Lentil & Rice for Thanksgiving.

I am surprised that it is close to the end of November!   I sit here eating lentils and rice, and am thinking of my family and friends enjoying the holiday of Thanksgiving. Giving thanks is something that has new meaning for me –  being so far from my home in a very different culture, communicating differently, meeting new people, working in a different environment, even wondering what I can make for dinner. At home these things were easy to do or could even be avoided, but being away situations in life need to be absorbed with gratitude.

I am thankful for experiencing the wonders of Mozambique.  I just completed six months of residing here; my Portuguese is better; I have a nice group of friends; and some projects are already underway at the hospital. Even as I do the analysis of my Community Needs Assessment I look forward to possible new projects in the area of nutrition, child development, and starting a HIV support group, so the next six months will be interesting.

I take my working here pretty serious - a bit too serious - having a weekend getaway made me realize that even my blog post can relax seeing the beauty of the beaches on the Indian Ocean coastline. So sit back, grab a drink, and see the awesome terrain of Bilene, Inhambane (approx. 1 ½ hrs from my site).

After a conference in Maputo, a group of us rented a van with driver and went three hours north. I was so excited after hearing the popularity of this beach, but more and more curious as we got near because it was rather scarce of beach  views. "Are we there yet?",.

The van dropped us off before our lodging because it did not have 4x4. After an hour or so we arrived, despite the name of the lodge.

Right this way…. Wow!

The lodge is on a lagoon but a walk up a hill - I mean sand dune - would get us to the ocean. I have never imagined that sand dunes could be like this!  I felt like I was in the Middle East rather than Africa! What an awesome hike this was.  

 

 
 Up, across, down...

….to a piece of heaven on earth untouched by greed and enjoyed by the innocent.

Amazing journey it was! Thanks for sharing this with me.  xo

Malaria is a crisis in Africa.

 

Malaria is a crisis in Africa. For the month of November Peace Corps volunteers in Mozambique are working to STOMP OUT MALARIA!  

                                                         

Malaria Statistics

(From the WHO World Malaria Report 2011)

• ·         Every minute, a child dies from malaria
• ·         About 91% of malaria-related deaths in 2010 occurred in Africa. The majority of these      deaths were children under age 5

                                                               

Malaria is spread from person to person by mosquito bites. The mosquito that transmits malaria is the Anopheles mosquito, which mainly bites at night time, between 9:00. The mosquito then carries the malaria parasite, and transmits it to another person when they bite them.  Now that other person is infected with the parasite, too and a mosquito can carry it from an infected person to another person. Symptoms of malaria include fever, chills, sweats, headaches, loss of appetite, pain in the joints, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and convulsions (fits).

Infants and young children, as well as pregnant women, are most vulnerable to malaria, because they have reduced immunity in comparison to other people who may contract the disease. Individuals with stronger immunity can still have the malaria parasite in their blood and not experience the malaria disease, or have only a very mild, non-life-threatening case of the disease.

However, malaria can be transmitted congenitally, which means that a pregnant woman who has malaria can pass the disease to her infant, either in the womb during pregnancy, or during delivery. This is because the malaria parasite is carried in the infected person’s blood, and pregnant women share a blood supply with their babies. Similarly, malaria can be transmitted through blood transfusions.

Education and resources remains the barrier to eliminate Malaria here in Mozambique.  Mosquito nets are distributed during neo-care at the hospital and the lab is equipped with testing kits.  Yet it is very common day to day results test positive.  During my questionnaire of 100 people 80% of these adults have had Malaria.  The danger is with young children, so the message remains strong to use the mosquito nets. 

Other preventative methods are:

• ·         Indoor residual spraying (IRS): this is when insecticide is sprayed on walls inside a      home.
• ·         Wear protective clothing, such as long sleeves and long pants
• ·         Avoid wearing dark colors, which attract mosquitoes
• ·         Apply mosquito repellents containing DEET (or dimethyl phthalate) to exposed skin
• ·       Screen all windows and doors in the house, or at least in rooms where people sleep,     to stop mosquitoes from getting in
• ·       Eliminate places where mosquitoes can lay eggs. For example, cover or drain and fill    areas with standing water

111 countries around the world have already eliminated malaria!

Mozambique will be added by 2020!

Malaria prevention and control are being assistance by the U.S. Government (USG).  In May 2009, President Obama announced the Global Health Initiative (GHI), a six-year, comprehensive effort to reduce the burden of disease and promote healthy communities and families throughout the world, with a particular focus on improving the health of women, newborns, and children.

Acknowledgements:  Malaria No More and Lalela Project and revised by Malaria No More in partnership with the American Peace Corps. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2vKZ0vl_7k