Time seems to work differently in Swaziland. We’ve done so many different things today that I can’t quite believe that it’s only 9 PM!

We began the day with a global health lecture on child health. Our discussion centered around the 4th millennium development goal – reducing child mortality. Here’s an excerpt from Professor Streich-Tilles’ lecture: “The leading causes of death among children under five have not changed despite the fact that we have evidence-based, low-tech and cost effective ways to combat them”. It was shocking to learn about the millions of children that die everyday from diseases that are medically preventable and curable. That part of the lecture really stood out for me because it highlighted that it isn’t enough to have a medical or theoretical solution to a disease. We need to invest energy is designing systems that ensure that the children can receive the vaccines, medicines and care that they need. It was incredible to consider the number of deaths that could have been prevented by good WASH practices or access to schooling.

After the lecture we spent our time grabbing lunch at our favorite corner plaza and packing for our much awaited trip to Kashoba! I was really looking forward to meeting all the Mkokos after our lovely dinner with Mrs Mkoko the other day. Some background about the Mkokos: Mr Mkoko is an ex-mine worker who contracted both MDR-TB and HIV. Unlike many other mine workers who simply “went home to die”, the Mkokos banded together to save Mr Mkoko. Mrs Mkoko and her two sons did everything possible to nurse Mr Mkoko back into health. I was excited to meet them and to learn more about their story. The journey afforded some spectacular views and conversations – the stuff of a really good road trip!

After a couple of hours, we arrived at the Lituba lodge which will be our home for the next five days! The Mkokos were waiting for us near the hotel, and we exchanged many hugs and introductions.

Mrs Mkoko also gave us Swazi names. My name is Busisiwe, which Mrs Mkoko told me means ‘we are blessed’. We are all, of course, Mkokos and in tribal relations, I think Professor Smith is meant to be our father (not sure about how he feels about his EIGHT college-going children). Jokes aside, it was a very warm welcome into the community.

We haven’t explored much of Kashoba yet, but the little that I have seen has been absolutely beautiful. The landscape is filled with trees, thatched huts and even some cute, scruffy dogs. I can’t wait to see more of Kashoba over the next few days.

We spent the evening bonding with Mr and Mrs Mkoko. We cracked silly jokes, sang along with the radio while waiting for dinner and even doing a little dancing! We were served a dinner of pap and chicken – possibly my favorite meal in Swaziland! The short time that I have spent with the Mkokos helped me humanize the statistics that we learn in global health class everyday. Mrs Mkoko taught me some mean dance moves and asked me whether I had a boyfriend. Mr Mkoko insisted on introducing us (complete with Swazi names!) to everyone as his grandchildren. Now, everytime I see a statistic about TB or HIV, I will try to remember that behind each number is another Mr Mkoko – a loving, open person who deserves access to good health.