Out of Africa, teens now help address HIV/AIDS at home

• Local nonprofit sponsors teens' trip to Swaziland to work with people affected by HIV/AIDS

If you're wondering what the next generation of young leaders looks like, meet Emily Perry, Jazmyn Herring, Amanda Neves and Chelsie Pierce Kennedy.

The four teens are among 13 from the area who just returned from a two-week outreach trip to Swaziland in southern Africa. Their mission: Address the HIV/AIDS pandemic there and help orphans in child-headed households. Then, share those same lessons on healthy lifestyles with teens here.

This was the second trip to Swaziland hosted by Indianapolis nonprofit Saving Orphans through Healthcare and Outreach (SOHO) as part of its Peer Leaders for AIDS-Free Africa and America program.

Swaziland (population 1.4 million) has the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the world — 26.1 percent of people ages 15 to 49. Its residents have a life expectancy of 49 years, one of the lowest in the world, and the population is young, with 38 percent under the age of 15, according to the World Health Organization. An estimated 78,000 children have lost a parent to AIDS, reports UNICEF. And about 15,000 households are headed by children raising siblings.

In Indiana, more than 11,000 people are living with HIV, while at least 1.2 million are HIV-positive in the U.S., according to figures compiled by SOHO.

The statistics are grim, and the need is real, says Cynthia Prime, CEO of SOHO. But the teens came home with stories of hope and happiness that surprised them.

"I expected it to be really emotional to see all these kids in poverty, and it was, but really, what I saw were cheerful people dancing and singing," said Perry, who will be a senior at Christel House Academy. "There were a lot of high fives and hugs."

Herring, a recent graduate of Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet High School who will attend Georgia State University, had a similar epiphany.

"You expect to give so much, but you get so much more than you give," she said. "In the beginning, I was thinking, 'what made us so lucky to be born in America where we are so privileged?'

"Then halfway through the trip, I started to think, 'Are we really the lucky ones?' We're sitting here with our phones and our TVs, and I've never seen anyone in America as happy as I saw the little kids on a hill (in Swaziland) playing with a trash ball. I realized we all find a different happiness in our own situation."

To prepare for the trip, the students participated in a yearlong training program that addressed everything from trafficking to cultural awareness to HIV education. Once in Swaziland, they did community outreach, home visits, food and clothing distributions and school presentations. When they weren't working, they went on a safari and visited a wildlife sanctuary.

"This was just boot camp for them," said Jordyn Price, 24, academic liaison for SOHO. "The real work begins in the community here."

That includes addressing the Get Large, Get Loud, Get Back to Zero Coalition, designed to prevent youth from contracting HIV and linking those who are HIV-positive to proper care. The next meeting of that coalition is at 10 a.m. July 21 at the Damien Center, 26 N. Arsenal Ave.

The students paid anywhere from $500 to $4,000 to make the trip, with donations covering some of it. For most, it was their first time out of the country; for Perry, it was her first time on a plane.

Neves, who will be a senior at North Central, had done similar work on a trip to the Dominican Republic but, like her peers, was struck by the joy and openness of the people in Swaziland.

"We were strangers, and they invited us into their homes," she said. "That would never happen here."

"They were very accepting," echoed Kennedy, a Christel House grad who is headed to IUPUI. "We were hesitant at first, but they were willing to give us their hearts."

Other students on the trip represented Carmel, Hamilton Southeastern and Mooresville high schools.

Prime, SOHO's founder, said the students' training is designed to be useful both in Africa and Indiana.

"They will address issues such as trafficking, suicide among teens, the effect of stigma on choices and the ability to deal with loss without losing hope," she said.

SOHO is not aligned with a particular church or denomination, but Prime says it exists and functions because of faith in God. The students who traveled to Africa talked about the impact it had on their belief system.

"It made me think we were put there for a reason, that we all have a purpose," Kennedy said.

Neves admitted to being angry at first at what she saw as unfairness in circumstances.

"We had these kids staying with us, and we had to drop them off, and I'm thinking, 'Why do we have to leave them? What's next?' "

After talking it over in a group setting, she said she realized, "God put us here for a purpose, so I have to live to my purpose. I can't change the whole world, but I can do a little bit to help people live a better life."

Not just in Africa, but at home.

"I encourage young people to be leaders and understand that their decisions are affecting people around them," Price said. "They can improve their lives and those around them by making healthy choices.

"And if they see a need, step into it. Don't wait for others to do it."

Call Star reporter Maureen Gilmer at (317) 444-6879. Email her at maureen.gilmer@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @MaureenCGilmer.

SOHO

• What: Local nonprofit, Saving Orphans through Healthcare and Outreach.

• Where: 8240 Naab Road.

• Info: To find out more about the organization or to become involved, visit savingorphans.com.