We Can Only Speculate: Every Child Deserves a Fifth Birthday

Every Child Deserves a Fifth Birthday

Posted by Unknown On Friday, April 06, 2012

Hey boys and girls, what time is it? It’s BAMM 2012 . . . or Blog About Malaria Month. And today's post addresses little known facts. For instance, did you know that:

I hold my breath every time Yaya's one-year old daughter, little Kenza, has the slightest temperature. And she's one of the lucky babies in Africa because she and her family always sleep with mosquito netting. Nevertheless, I'm totally freaked-out by anything remotely resembling illness in little Kenza.
Malaria is the number one killer in Africa. No, it’s not hippos. It’s malaria and our old enemy, the female anopheles mosquito, who bites only from dusk 'til dawn.
Sadly, malaria disproportionately affects pregnant women and children under the age of five; and yet the disease is completely curable with timely treatment.
Malaria is entirely preventable.
About 55% of children in Burkina Faso die before their fifth birthday. Should I repeat that?! FIFTY-FIVE PERCENT! No, it's not entirely due to malaria. We also battle malnutrition. But putting an end to malaria is a huge step toward reducing this mind-boggling child mortality rate.

So what are we doing in Peace Corps Burkina Faso?

Well, in order to commemorate World Malaria Day (April 25) and to promote the prevention of malarial death in Pô, I've started early. I began here in the quartier with a puppet show about how malaria is spread, who is most at risk, times of day and times of the year when we are most at risk, and how to prevent malaria. We open Scene I at dusk with Martin, completely unprotected from Sophie's malaria-carrying mosquito. Sophie is smiling because Martin is powerless . . . for a change.

Scene II of our one act play introduces a new player . . . the mosquito net, shown here draped over the outdoor bed. Remember, it's hot season now and most folks sleep outdoors. But malaria-carrying mosquitoes work the night shift year round. So without a net, no one is safe. No, of course this net isn't properly installed. But remember, it's a play! My goal was to get as many children as possible on the bed and under the net to stress the importance of protection while sleeping . . . though these petites are hardly asleep. Look who isn't protected. It's Dori the dog. Happily, dogs aren't at high risk.

Scene III shows Martin's and Sophie's mosquitoes frustrated in their attempts to spread deadly malaria . . . frustrated by a simple mosquito net. And with a net impregnated with anti-mosquito liquid (safe for humans and pets), these charming pests don't stand a chance. Surprisingly enough, while my target audience was children (this being a puppet show, after all), a number of women showed-up. Those who don't use nets will be taken by yours truly to get their nets this coming week. Nets are available here: it's merely a matter of education and procurement.

Tuesday I'll be making our old pal neem cream. The gals from the Maison de la Femme and I will donate said cream to every family who will listen to our sensibilization about malaria prevention. Believe me, that's a lot of neem cream. And it's only April 6 . . . I'm just getting started.

Would you deny this child, our own charming Victorine, a fifth birthday party? Of course not. I am part of Stomping Out Malaria in Africa, a continent-wide campaign to increase malaria prevention across Peace Corps countries in SubSaharan Africa. You, too, can help. Forward this blog post to your friends and family. Update your own blog about malaria, post something on Facebook, Tweet . . . use your imagination and let's make education about this parasitic disease viral on the web.

How many years before we put a stop to malaria? We can only speculate. But education is the first step. And yes, for those of you who have inquired, Dori is pregnant with puppies!