Hey everyone! I’m still at “Malaria Boot Camp” in Senegal (lead by Stomp Out Malaria) but wanted to provide a brief update. So far, the camp has been incredibly inspiring. Coming into my service, I hadn’t anticipated that malaria would comprise a large part of my work but now I am more than confident that it will be my main focus. The African continent had made such great strides in eradicating the deadly disease and as we approach the light at the end of the tunnel, I am thrilled to be a part of the anti-malaria community. In this training, located in Thies, we’ve discussed human biology, entomology, data collection, behavior change theory, human-centered design, mapping, health systems, research, global aid, and more! We are becoming “experts” on the disease and learning about the tools we can employ to fight malaria in our respective countries. It has been wonderful not only to learn more about malaria, but to also informally chat with other PCVs about their experiences and projects. I am becoming more and more excited about bringing back my knowledge to my community and country mates in Malawi!
Below are a few pictures from the past week:
It’s rainy season so everything is SO much greener than Malawi here!
The Senegal training site.
Some groovy jean/fabric pants for sale.
Friends getting measured at the local tailor! The fabric in Senegal is beautiful and it has been difficult not to spend all my money on clothes… Pictures of my tailored outfits to come.
Beach day at Popenguine!
Listening to a malaria hero! After his 12 year old daughter died from the disease, El Hadji Momar Diop mobilized his community and through a number of interventions, they reduced malaria rates in their village from 37 to 0% over the past 15 years. His story was truly inspiring.
A water sample taken from the training site. In the jar you can spot all of the life cycle stages of the mosquito: the larvae and pupae are located below the surface, the adult mosquitoes are flying in the open space and the eggs are resting horizontally under the water’s surface.
That’s all for now folks! I’ll hopefully be putting up another more detailed post on the training so stay tuned and fight the bite!
Memoirs From Malawi 
C, don’t forget your Auntie L likes fabric of all kinds!!!!!
Keep up the good work and can’t wait to see pictures of your new outfits.
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We’re seeing an increase in Malaria Drug Resistance in some parts of Viet Nam. Unregulated or poorly administered antimalarial drug use is part of the problem, hopefully Malawi can avoid that.
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