from IRIN Shortages of antiretroviral (ARV) and other drugs in public health facilities in Swaziland have been among a long list of grievances cited by protesters during several weeks of unprecedented political unrest ahead of parliamentary polls on Friday.Health department officials have admitted that supplies of some ARV drugs ran low in July and August, but insist that the problem has been resolved."I can appreciate that people on treatment get very panicky when there are rumours about short supply, but there are people with a political agenda as well, who are using the drug issue to discredit government," said Dr Derek Von Wissel, director of the National Emergency Response Committee on HIV/AIDS (NERCHA).NERCHA oversees the procurement of ARVs, making use of funds from both the...
from IPS News By James HallMBABANE, What happens to a nation whose people depend on the largesse of international donor agencies for their existence, once support is withdrawn?If forecasts for the small landlocked African nation of Swaziland are an indication, the granting of temporary relief may be followed by a new humanitarian emergency."The poverty solution we’ve heard about for so many years has been sustainable development: give people the tools they need to continue producing without outside assistance," said Titus Mahlalela, a food aid distributor working with the international NGO World Vision. World Vision distributes some of the food aid brought in by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) to local communities; at present, this aid keeps a record 600,000 Swazis alive -- more...
from NE Business Here is a good profile on a fair trade business. This explores some of the challenges in keeping a workforce when you struggle with diseases like AIDS or malaria.by Andrew Mernin,IMAGINE running a business where almost 50% of your employees are infected with a potentially killer disease and the average life expectancy of your workforce is just 31.Imagine standing by as key employees become severely ill or die on a regular basis, leaving your company and community in a constant state of disarray.These are just some of the trials and tribulations faced by businesses in the Aids-ravaged, poverty-stricken Southern African state of Swaziland.However a North East fair-trade company is hoping to change things as it prepares its long-term strategy to help the country, which sits...
from the Swazi ObserverBy Teetee ZwaneGOVERNMENT has encouraged the Institute of Development Management (IDM) to be part of the formulation of a National Human Resources Development Plan for Swaziland to be more productive in superior macroeconomic development.Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service and Information Cyril Kunene said government was currently working on this plan, which was being informed by a skills survey conducted two years ago."I understand similar initiatives are in progress in Botswana and Lesotho. This has a direct bearing on your activities as IDM and I encourage you to follow the development of these initiatives," he said when he officially opened a week-long regional staff development seminar at the Royal Swazi Sun Libandla Room yesterday."Our...