PBA Pharmacy Students Provide Life-Changing Care to Communities in Eswatini, Africa

Shmuel Stradtlander and Kiara Williams, fourth-year students at PBA's Loyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy, have recently returned from serving four weeks in Eswatini, Africa. The students traveled over eight thousand miles to South Africa to help with the medical care of the Eswatini population, who have the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the world.

Stradtlander and Williams went on this mission as part of their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) in collaboration with The Luke Commission. The organization has been striving to meet the medical needs of Eswatini since 2005. Stradtlander and Williams worked at TLC's Miracle Campus hospital, filling prescriptions, making rounds with doctors, and providing necessary recommendations based on their prior knowledge and experience.

Shmuel Stradtlander: From Belize to Eswatini

Stadtlander, originally from Belize, feels he has been preparing to go on a mission like this his entire life. He first fell in love with pharmacy eight years ago on a mission to Vanuatu, where a doctor suggested he help with the pharmaceutical table. Once PBA's School of Pharmacy's dean, Dana Strachan, told him about The Luke Commission's opportunity, he jumped at the chance to sign up for the mission.

"Sometimes the daily grind of life in the USA can be bubble-like, and we forget about the wider world outside. Missions like this, medical or not, can help to expand our worldview and allow us to get realigned with why we are on this earth, to begin with," Stadtlander said.

During his experience, Stradtlander was constantly impressed by the care and compassion shown by The Luke Commission. He felt like he saw all the employees and volunteers continually striving to live up to the commission's motto of "every last one," meaning that they are dedicated to serving every community member.

While Stradtlander had taken several steps to prepare for the mission, nothing prepared him for the emotional toll of witnessing so much human suffering while working on the front lines as a health care professional. He found the only way to deal with this emotional burden was through personal reflection and prayer. This allowed him to remember why he came to Eswatini and pushed him to do his best for the patients depending on him.

"Health care is an essential service. As long as there is a medically underserved population, there will be a need for medical missions," Stradtlander said.

Kiara Williams Embraces the Call to Serve

After graduating from Florida Atlantic University, Kiara Williams from Pompano Beach, Florida, entered the pharmacy field by applying as a full-time technician at Walgreens. Afterward, she transferred to a community pharmacy, working as part of their Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC), Rite Conversion team, and the COVID testing team. While serving on the testing team, she realized she was ready to move forward in her career by applying to pharmacy school at PBA.

Williams was also informed about the mission through Dean Strachan and knew, despite being unfamiliar with Eswatini, that God was calling her to serve there. She saw this as God's divine hand arranging a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her to serve in a humble capacity to a community in desperate need.

"In the USA, we normally have everything at our fingertips, but once someone serves on a medical mission trip, I feel for me I have learned to appreciate everything that I have been blessed with," Williams said.

While battling the language barrier, she found ways to form meaningful connections with suffering patients. Even surrounded by disease and death, Williams found encouragement in her work by being able to experience the versatile side of pharmaceuticals, which showed how it impacted every area of the hospital. Williams encourages other students to participate in missions like these because it will help them connect deeply with their God-given passion while serving others.

"The impact serving alongside The Luke Commission team has had on my passion for medical missions will be embedded in my life forever. This type of mission trip allows you time to get a deeper understanding of your why," Williams said.

To learn more about the Gregory School of Pharmacy, click here.

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