Political+Impact+of+AIDS+in+Swaziland

Swaziland currently has the highest HIV and AIDS prevalence rate. It is estimated that about 200,000 citizens in Swaziland are HIV positive, and the death toll is 20,000 people annually. Also, there are approximately 70,000 AIDS orphans, and it is believed the number could reach 120,000 orphans. These numbers are especially tragic when the small population of only 1 million people is taken into consideration. The government of Swaziland has been making efforts for many years, and one of their latest attempts at improvement is the establishment of the National Emergency Response Committee for HIV and AIDS (NERCHA).

The government of Swaziland has accepted the financial help from the US to end this pandemic. Funding from the United States government is over $32 million (E193 million), including the money they contributed to the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Other agencies involved are the United States Agency for the International Development Regional HIV/AIDS Program (USAID/RHAP), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S Department of Labor, African Development Foundation, the United States Peace Corps, the U.S Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP), and the U.S Embassy's Public Affairs Section. The participation of all of these agencies shows the effort the government is currently putting into ending the pandemic and helping the people of Swaziland.

Government agencies are not the only organizations helping Swaziland. The government also allows the help of non-government organizations which include community-based organizations and faith-based organizations. These organizations are funded by the USAID's Regional HIV/AIDS Program (RHAP), located in Pretoria, South Africa, and do multiple projects to help the overall effort being made by the government and the government organizations. Many of these projects involve supporting the Swaziland government, assisting those who have been effected by AIDS, improving areas of the economy and society that have been effected by the pandemic, and creating programs to educate the public on HIV/AIDS. The government has gotten very involved in this serious issue, despite previous efforts failing and the severity of the situation going unnoticed.