walkers showed up without being registered. It wasn’t a problem until we surpassed the number we had estimated—75. We were up to 95. Twenty extra mouths to feed. Twenty extra bodies to provide sleeping mats and space for. Twenty extra thirsty mouths after 20 km of walking each day. I wish I could have an idealist perspective—twenty extra people to learn about HIV each day and share their knowledge with others. But, I am too realistic of a person and too detailed-oriented to deliberately ignore the consequences of poor event planning and implementation.
After settling all of the registration problems, the Red Cross drama group set up their PA system and provided entertainment/education for the crowd. They were amazing and energetic and I was relieved to see that everyone was enjoying the first day. They were not happy, however, when we served beans and rice (second day in a row) and started regulating bath water. I kept reminding them that we were “camping”. I think the concept was lost. But, I did my part and only used .75L to bathe. Yea, I was pretty impressed! Bed time…around 11:30pm (better than last night!)
Day 2:
Onward to Siteki. More glitches to figure out today—serving snacks and water at the 5 km points and keeping the group packed together. We had a lot of day walkers join us today and they joined us at Mlindazwe Primary School for our educational event. I watched some of the event and helped with the food preparation for lunch. Judith, Red Cross, and the NERCHA regional coordinator for Lubombo were the shining glory of the day. Red Cross because they are so energetic (yea, they walked with us too!) and get the children engaged in the drama skits and dancing. Judith because, even though she may not realize it, is changing lives just by disclosing her status. She stood up today and announced to an audience of 300 people that she is HIV positive. That rarely happens in Swaziland (and never so directly)! She was very emotional after her speech—she told me that a few Swazi women came to share that they were positive as well—one hasn’t told anyone but wanted to disclose to Judith. And, the NERCHA regional coordinator, Themba, because he was so patient and flexible during the event. He wanted to make sure all the bases were covered—I wish he could teach his bosses at headquarters to do the same.
Day 3:
Yes, this is still happening. Amy and I are just waiting for something to go terribly wrong. Yes, there have been challenges—water, lack of meat, walkers arriving late, missing sleeping mats, drama among walkers, etc. But, there have been no tragedies and, unfortunately, my realism is awaiting the tragedy.
We stopped in Lonhlupheko today where the HIV educational event was hosted by UNICEF. The walkers were great today; despite having 2 large schools join us, the walkers stayed together in a very cohesive unit. Much of that was thanks to the UNICEF Boy Scouts & Girl Guides and their leader, Mangaliso, who has agreed to help the organizers with translating, group morale, and setting the pace/keeping people together.
The event was very successful—the community was well mobilized and attendance was high. It started late, which put a kink in our walk schedule, but it was worth seeing the group discussions led by UNICEF educators. There were 4 groups—older men, older women, younger girls, and younger boys. They participated in discussions focusing on how their particular demographic can “take the lead” in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Amy and I hid in the Peace Corps car for a while, making phone calls to make sure everything was in order for the next day and then snuck an ice cream from the store across the road. Success was all around us—the event was happening and making a difference but all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and take a nap. After my second Coca-Cola that day (yes, with ice cream), we rounded up the walkers to continue down the road to Swazi Secrets and Mpaka Railway Club.
This was such a difficult walking day. I think everyone was exhausted and our bodies were not yet used to the distance. Today was 22 km and it was blazing hot. I could feel the heat from the asphalt seeping through the soles of my shoes. After a break at Swazi Secrets with snacks and tours (http://www.swazisecrets.com/), we dragged our feet to the Mpaka Railway Club. Dragging turned to dancing when the building was in site. So far, I have concluded that Swazis love their bath water, meat, and dancing. I tried to jog ahead to get some pictures but the energy was reaching a high point and the walkers/dancers almost trampled Meredith and I with our cameras and all. After more dancing and singing, everyone jumped in the pool at the club (yea, a pool…dirty and murky with the sweat and stench of 120 walkers—not that
glamorous). It was such a long day. Bed time I think was 12:45am after making egg salad and peanut butter sandwiches.
Onward to Siteki. More glitches to figure out today—serving snacks and water at the 5 km points and keeping the group packed together. We had a lot of day walkers join us today and they joined us at Mlindazwe Primary School for our educational event. I watched some of the event and helped with the food preparation for lunch. Judith, Red Cross, and the NERCHA regional coordinator for Lubombo were the shining glory of the day. Red Cross because they are so energetic (yea, they walked with us too!) and get the children engaged in the drama skits and dancing. Judith because, even though she may not realize it, is changing lives just by disclosing her status. She stood up today and announced to an audience of 300 people that she is HIV positive. That rarely happens in Swaziland (and never so directly)! She was very emotional after her speech—she told me that a few Swazi women came to share that they were positive as well—one hasn’t told anyone but wanted to disclose to Judith. And, the NERCHA regional coordinator, Themba, because he was so patient and flexible during the event. He wanted to make sure all the bases were covered—I wish he could teach his bosses at headquarters to do the same.
Day 3:Yes, this is still happening. Amy and I are just waiting for something to go terribly wrong. Yes, there have been challenges—water, lack of meat, walkers arriving late, missing sleeping mats, drama among walkers, etc. But, there have been no tragedies and, unfortunately, my realism is awaiting the tragedy.
We stopped in Lonhlupheko today where the HIV educational event was hosted by UNICEF. The walkers were great today; despite having 2 large schools join us, the walkers stayed together in a very cohesive unit. Much of that was thanks to the UNICEF Boy Scouts & Girl Guides and their leader, Mangaliso, who has agreed to help the organizers with translating, group morale, and setting the pace/keeping people together.
The event was very successful—the community was well mobilized and attendance was high. It started late, which put a kink in our walk schedule, but it was worth seeing the group discussions led by UNICEF educators. There were 4 groups—older men, older women, younger girls, and younger boys. They participated in discussions focusing on how their particular demographic can “take the lead” in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Amy and I hid in the Peace Corps car for a while, making phone calls to make sure everything was in order for the next day and then snuck an ice cream from the store across the road. Success was all around us—the event was happening and making a difference but all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and take a nap. After my second Coca-Cola that day (yes, with ice cream), we rounded up the walkers to continue down the road to Swazi Secrets and Mpaka Railway Club.
This was such a difficult walking day. I think everyone was exhausted and our bodies were not yet used to the distance. Today was 22 km and it was blazing hot. I could feel the heat from the asphalt seeping through the soles of my shoes. After a break at Swazi Secrets with snacks and tours (http://www.swazisecrets.com/), we dragged our feet to the Mpaka Railway Club. Dragging turned to dancing when the building was in site. So far, I have concluded that Swazis love their bath water, meat, and dancing. I tried to jog ahead to get some pictures but the energy was reaching a high point and the walkers/dancers almost trampled Meredith and I with our cameras and all. After more dancing and singing, everyone jumped in the pool at the club (yea, a pool…dirty and murky with the sweat and stench of 120 walkers—not that
glamorous). It was such a long day. Bed time I think was 12:45am after making egg salad and peanut butter sandwiches.Day 4:
Today was an Advance Team day. I had to serve breakfast, clean up the overnight site, ride in the truck to set up the lunch stop, and then head to the next overnight site. I was so happy Helen was with me. It was frustrating to be detached from the walk and experience the event from first perspective but it was necessary that I partake in the behind the scene action as well. I felt a bit like a servant fetching people extra sugar for their tea and sweeping up candy wrappers from the walkers’ overnight feasting. I was also disappointed to miss out on a speech given by Sgwane, the manager of the Mpaka Railway Club. He joined in the walk today and publicly announced that he would be testing for HIV at the lunch point. As a successful business person and very kind man (he let us use their facilities free of charge), it was very meaningful to his fellow Swazis and the volunteers as well to hear about someone testing publicly. He did not announce his results, of course, but encouraged his peers to follow his lead.
At the overnight point, Mafutseni Primary School, I was in charge of water treatment (boil and filter) and then had to deal with the laundry. We had all 120 walkers’ clothing sent to be cleaned but when it came back, people’s things were missing, damaged, and all mixed up. Not really a tragedy but a challenge when 50 people are asking you where their t-shirt is. Bed time much improved—10:30!!!
Day 5:
Tragedy finally hit Walk the Nation. We were right on time today and arrived at our first rest point with extra time to spare before we continued to St. Joseph’s Mission—a Catholic mission with a high school, primary school, and special facilities for children with mental and physical disabilities. While resting at the Caltex gas station, we received word from a NERCHA representative that a child had been hit by a car a few kilometers behind us. The 11 year old girl had been walking with a group of students from another primary school—they had been sent by their head teacher to “run and catch up with the walk”. Two teachers were “accompanying” them. When I say accompany I mean that they were driving in their car while the children walked along the road. The girl tried to cross the road but was hit by a car that fled the scene. I wanted to vomit. Then all I wanted was to punch someone, yell at someone, ask those teachers what the hell they thought they were doing?! Schools have been walking with us and it has worked out so far. They meet us on the road, join the walkers, and stay within the perimeters of our police escorts.
We continued on, joined by about 100 students from St. Joseph’s. They joined us at the gas station with about 20 teachers—thankfully these teachers had some sense about keeping their students safe. I talked to a few girls on our way to the school—they were sweet but I couldn’t think of anything but the little girl.
Upon arriving at St. Joseph’s, I was very impressed with their motivation to make the event successful. Father Giocconi, an Italian priest who lives at the mission, welcomed all the students, community members, and walkers. While the event started, Amy and I were told by another NERCHA representative that the little girl died before reaching the hospital. She said it so matter-of-factly, a result of how normal death is in Swaziland. I lost it. Amy kept her cool while I cried it out and then hid in the Peace Corps car. Nothing was said to the walkers. The children at St. Joseph’s were so happy to host the walkers and we didn’t want to spoil the positive energy. The children recited poems and performed songs in English and SiSwati about HIV/AIDS and protecting themselves.
We pushed on towards Manzini and arrived at a private school, Apex Tutorial Academy, to spend the night. Some of the volunteers knew about the girl and we decided to brief the walkers with NERCHA at night. The reactions were a little void to how Americans would react but our 2 oldest walkers asked about keeping the children safe from here on out. He made a good point. We knew (or thought we did) all of the schools planning to meet us on the road and walk with us. NERCHA representatives agreed to make phone calls to schools asking about their participation but relayed a message from the Prime Minister—he said that despite the tragic death we should continue the walk because of the message that the walk was spreading and the important work we were doing. It was…reassuring. But I will never forget that little girl and how incompetence and apathy can lead to tragedy.
Today was an Advance Team day. I had to serve breakfast, clean up the overnight site, ride in the truck to set up the lunch stop, and then head to the next overnight site. I was so happy Helen was with me. It was frustrating to be detached from the walk and experience the event from first perspective but it was necessary that I partake in the behind the scene action as well. I felt a bit like a servant fetching people extra sugar for their tea and sweeping up candy wrappers from the walkers’ overnight feasting. I was also disappointed to miss out on a speech given by Sgwane, the manager of the Mpaka Railway Club. He joined in the walk today and publicly announced that he would be testing for HIV at the lunch point. As a successful business person and very kind man (he let us use their facilities free of charge), it was very meaningful to his fellow Swazis and the volunteers as well to hear about someone testing publicly. He did not announce his results, of course, but encouraged his peers to follow his lead.
At the overnight point, Mafutseni Primary School, I was in charge of water treatment (boil and filter) and then had to deal with the laundry. We had all 120 walkers’ clothing sent to be cleaned but when it came back, people’s things were missing, damaged, and all mixed up. Not really a tragedy but a challenge when 50 people are asking you where their t-shirt is. Bed time much improved—10:30!!!
Day 5:
Tragedy finally hit Walk the Nation. We were right on time today and arrived at our first rest point with extra time to spare before we continued to St. Joseph’s Mission—a Catholic mission with a high school, primary school, and special facilities for children with mental and physical disabilities. While resting at the Caltex gas station, we received word from a NERCHA representative that a child had been hit by a car a few kilometers behind us. The 11 year old girl had been walking with a group of students from another primary school—they had been sent by their head teacher to “run and catch up with the walk”. Two teachers were “accompanying” them. When I say accompany I mean that they were driving in their car while the children walked along the road. The girl tried to cross the road but was hit by a car that fled the scene. I wanted to vomit. Then all I wanted was to punch someone, yell at someone, ask those teachers what the hell they thought they were doing?! Schools have been walking with us and it has worked out so far. They meet us on the road, join the walkers, and stay within the perimeters of our police escorts.
We continued on, joined by about 100 students from St. Joseph’s. They joined us at the gas station with about 20 teachers—thankfully these teachers had some sense about keeping their students safe. I talked to a few girls on our way to the school—they were sweet but I couldn’t think of anything but the little girl.
Upon arriving at St. Joseph’s, I was very impressed with their motivation to make the event successful. Father Giocconi, an Italian priest who lives at the mission, welcomed all the students, community members, and walkers. While the event started, Amy and I were told by another NERCHA representative that the little girl died before reaching the hospital. She said it so matter-of-factly, a result of how normal death is in Swaziland. I lost it. Amy kept her cool while I cried it out and then hid in the Peace Corps car. Nothing was said to the walkers. The children at St. Joseph’s were so happy to host the walkers and we didn’t want to spoil the positive energy. The children recited poems and performed songs in English and SiSwati about HIV/AIDS and protecting themselves.
We pushed on towards Manzini and arrived at a private school, Apex Tutorial Academy, to spend the night. Some of the volunteers knew about the girl and we decided to brief the walkers with NERCHA at night. The reactions were a little void to how Americans would react but our 2 oldest walkers asked about keeping the children safe from here on out. He made a good point. We knew (or thought we did) all of the schools planning to meet us on the road and walk with us. NERCHA representatives agreed to make phone calls to schools asking about their participation but relayed a message from the Prime Minister—he said that despite the tragic death we should continue the walk because of the message that the walk was spreading and the important work we were doing. It was…reassuring. But I will never forget that little girl and how incompetence and apathy can lead to tragedy.
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