The effects of the political unrest on sick children in Eswatini and the work of the RHP

The unrest that took place at the end of June deeply affected some our really sick children needing to report at the National Referral Hospital in Mbabane for vital reviews and medication refills due to the lack of transport because of rioters blocking roads with burning tyres, large stones and any other large items they could find.

One of our diabetic teenagers had run out of his medication and because he lives 2hrs away from Mbabane, and since travel was unsafe, with no transport from his area, no one was able to get the medication to him.

Only a week later was he was able to see the doctor and collect his medication. He was truly blessed to have a neighbour who has the same condition and takes exactly the same medication as him who was able to spare some ensuring he was stable until he could get to the hospital. Under normal circumstances, the sharing of medicines would be strongly frowned upon but these are not normal times and desperate times call for desperate measures.

For those desperate parents who were able to negotiate the newly erected “toll gates” and reach the hospitals, sadly not all received their children’s medication due to delivery trucks not being able to come through the border with stock, this bad situation became even worse for Eswatini when the protests happened in South Africa.

It wasn’t just patients that had a tough time getting to the hospital, even the hospital staff at large were affected.

A distressed mother in the Children’s Ward at the National Referral Hospital narrated her struggle when coming to Mbabane in an ambulance with her 2 year old severely burnt child. The ambulance was stopped twice by the protesters and on one of the stops, they demanded to see who was in the ambulance and if they truly were taking a minor to the hospital in Mbabane. The protestors then proceeded to ask the mother to remove the dressings from her child for them to confirm he had truly been burnt before allowing the ambulance to proceed to the hospital. The child was doubly traumatised from pain and fear. We cannot thank the ambulance drivers enough for their cool heads and bravery.

Even after being discharged, some children and their caregivers had to remain in the hospital for their own safety. The excitement of being able to be reunited with their families was replaced with the anxiety of not knowing what danger they would face when they would eventually have to return home.

Our play coordinators were all affected by the turmoil in the country later sharing their experiences of trying to reach home and hearing gun shots as they ran on the day the protests suddenly happened. The subsequent looting and loss of their family members jobs where the stores where they worked were burnt down, is heart-breaking. They still have a sense of uncertainty and hope and pray that such a thing never happens again.

Our children need us to care and protect them and we at The Rocking Horse Project know that, together we can do this.

“We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear” (Nelson Mandela)