Humanitarian Assistance within the United States European Command More Than a Single Success Story

摘要

Our drive out of the capital city of Manzini in the Kingdom of Swaziland began routinely. Our destination, the Good Shepherd Hospital located in the Lubombo region of the country, is a non-governmental and non- denominational facility providing secondary care for a population of about 225, 000 people, and also the site of an ongoing United States European Command (EUCOM) sponsored humanitarian assistance (HA) project. Once out of Manzini, it did not take long for us to sense the general tension and uncertainty creeping into the country. Every few kilometers young soldiers at barricaded checkpoints manned by armed police eyed every vehicle with quiet uneasiness. The soldiers carried loaded weapons in an assortment of ready positions. Even though it was a weekday morning, large crowds of uniformed students, intermingled with masses of other citizens, nervously milled about on many city streets. Our escort, an American expatriate employed by the American Embassy, told us that the country was in political turmoil due to recent government policies. The authorities in Swaziland had ordered a large presence of military and police to discourage civil disobedience and unrest. We were relieved to see the gates of the Good Shepherd Hospital, and also immensely thankful that the diplomatic license plates on our U.S. embassy vehicle had eased our travel. Driving past the gate guard, we immediately understood the urgency of the hospital's work. Woefully overcrowded and understaffed, the staff of the hospital was inundated with malnutrition, malaria, tuberculosis, burn and HIV/AIDS patients. Bed occupancy was over 200 percent with overflow patients using available floor space in the administration offices. The ongoing EUCOM HA project will add a 50-bed pediatric ward to help relieve the overcrowding. The current arrangements forced the staff to house children with the adults suffering from malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.