Malaria Update

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6/18 Saturday at 730am

So I've been doing small talks about the importance of malaria prevention here in usa river, and done some home visiting days to see how the people here are living and what can be done to fight malaria; I am acutally heading over to Lukendane in about an hour to do another speech and lead a community clean up as well, but there are a few updates on this project that I feel are important to share with (some of) you.
Malaria is present here in Usa, but I was informed of different information before coming - malaria is actually handled quite impressively here...nearly everyone in usa river sleeps under a bed net, and uses them properly - even the poorest places, located in guerisero (where I work at the orphanage/school). Even those who live in dark 5ftx5ft 'homes' and pay 5000 shillings per month for rent (3 dollars), still have bed nets. There are multiple health clinics in usa river, all which use the modern way of testing for malaria - RDT's (Rapid Diagnostic Test) and they just prick the finger to do a quick blood test and it shows if one has malaria. If so, they prescribe Malarin to fight malaria and that is that. I was informed before coming that it was a very prevalent disease, but I have found different results. The people know what malaria is, how it is contracted, and what to do if infected. Although I am dissapointed from purely a 'business or research' perspective, I am very pleased to see that the people here are in fact aware of malaria. I still plan to educate more of usa river, especially the kids, but purchasing nets and medication is proving to be unneccessary, so the funds that you all so kindly donated will be directed toward different aspects of the community. I have become very involved in my teaching job at the orphanage.. I was not planning to come here and be a teacher (or atleast not full time) but I have really come to get so much pleasure out of working with these kids and seeing them grow intellectually. I feel like providing education to these children without parents or clothes or any luxuries or opportunities is such a great way to help build the world, and this is a big part of my time here that I was not expecting, but couldnt be happier with. Anyways, these kids have nothing but you would NEVER know it. They don't ask for anything, and are beyond greatful for everything - you give them a rubberband and its the greatest invention ever to them. And they are SO creative - the toys that they make from surrounding material is astonishing, the potential that is present among these kids is just inspiring. As I've said before, the 'school' condition is nowhere near acceptable. The classrooms are outside, and it rains a lot here, they don't get water (and the special days that they do, the water is not clean), they eat porridge each day and a small portion of rice/beans, only funded by visitors/volunteers. Most have 'backpacks,' but so many of them are torn to pieces that they are open constantly and dont acutally even work, the shoes don't have soles in them or their toes hang out the top because they are way too small, There are few pencils, so the kids have to wait for someone else to finish their work in order to use that pencil to do their own work... the pencils that are there break but there are no sharpeners, when one fills up their notebook, they have to skip the lesson until they can afford to get a new one.. many things like this take place and its heart breaking to see.. so I have purchased a few pencil sharpeners and pencils, but they are very expensive here, something that is very diffferent to home. I plan to spend some of the donated money to providing materials for the school so that these children can continue their education in a proper manner - I hope that the donors understand. Thanks again for all of your support, it's amazing how far it reaches.

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