COVID 19 UPDATE: Swaziland [Eswatini]
COVID-19 Cases: 153
Deaths: 2
Recovered: 12
[*Due to limited testing, we suspect these numbers drastically under-represent the active cases in Swaziland.]
With the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the world, high Tuberculosis incidence, challenges with sanitation, and wide-spread poverty – the spread of Covid-19 will have a devastating effect on this tiny kingdom. Life expectancy in Swaziland is already only 57 years, and more than half of the population is made up of orphaned or vulnerable children. Their healthcare system is unprepared and already stretched (due to HIV/AIDS), and contact tracing is already showing community spread of the virus.
The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Swaziland on March 14th. Police enforced partial lockdowns began in the country on March 27th to attempt to prevent the spread of the virus. The government has since loosened some restrictions, saw a rise in cases, and responded by mandating a more serious lockdown this week. Currently, no one is allowed to travel within the country without an affidavit from the police department certifying that your travel is necessary.
The mandated lockdown is an attempt to prevent mass infections – but it is creating dangers of its own. Seventy percent of the rural population live below the national poverty line, and 25 percent are considered ‘extremely impoverished’. Chronic malnutrition is already a concern in Swaziland: affecting 26 percent of children under the age of five. With this unstable economy and already impoverished people now out of work – there is no money to buy food. With travel lockdowns imposed, there are limited ways to get food. The government has promised support for the Swazi people – but so far no food or funding has been delivered.
At our rural carepoint in Nsoko, more than 140 orphans and vulnerable children get a healthy, hot meal every day. They typically eat rice, as well as beans, and fresh vegetables when they are available. These meals are vital to the survival of many of these children. When the lockdown began and daily feedings were halted at the carepoint, our Swazi partners delivered food boxes to the most vulnerable children and families we serve. Unfortunately, those supplies will run out at the end of May.
The virus has caused interruptions in the normal food supply chains, and our partners are working hard to find new sources to meet this growing need. As they work on the ground with limited resources in Swaziland, it is vital that we ship a food container from the USA to Africa.
A single container like this one will hold 280,000 servings of rice – fortified with vitamins and minerals. This food will be distributed to the children and families most in need at our Anchor Center carepoint – and other care points in rural Nsoko. But first – we have to pay to ship it.
$9,000 will get this food into the hands of those who need it most. This breaks down to just 3 cents per serving! For only 3 pennies, you could feed a hungry child a warm meal.
These are trying times for all of us – but could you spare a few cents? Even a small donation can make a big difference for a child in need. Your gift will provide tangible hope to those most vulnerable during this worldwide pandemic. Let’s stand together to be certain that these precious children don’t go hungry. Not on our watch.
