05/08/10

SWAZILAND:  Before Mother’s Day, African Grannies Meet on AIDS

Prior to Sunday's celebration of Mother's Day, grandmothers from across Africa gathered in Manzini, Swaziland, to share HIV/AIDS advice and support.

The selection of Swaziland was very much intentional, as the country's HIV prevalence is almost 40 percent - the highest in the world. "Grandmothers are forced to provide home-based care for the sick, they also support immediate neighbors in case of illness and HIV counseling," said Aylwen Dlamini, from a Swazi grandmother's group.

Eunice Vilakati, another Swazi grandmother, said she is caring for her two grandchildren who were orphaned last year as well as other neighbors' children. "When you arrive at my place you can be mistaken that all these children are my children," she observed.

At the gathering's opening ceremony, Elizabeth Rennie, of Canada's Ubuntu Grand Women organization, said: "Canadian grandmothers are the voice of African women in Canada. We're here to learn from our African peers by listening, caring and learning, and won't rest until the African story is told."

Ntombi Twala, Swaziland's queen mother, said she hoped that Swazi grandmothers could learn from their counterparts from around the world about how to tackle HIV/AIDS.

Source: Associated Press:: Phathizwe-Chief Zulu; Courtesy of the CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention