Evil Incarnate

A pretty intense blog title don't you think? And what could I be talking about you ask? Mosquitos. In the 3 and 1/2 months since I've been in Senegal I've come to decide that they are the enemy, the ultimate enemy. Forget serial killers and terrorists, kidnappers and Republicans (oops, did I say that last one out loud?), Mosquitos are the physical manifestation of all that is evil in the world. 

Doesn't that just look evil? And trust me, this is not something that I am rushing to conclusions on, I've had 3 and 1/2 months to logically and practically think this one through (Maddie and SWK, aren't you proud? Practical and logical.). It's something in the eyes I think. You know how in animated movies (Disney, Pixar, etc.) you can always tell who the evil character is by the mean, beady, shifty eyes? Same deal here. For additional evidence to prove my point, please see below. 

Beady eyes (Jafar from Aladdin)

Mean eyes (Stinky Pete from Toy Story 2)

Shifty eyes (Randall from Monsters Inc.)

But on a more serious note, Malaria is one of the leading causes of death in West Africa. According to the World Health Organizations, each year, there are more than 225 million cases of Malaria worldwide, killing around 781,000 people each year. In fact, 2.25% of deaths worldwide are attributable to Malaria and ninety percent of malaria-related deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. 


As a Preventative Health Educator in Senegal, one of my primary project will revolve around Malaria prevention. I'm hoping to do mosquito net distributions, Malaria causeries and Neem lotion demonstration (the Neem tree is prevalent in Senegal, and its leaves can be combined with soap and oil to make a lotion that repels mosquitos). I'm also hoping to tap into larger-scale projects that will benefit the country at large as opposed to just in my own village and the small area surrounding it. In April, the Peace Corps announced a partnership with the President's Malaria Initive (PMI) that will expand Malaria prevention activities throughout Africa. 


In fact, Peace Corps Senegal just hosted the first "Stomping Out Malaria in Africa" boot camp at our training center in Thies. For 2 weeks, Peace Corps volunteers from the Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Zambia took part in training activities dealing with educating and sharing the best practices on Malaria prevention. During boot camp, volunteers visited a home-based care unit and met with representatives from the Senegalese National Ministry of Health, the U.S. Agency for International Development, IntraHealth, ChildFund, and Roll Back Malaria. From this training, more comprehensive techniques for dealing with Malaria prevention have been developed and are now just waiting to be shared with the rest of the world. 


For now, I will do my best to prevent Malaria, both in myself and in my local community (although this daily anti-malaria medication is definitely not my favorite). And don't worry Mom, while my bites may be many, I'm not scratching. 


Asalaa maalekum,
Rachel