Hello to all from Mkululu!

As many of you know, I am finishing up my second year of service as a Peace Corps Health Extension Volunteer in Tanzania. I have been living in the village of Mkululu down in the southeast of Tanzania, in the coastal region of Mtwara.

Mkululu has become my second home, and those around me have become my family and friends. Here in Tanzania, but particularly in Mtwara region we face high malaria rates that result in much illness and childhood deaths. Children miss school, parents stay home from the farms, the elderly, young and pregnant face complicated malaria and many die, especially during the coming rainy season. Malaria is so common that it is normalized here, and many see malaria as a devastating but inevitable illness.

Over my last two years, my counterpart Salum Kabugo and I have traveled throughout our village, ward and region teaching malaria transmission and prevention. We have visited primary and secondary schools, clinics, hospitals, markets and football games. Our teaching has been creative as we strive for behavior change. Last April, for Worldwide Malaria Month, we traveled to two clinics, 6 schools and ten villages teaching mamas, students and HIV groups about the dangers of malaria and the steps to take towards behviour change.

This year, Worldwide Malaria Month falls on my last month living in Mkululu village. In April I hope to carry out month-long activities including a bed net distribution, a ward-wide malaria day, malaria testing at the clinic, training malaria experts, setting up a students' malaria club, and conducting a village malaria survey among others. I hope to teach malaria prevention in the coming months as well, as rainy season is approaching and with it a huge spike in malaria. Any help would be so helpful to us! ASANTE SANA (thank you very much!) from everyone in Mkululu, you are so appreciated. Please send along contact information and I'll keep you updated!!