Meeting Physical Needs
Swaziland has the unfortunate moniker of the highest per capita rate of HIV/AIDS in the world, along with a top 10 spot for tuberculosis (TB). This, combined with little or no access to basic medical care in the rural areas of the country, makes the need for medical care one of the top priorities for the Swaziland Partnership. We are meeting this need in a few capacities, but most successfully by fielding American medical teams to facilitate opportunities for medical care, specifically through daily clinics in rural communities. Other teams also deliver Baptist Global Relief buckets to the sick and elderly, containing basic supplies. These two opportunities provide the Partnership with the opportunity to meet one of the most basic needs of the people, and be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Medical Clinics
The Swaziland Partnership has a goal of sending one explicitly medical team each year to the Kingdom. These clinics provide basic medications and wound care to rural communities who are unable to afford expensive private hospitals, and are unable to travel the far distances to these facilities. Each clinic comes stocked with medications, and care supplies to treat a variety of maladies, including poor vision, aches and pains, and infections.
A variety of medical professionals accompany the trip including doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and optometrists. Each day, the clinic changes locations to reach a new group of rural Swaziland, and families walk for miles to receive treatment. By meeting the physical needs of the Swazi people, we are able to also meet the spiritual needs of the people.
BGR Bucket Distribution
Another way we are reaching the physical needs of the Swazi people is through a partnership with Baptist Global Response, and their 5-gallon bucket project. Each bucket includes important basic supplies such as aspirin, lip balm, vaseline, lotion, and rubber gloves. These kinds of supplies will help ease the pain of many elderly and terminally ill patients, and will help provide sanitary conditions for their caregivers.
Each bucket is usually delivered in a homestead visit, where the gospel is preached and evangelistic opportunities arise. These buckets, full of safe and sanitary western supplies, provide much needed provisions for the elderly, the terminally ill, and others. For more information on Baptist Global Response, please visit https://gobgr.org.
