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Looking Back
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Harry and Echo VanderWal visit Eswatini (then Swaziland), witnessing for the first time the devastation of the HIV/AIDS crisis.
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The Luke Commission is founded, pairing the name of the gospel writer, Luke, with The Great Commission. “TLC” for short. Tender. Loving. Care.
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The VanderWals move to Eswatini with their four small children, occupying a small house in Manzini. This will be their home and TLC’s center of operations for the next seven years.
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Free, mobile outreach efforts begin. A person-centered care approach delivers comprehensive, compassionate healthcare. As a result, HIV stigma is reduced and patients are engaged, empowering care for the conditions that matter most to them.
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TLC acquires land for a centrally-located permanent base of operations near Sidvokodvo, Eswatini. Funds are miraculously raised in just 17 days. By the end of the year, the Miracle Campus is opened.
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TLC launches the CARES (Comprehensive and Restorative Eye Services) program, together with visiting specialists.
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The Miracle Campus is expanded to 160 acres, now with access to the country’s largest river.
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TLC launches its cervical cancer program aiming to detect and treat precancerous conditions early, particularly among women living with HIV.
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TLC’s 8-week onboarding program, “Base Camp” is launched. The program introduces new team members to TLC’s values, culture, and operational model, all centered on patient-centered care and servanthood
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TLC and partners open the Matsapha Mobile Clinic (MMC), a full-service, semi-permanent outreach site located in the heart of the Matsapha industrial district.
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TLC pilots use of a custom-built electronic health record, now an integral pillar of the Luvelo digital ecosystem.
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Inexplicably, the TLC team feels pressure to accelerate construction of major building projects, unaware that these structures will be at full capacity in the coming months.
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TLC wins a USAID Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Case Competition Award for its “Base Camp” model, celebrating the unity and collaboration of its multidisciplinary team.
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The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic begins in Eswatini. TLC implements a response plan.
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Shipping containers full of dehydrated food and critically-needed supplies arrive.
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A 120-bed inpatient facility opens on the Miracle Campus, including 30 private rooms for TB and COVID-19 patients.
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The Speciality Care & Surgical Center opens on the Miracle Campus, offering 42 health services, an emergency / casualty unit, three operating rooms, and X-ray/ultrasound rooms.
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An Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is opened in the inpatient ward, caring for patients with advanced HIV/TB, COVID-19, snakebites, and other critical health needs.
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TLC becomes a DREAMS partner, serving adolescent girls and young women (AGYW)
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Eswatini runs out of oxygen during the second wave of COVID-19. The TLC team commits to oxygen independence from South Africa before the third wave.
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TLC pays the deposit for construction of a 2500LPM oxygen plant on the Miracle Campus, the first of its kind in Eswatini and the largest of its kind in Africa
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The oxygen plant begins producing oxygen. TLC’s in-house construction team has managed to build the structure in 52 days.
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TLC and Luvelo are honored with two Africa Supply Chain Excellence Awards, including the "Judges’ Choice" Grand Prize.
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Peak admissions during the 3rd wave surge include 138 COVID-19 patients, 91 patients in ICU, and 55 patients on ventilators. Peak 02 consumption reaches 3300LPM, which is supplemented by new 33-tonne bulk liquid O2 tank. No patient requiring oxygen goes without it.
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At the request of the Ministry of Health, TLC rapidly scales up and deploys the digital data capture system (ESWAVAX) for the national vaccination effort, tracking 846,519 doses.
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The Training and Leadership Center of Excellence opens on the Miracle Campus, boasting flexible training areas, counseling rooms, and a large auditorium seating up to 1,000.
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His Majesty King Mswati III officially opens TLC’s Miracle Campus Hospital, oxygen plant, and Training and Leadership Center of Excellence.
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TLC unveils its containerized telehealth solution during a visit from USAID.
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TLC officially launches Eswatini’s first national drone network, providing rapid, two-way delivery for commodities, medications, blood products, vaccines, lab samples, and more throughout the nation.
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TLC and Luvelo are honored with two Africa Supply Chain Excellence Awards, including the "Judges’ Choice" Grand Prize.
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The Luvelo e-Health Hub is introduced at the 2024 Eswatini International Trade Fair. The groundbreaking container solution draws significant attention, including a visit from King Mswati III, highlighting national interest in transforming healthcare through innovation.
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For the first year in Eswatini’s history, there have been no snakebite deaths. TLC’s Snakebite Center of Excellence has treated a over 400 snakebite victims.
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Due to sudden international aid funding cuts, TLC pauses many programs and closes its gate to patients for the first time in the organization's history.
Staff Stories of Empowerment & Resilience