The First 3 Months

This week, I will travel to Dedza for In Service Training (IST). IST is designed to reconnect first year volunteers and for PCV counterparts to become involved in the development of community projects. The PCV and their counterpart will continue to create a mutual bond and further the process of working together in a constructive and positive manner. In addition, language, technical, medical and safety and security sessions will be held to further train the PCV.

IST follows the first three months of service. Hard to believe, but I've been in country for 5 months now...time just flies by. You are probably wondering, "What have I been doing since swearing in as a PCV?"

Hmmmmm, well....the first three months have been a great transition for me. I've adapted to life in a Malawian town, made new friends, struggled with communicating in Chichewa, tested my patience with the Malawian energy company ESCOM, and devoured my weight in mangoes. The first few weeks were spent cleaning my new home and learning to cohabitate with spiders, roaches, lizards and my watchman.

Nyumba Yanga (My Home)

In the past three months, I've also become quite popular among the neighborhood children. I host weekly dance parties in my yard where the ana (kids) dance to Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Bob Marley, Beyonce and Black Eyed Peas (their favorite).

Get that dirt off your shoulders

I've been assigned as a health volunteer to work with the Mkuta Mwana (Surround the Child) project in Salima, Malawi. The program's purpose is to help meet the needs of vulnerable children and their families in Salima district by: a) directly providing quality services and support; and b) strengthening local systems and the capacity of organization, government, households, and communities to more effectively meet those needs efficiently during and after the program, which ends Dec. 2012. The program focuses on four specific domains: health, education, livelihoods and social welfare. The project works with 16 implementing partners, three of which are health related.

Specifically, I have been tasked with expanding Youth Friendly Health Services in the 17 health centers throughout the Salima District. I will also help train support groups for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHIV) in Positive Living, a Malawian based strategy for PLWHIV support groups. I will also provide guidance on health related campaigns with implementing partners. 

I've got my work cut out for me for year one of PC service; however, for the first 3 months I didn't know my place and was seriously wondering what I was doing here in Malawi as a PCV. But apparently this is exactly how I'm supposed to feel the first three months. Now, I am looking forward to the journey ahead :)

Malaria in Malawi (& Darkly Dreaming Sally)

ok, I admit that I'm not very good at this blogging thing...its been a long time since my last entry. I'll try harder :)

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Malaria is endemic in Malawi and a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Malaria alone causes 30% of deaths in children under the age of five. Malaria is even more prevalent in areas surrounding Lake Malawi, Salima (my new home) included. The Salima District Hospital is promoting a campaign to conduct Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) in every household within the district to prevent malaria in the upcoming rainy season which begins in January and lasts until April. More than 110 people die of malaria every day, nearly half of them under the age of 18. Below is the WHO report on malaria in Malawi, as of 2008:

http://www.who.int/malaria/publications/country-profiles/profile_mwi_en.pdf.

Because of the threat of malaria, PC requires all PCVs to take malarial prophylaxis and to sleep under an insecticide treated net (ITN). I’ve been prescribed mephlaquine. Ah, meph…it’s a drug with a long list of side effects including vividly disturbing dreams and insomnia…which is really affecting me during this extremely hot season in Malawi! The other day it was 38C which is the equivalent to 100F…whew, its hot!

My dreams can be described as tame (friends visiting where I'm actually sleep walking to my door to let them in) to really bizarre and scary. I even dreamed there were ants in my bed, started talking in my sleep, and then woke up my friend up with my ramblings of attacking ants. Ok, I'll share one disturbing dream...one day I accidentally bit into a piece of meat on a pizza (fyi, I'm a veg). That very night, I dreamed that I was a cannibal.

Needless to say, I'll be discussing switching medications with the PCMO (PC Medical Officer) the next time I'm in Lilongwe. I just write this blog to A) educate others on malaria in Malawi; B) warn future PCVs about meph; and C) to let my friends and family know that other that nightmares and a few sleepless nights, I'm doing quite well in Malawi. I'm fortunate in that I am able to prevent malaria...malaria would be more unpleasant that a couple of sleepless nights and crazy dreams.

On a good note, PC Malawi is teaming up with PSI/Malawi to distribute 20,000 insecticide treated nets (ITNs) to Malawians before rainy season.