Adam Kohlrus insists he's going into his Peace Corps assignment in Swaziland with eyes wide open



"It's going to be a sobering and intense experience," he said, "but it's something I'm only going to grow from.

Adam Kohlrus insists he's going into his Peace Corps assignment in Swaziland with eyes wide open

Into Africa ; Loyola-Chicago graduate will teach AIDS awareness as Peace Corps volunteer

Jun 11, 2006

State Journal-Register Springfield, IL

Adam Kohlrus insists he's going into his Peace Corps assignment in Swaziland with eyes wide open.

But the 22-year-old Springfield man admits that the statistical reality the tiny, landlocked South African monarchy is facing is eye- popping.

More than 38 percent of Swaziland's adults - some 220,000 men and women - are living with the HIV/AIDS virus, making it the highest infection rate in the world.

The life expectancy rate is 32.6 years, and it could decrease to 30 by the end of the decade.

Two-thirds of its 1.1 million countrymen live on less than $1 a day. A third are dependent on international food aid.

Kohlrus, a recent graduate of Loyola University Chicago, is expected to arrive in Swaziland this weekend to begin his 21/2-year commitment as an HIV/AIDS prevention instructor.

In an interview before leaving Springfield last week, Kohlrus said he remained upbeat but cautious about the situation he faces.

"It's going to be a sobering and intense experience," he said, "but it's something I'm only going to grow from.

"What I've learned through my education and family is that I have some sort of responsibility (to do this). They don't have the resources or knowledge we have, but when they do, (the HIV/AIDS virus) is not going to be the problem it is today."

The Sacred Heart-Griffin High School product said he went through a long discernment process about joining the Peace Corps. Kohlrus, the son of Chris and Betsy Kohlrus of Springfield, majored in psychology at Loyola, but added a peace studies minor, taking courses such as international politics and social injustice, and race and inequality.

After an extensive application process and a battery of interviews, Kohlrus was accepted into the Peace Corps. When he found out in March he was going to Swaziland, Kohlrus scrambled for an atlas to find out where it was and then searched the Internet for more about the situation.

"When you apply with the Peace Corps, you can't pick where you want to go," he said. "You can give a preference, but I said I'd go wherever I could best help."

He said he'll probably work with grade school- or high school youth, putting together HIV/AIDS prevention programs.

Kohlrus will go through a three-month intensive language and culture indoctrination, after which he'll learn precisely where his assignment will be.

What he will find is one of the world's last absolute monarchs, a country steeped in tradition but possibly on the precipice of disaster.

The beloved King Mswati III, who flaunts an opulent lifestyle and has 13 wives, has faced resistance from trade unions and student groups, and homes of government officials recently were firebombed, according to press reports.

Organizations such as Amnesty International have criticized Swaziland's human rights record, singling out the violation of women's rights and the lack of rights to peacefully assemble.

On the HIV/AIDS front, critics point to rape, sexual exploitation and a lack of preventative measures. The disease still carries a heavy stigma; few come out publicly about it in a highly patriarchal society. And King Mswati hasn't been a model of discretion. Last summer, he declared the end of "umchwasho," the ban on sex with teenage girls that he issued in 2001, himself taking a 17-year-old bride.

Government ministers also have been widely accused of pocketing international aid earmarked for prevention.

Kohlrus said he realizes the problems are magnanimous in Swaziland, but his not going wouldn't have served a purpose, either.

"Maybe it's overly ambitious, but hopefully my presence will help people there," he said. "If we can educate a few kids, maybe they can pass this knowledge on."

Kohlrus said his experience has been limited to working with kids as a camp counselor and coach. His drive has come from his education and the support of his family and friends.

"Through my education, I've learned so much about inequality in the world," he said. "This is a great opportunity to confront these inequalities and combat them."

Kohlrus said this could be a step toward a life's work.

"The Peace Corps has given me a good grounding as to what I'm going to see," he said. "I really want to do something in public policy to address some of these inequalities.

"This is probably going to open my eyes and hopefully motivate me do something more."

When this story was posted in July 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory. New: Sign up to receive PCOL Magazine, our free Monthly Magazine by email. Like to keep up with Peace Corps news as it happens? Sign up to recieve a daily summary of Peace Corps stories from around the world.

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