The Luke Commission leads in Swazi health care

SAGLE — Harry and Echo VanderWal have to take their breathers when they can.

After all, regular vacations and work hours don’t come easily when you’re fighting the African AIDS outbreak, one of the biggest global pandemics of the modern age. As founders of The Luke Commission, the VanderWals and their five kids, Zeb, Luke, Zion, Hosanna and Jacob, were home for a few scant weeks this winter. Then it was back into the field for more work. It can be a grueling schedule, and no wonder — the organization has provided more than a half-million medical services since it began operations in 2006.

When it comes to slowing the spread of AIDS in Swaziland, The Luke Commission’s primary country of operation, there are no easy answers. According to official statistics, 27 percent of the population is HIV positive. However, that rate is much higher among certain demographics — women of childbearing age, for example. Furthermore, a HIV-positive Swazi resident’s average life span is only 32 years.

“A lot of times, all you could do was hold a person’s hand until they died,” Echo VanderWal said.

Rather then swooping in as self-styled western saviors, the VanderWals and their associates built relationships with the country’s rural communities and recruited its own citizens into the effort. That show of goodwill, faith and cultural sensitivity was hard-won, requiring years to accumulate.

“When we first arrived, the first thing (Swazis) asked us was, ‘When is your contract up?’” VanderWal said.

Their suspicions were justified, the VanderWals said. Many organizations are contracted for services and pack up once the terms expire. When a clinic pulls out to acquire more funding, it might be gone for years — and in Swaziland, many residents don’t have years. Those unfortunate circumstances destroyed local faith in humanitarian organizations.

“The problem is that in Swaziland and other African countries, relationships are currency,” VanderWal said.  

The VanderWals began by training and staffing their clinics with native Swazis. That alone made huge headway in winning over the rural village communities.

“It allows our relationship to expand so much quicker because these are Swazis talking to Swazis,” Harry VanderWal said.

“It’s not Americans coming in to save the day,” added Echo VanderWal.

The other major obstacle was the stigmatization of an HIV-positive diagnosis. To counteract the social problems inherent in their work, Luke Commission workers set up medical fair-style events, where individuals could anonymously be treated with a variety of services.   

It took a long time to convince country residents The Luke Commission  was there to stay, but the effort paid off. And one look at the exponential growth of Luke Commission services will put to rest any questions about its effectiveness. In 2006, the organization treated 7,159 patients. Compare that to the 36,129 patients treated in 2013, and you begin to get a picture of how essential the organization is to Swaziland health care.

Circumcisions are another area where the Luke Commission leads Swazi health care. According to the VanderWals, circumcision reduces the risk of spreading HIV by 60 percent — a figure that has a dramatic impact on slowing its spread. This year, the organization performed 1,263 circumcisions. To put that in perspective, 82 percent of Swazi men circumcised in a given week had the procedure in a Luke Commission clinic.

The Luke Commission has been so effective, the Swazi government has factored it into its strategic health plan, the VanderWals said. Next year promises to be even more eventful as organization associates anticipate a 50-percent increase in treatments.

According to the VanderWals, Bonner County residents have played a critical role in The Luke Commission’s success. The organization is able to apply for grants and other funding sources, but all those options require match dollars. It’s local donations that keep other streams of money flowing, and the VanderWals say that need will only grow as they venture into the future.

Visit www.lukecommission.org to learn more about the organization or place a donation.