The Buzz About Malaria

As a sustainable agricultural extension agent, my primary work in Peace Corps has taken place in fields and gardens.  Covered in dirt, I can usually be found chatting with farmers about vegetables and cereals.  Every once in a while though, I take time to remind my community that if they don't follow some basic health practices they'll fall ill and be taken out of the fields.  A perfect example of this is mosquito nets and malaria.  Last year, eleven of the hundred and seventeen people living in my village contracted malaria, only two of which occasionally slept under a mosquito net.  That's over ten percent of the community pulled away from the fields and the classroom because of a preventable disease.  Unless an individual goes to the health post, they are unlikely to diagnose an illness as malaria so it's likely that several others also contracted malaria unknowingly in my village. 

April is International Malaria Awareness Month, so Peace Corps Senegal has mobilized to promote malaria prevention educational activities for the past several weeks.  Most visibly, I helped with several mosquito net murals (keeping it simple since abstract concepts don't go over well here in rural Senegal).  A mosquito net game paired with basic malaria education was a hit at our Youth Leadership and Empowerment Camp in Koumbidia.  We also used the camp as a platform to teach how decorating mosquito nets make them more desirable and can be used as an income generating activity.  This past week, I taught the 'Grassroot Soccer Malaria' curriculum at the primary school in my neighboring village.  Through combining soccer and games with malaria lessons, the group of students and I discussed how malaria is preventable and a looming problem for Senegal. 

Malaria is rarely mentioned in the United States, but as the carriers of this infectious disease, mosquitoes remain the most deadly animal on the planet.  Mosquitoes carrying malaria kill nearly 1 million people a year, over 90% of which are in sub-Saharan Africa.  One out of five deaths of African children under the age of five is caused by malaria.  Every person in Senegal is at risk of contracting malaria, meaning it is a huge burden on the economy and national health care system. 

Preventable and treatable, Peace Corps Volunteers like myself educate our communities about the disease: the transmission of malaria, signs of malaria, and malaria prevention and  we also partner with international and local NGO’s, government agencies, and private corporations to execute and promote research, distribute LLINs, and encourage people to get tested when they show signs of malaria.

Even though malaria isn't a media-genic as Ebola, it is a much larger problem here in West Africa... and that's the buzz about malaria.      

Camp Koumbidia, April 2015

I was so inspired by the girls empowerment camp I attended last year that I laid awake, scribbling ideas for a similar camp by flashlight.  This past weekend, I was able to see what started out as an inkling turn into action at the Koumbidia Youth Leadership and Empowerment Camp.  Thirty Senegalese teenagers gathered for three days of  discussions, games, art projects, and volunteerism.  I taught a session on environmentalism and led many a game and ice breaker.  Eleven other Peace Corps Volunteers joined me to teach about basic health practices, the environment, gender relations, and how to be a leader in all these topics.  Every day the students took what we learned out into the community: planting moringa trees and educating local families about its health benefits, transplanting tree saplings and explaining the role of trees in safeguarding the environment, and doing a school-wide clean up.

It was a highly successful and personally rewarding experience for me.  Not only did we see the students fully grasp the concepts we presented them with, but I was able to see how the girls I'd taken to girls camp last year had grown.  Shy to the point of refusing to talk in front of the class last year; my favorite ladies led class discussions, volunteered to speak for their groups, and took vocal roles in their educational skits at Camp Koumbidia.       

Thank you to all who donated and offered emotional support while I planned this monstrosity of a project.  I feel I cannot fully express how wonderful the camp was and how proud I am, so I leave it to photos to do the talking.

Introducing the camp and talking about what it means to be a leader.  I was careful not to confuse the Wolof term for leader, njiit, with the word for scorpion, jiit!  

My co-director, Erica, teaching proper hand washing skills.

Putting those skills to use while getting ready for lunch.

Some of the ladies enjoying breakfast before sessions start.

We split the students up into teams who partnered with Peace Corps Volunteers for their daily community volunteerism.  The rowdy green team.  

While all the students spoke Wolof, the first language for many of them was Pulaar or Mandinka.  PCV Abby speaks Mandinka, so we paired her up with a Mandinka-speaking group.  Team yellow showing off their re-usable bags.

PCVs in action: two of my closest friends handing out name tags and taking names.

Naadhira (far left) was a hit with the students.  The West African perception of the United States is a bit like the homogeneous view many Americans have of Africa.  They think all Americans are white, and Naadhira never misses an opportunity to talk about the diversity of the States and explain how the African diaspora relates to African American identity.  

The average temperature was 110 degrees F.  With no running water that meant we were
constantly pulling water for drinking, showering, hand washing, and all our games.  

Me in my natural habitat, just teaching another session.

Me explaining 'blind person tag.'  All the games we played were a huge hit because the students
don't have any structured games or time to just play.  It's something we take for granted back home,
but here there is no recess and no fun games in PE class.  

In blind person tag, a team links hands while a blindfolded person in the middle tries to touch the
circle.  To evade being touched, the team must work together to move away from the
blind 'it' person.  Just like if you want to be a leader in your community you have to learn to see
 problems and work with others for problem solving.

In the classroom.  On the first day, the boys were most comfortable raising their hands or speaking in front of the class.  By the end of the camp, though, the girls were snapping their fingers and vying for our attention as well.

My lovely fellow PCVs who helped teach session, run errands, and keep me from going crazy!

At the end of each session we had the students journal about what they had learned.
By pausing to reflect on what we'd discussed, the students internalized the lessons
and created mementos for them to look back on them.

A camp favorite.  The "goobie, goobie, goobie" ice breaker.  Grab a partner and just follow the lead of the people in the center.  The students loved being silly and following along with our funny noises and body movements.  

Another game; malaria tag.  A mosquito is 'it' and the only safe place from them is under the mosquito net.  

Another game (which are of course the most photogenic moments).  Over the head water cup racing.  Each team grabs a cup of water from the pan in the center and passes it back down the line by pouring the water over their heads into the cup of the person behind.  The final person pours their water into the bucket at the end of the line.  Which ever team has the most water in their bucket at the end of five minutes wins.  There were a lot of wet heads and competitive kids!

On health day we taught about mosquito net beautification.  Simply sewing fabric to the bottom and top of a mosquito net increases its likelihood of being used.  We discussed this is a method of increasing the rate of mosquito net usage or using this technique as an income-generating opportunity. 

Tie-dying, always a fun time.

Walking to camp through the West African bush at sunrise.

Some last minute problem solving.

My Master Farmer, Omar Top, helped teach on environment day.  He explained how the environment has changed over the past twenty years. 

Kait and I leading a session on the environment.  When we first asked the students to explain their environment, they only listed buildings in the village.  We slowly drew out all the parts of a natural habitat like trees, animals, water, ground water, etc.  We then discussed how human interact with the environment through wells, farming, buildings, roads, etc.  We ended the session by talking about how deforestation impacts their lives.  In agrarian communities, the impact of deforestation is stark and immediately visible.   

Drawing elements of the environment as the students listed them.

We had the students split up into their teams and draw the environment in their communities.  (Notice that a tree was one of the first things Babacar drew!)

Drawing out the groups to think about other parts of their environment like insects, ground water, grass, etc.

Listening to local experts talk about deforestation in Senegal over the past 20 years.

Two of my girls from Girls Camp last year.  Oumou and Nafy were all-stars and always were ready to speak in front of the group.

The human knot.  Since these students have never been exposed to basic ice breakers before they thought this was such a novel game.  Never underestimate the competitive streak of teenagers!

The other environmental session, teaching how to combat the changing environment.  PLANT TREES! (and other stuff)

A moment of fun.

PCVs struggling with our own games.

Unsurprisingly, the students didn't struggle the way we did.  They communicated flawlessly and even were able to maneuver around obstacles or talk each other through the exercise blindfolded. 

PCVs always ready for an ice breaker or a laugh!

Prepping the students for transplanting trees out in the community for their daily volunteerism.

My name is Yacine and I can carry anything on my head.  Just another Senegal skill.

These cuties.  

Erica and I doing some last minute lesson planning.

Reusable bags we made on environmental day.  Everything is sold here in small black plastic bags, so we focused on using bags like this to limit trash when shopping.

Erin Kelly, camp coordinator.  Passing out papers and giving instructions.  

Hanging up the finished tie-dyed shirts.

Aziz, from the Peace Corps staff, came to talk to the boys of the camp about gender relations.

The incomparable Mama Awa (another Peace Corps staff member) spoke with the girls.  It was inspiring to watch her interact with the students.  She was able to goad them into debates and push past their comfort zones.  

Me and the girls we took to girls camp last year.  They were the inspiration for this camp and continue to inspire me with their growth.  Oumou (left) is no longer afraid to speak in front of the class and frequently speaks up for the Pulaar ethnic minority at her school.  Nafy (center) is the newly elected president of the student body at her school.  Sofietou (right) is the host sister of a local PCV and teaches her about Mandinka language and culture daily.  They are the reason I love my job.  

Preparing to hand out the certificates at the camp (right before all our cameras died).  What a successful and tiring experience!