WORLD AIDS DAY..

 It comes every year without fail and each time it hits really close to home. On this day I am forced to think about Swaziland, my country of origin and the supposed number position of the country as far as HIV/AIDS infection is concerned. According to reliable sources, one in four people in Swaziland is infected. Let us do the math. There are a million people. This claim means suggests that a quarter of the population is infected. That is a lot of people! Deep down it hurts to know that if nothing changes, the infection rate will increase and who knows, this country that appears like a dot on the map might just PERISH.

I feel there is a need for some attempt at a solution. I cannot just stand and watch this pandemic wipe out my nation. However, I also feel change would come as a result of cooperation between the educated young generations. Yesterday I changed my Facebook status to a message about the problem of HIV/AIDS in Swaziland. I thought it was a harmless message and nobody will have issues with it because we all know there IS a problem. I was shocked by the number of Swazis who attacked me. They accused me of trusting sources that are not reliable and also of being brainwashed. It hurt me that instead of focusing on the issue at hand: the HIV/AIDS problem, these educated young people think the situation has been blown out of proportion by the rest of the world. I beg to differ. Besides, I do not even think it matters what position Swaziland holds in the ranking. What matters is THE PROBLEM. Unless the focus is shifted from proving that the world is blowing things out of proportion to fighting the disease, no change will occur in my beloved country. I wish I had a plan…