Pub. 4 2020 Issue 1

more children as an organization, they looked to offer more asset-based development and empower children with skills applicable to life in their communities. The organization pro - vides a discipleship training, pays for school fees so children can get their primary education, and one meal a day, five days out of the week. The Gerbers formalized their efforts into two mission-based organizations; Children’s Hope Chest, a stateside organiza - tion with a fundraising and administrative focus, and Adven - tures in Missions (AIM), which recruits and trains individuals who work on the ground in the communities they partner with. Many of the people employed by AIM in Eswatini are born and raised in the community where they serve. Over the years of building relationships with local commu - nity members, the mission group saw a burgeoning need to try and address some of the medical concerns in the area. What they had discovered through their partnership was that you could not meet a community’s basic needs and ignore their health. The Capitol Church Connection Shortly after Dr. McAdams began her residency with the University of Utah, she also started attending Capital Church in Salt Lake City. She learned that the church had developed a longstanding partnership in Eswatini with members of a community through a missionary organization. A church group had been making a trip once or twice annually for about nine years with the missionary group. Together, they provided support and resources to communities that were struggling with access to basic needs. Members of Capital Church had been approached because the congregation happens to have several members with medical training. Volunteers were asked if they were interested in providing basic medical training and screening exams for community members who did not otherwise have easy access to care and basic health education. McAdams was always interested in global health and had gone on other medical service- related trips. This particular venture interested her because the group already had a longstanding relationship with the community. Also, the request for assistance was coming from the local community members instead of an outside group making Western-based assumptions about the com - munity’s needs. The goal was to provide medical education to leaders who would then share the information with the larger community, making the education and access to infor - mation more sustainable in the community. She has since led annual medically-education focused trips for the last four years to Eswatini through this partnership. Challenges and Opportunities for the Youth of Eswatini One of the biggest challenges faced by the people of Eswatini is their high rate of community members who are HIV positive. Approximately 27% of those ages 15-49 in Eswatini are HIV positive. This percentage is the highest rate of infection of any country in the world. A large swath of the middle generation is missing because parents have died or abandoned their children. This situation results in a family structure where many grandparents are taking care of large groups of grandchildren. These family units might have one parent still present, but rarely both. Unfortunately, the pub - lic education system is lacking as well, which has left many children in the country without basic resources such as food and education. The support provided by the Care Points has become critical to the wellness of the children in Eswatini. The children who grow up in the Care Point system can ap - ply to work in a leadership position known as a “shepherd,” when they have aged out of high school. The position is a paid partnership with AIM and includes one year of leadership training in South Africa. Those accepted into Building Partnerships | Continued on page 34 Volunteers assembling first aid kits to be delivered to the Care Points. From left to right: Alyssa Gale, Michelle Hicks, Erin McAdams, Georgia Yalanis, Zach Fredman. 33 |