IST

Well, ii seemed like it would be a long wait until IST (in service training), our last training session before we really start working in our community. But now it is here, and time has gone by so fast. We finished our report (on time!) and now we are in meetings all day every day for the next few days. It is really good to see everyone again, and also to learn more about our jobs and stuff.

Reid has signed up for World Wise Schools, an exchange program that is Peace Corps based where we write to a class of school kids in America about our service. He is signed up with a teacher/good friend from his hometown, Joaquin, and they are doing some really neat projects in their school to help the children learn more about Africa. One thing they did was collect all the questions the children had and send them to us so we could answer them. The questions we received were great, and many of the same questions I had myself before coming to Swaziland, so I though it would be good to put them on the blog so everyone could learn.

Other than IST, there isn’t much new news. I got everyone’s letters when we came to IST (they were waiting in our mailbox) and thank you SO much to everyone for the letters! It is so nice to hear what is going on with you all.

One of the most interesting sessions we have had during IST was about women’s rights in Swaziland. A presenter from the organization WLSA (Women and Law in South Africa) came and explained what type of discrimination and legal issues women in Swaziland are facing right now, and it really showed a picture of how Swaziland is changing and developing. For instance, if a woman marries a man through traditional marriage and the man dies, there are many customary practices that must be followed that can severely impact the woman, such as there is a law saying she cannot plough her fields for two seasons after his death because she is in mourning. Now, in the past, this would have been a way for the woman to be able to rest and not be forced to just carry on with life as though nothing had happened, because in the traditional homestead, all the children and grandchildren would be around the house of the widow, so they would be able to help with the planting. Now, though, most men must go away to work, and many of the relatives of the age to help with the plowing statistically are dying of HIV, so if a widow is not able to plow her fields, she and her grandchildren could starve.

There is also a law that if a woman is married traditionally, then the man has complete control of the finances and assets, so if the woman wants to take out a loan, even if she is approved and everything, she cannot take it out without the husband’s signature. This is an issue that was recently brought up in the Swaziland newspaper, because several banks (including the bank the Peace Corps uses) still go by this policy, and they really have to until the law is amended.

It was a very fascinating session, and it really made me appreciate how the Swazi people are working so diligently to help their country grow in a peaceful manner.