The Big M

This year has been the kicker for getting sick for me. In February, I had Influenza, May was Lyme Disease, and July is Malaria. Who knows what will come next?

I think that I have had Malaria since Thursday (July 6). I was feeling low energy Thursday through Sunday, but I did not have a fever (a classic symptom of Malaria). On Sunday, the 'you know what' hit the fan, and I was really sick - as if someone had sucker punched me in the stomach and the effect lasted for 12 hours. I thought it was something that I had eaten (as I had a meal with a local family on Sunday), but others were convinced that it was Malaria. On Monday, I walked (barely) to the clinic where they did a few tests. As it turned out, I had (and have) "small malaria." I guess that means that my Malaria parasite is the less serious kind. There is a four - seven day treatment period, so I hope to be better by tomorrow.

While there were times when I was hoping that I could be like Dorothy, and click my heels together three times, say "There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home," I really would not want to get Malaria anywhere else. This is Malaria-central, so there is a lot of information and proper treatment available. Practically every local person and any long-term volunteer has had Malaria at least once (one of the mzungus - Jack, the barman - has had malaria 57 times!), so people know what to expect and how to help. The clinic is actually on the same site where I am working on building the education center. I feel very well taken care of by the other volunteers, the staff at Eden Rock (where I am staying), and the clinic.

All of the good care I have received should not cloud the fact that Malaria is the number one or two killer in Uganda - and in particular this region. In the past week, I know of four mzungu volunteers who had contracted Malaria. On average, children have Malaria four to six times per year. As the child grows (if it makes it though each subsequent bout of Malaria), its body acquires some immunity. It is a very serious, yet highly preventable and treatable. Malaria is spread by mosquitoes, and the best way to prevent Malaria is to prevent bites from mosquitoes. Using DEET, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants at dawn and dusk, and sleeping under a net are the best defenses (and for those of us who have the money, taking prophylactics). Most people who die from Malaria are the very young or very old - those that have weakened immune systems and cannot fight off the bug.

Often, these sick individuals are only brought to clinics when they are within days or hours of death - clinic visits and stays are usually cost prohibitive (sometimes even more than a year's income of manual labor). In fact, one of my good friends, Japan (a builder on the site) missed work one day because his sister had lost her two year old girl to Malaria. The extent to which Malaria affects the people who live here should not be underestimated.

Soft Power has two branches - Soft Power Education (SPE) and Soft Power Health (SPH). I am working with SPE, building the education center. SPH, on the other hand, runs the clinic (from whom I received treatment). SPH's clinic has a good reputation in the area - the villagers trust the clinic, and it is busy every day. A visit to the clinic costs 5000Ush ($2.75), which is approximately two days' wages. In addition to providing quality, affordable treatment (a basic human right, in my estimation), they also sell mosquito nets. Nets in the city cost around 10,000 - 12,000 ($5 - $6), which is too much for many locals. SPH did a study and found that many villagers would be willing to pay 3000Ush ($1.50) for the net. So, SPH subsidizes the nets and sells them to locals. It then does follow-up visits with those to whom the nets have been sold to verify that (1) they are using them correctly and every night, and (2) they have not resold the nets for a profit. Apparently the follow-up curbs the reselling enough for the program to continue, and I am sure that many of the people buy the nets because they need them. Another measure to safeguard the nets from being resold is having locals hired by SPH to build relationships with villagers to educate about net usage and Malaria prevention. Since SPH started the net distribution, the incidence of Malaria in this region has fallen by 2/3.

I cannot sing the praises more of the this amazing organization. Soft Powerhas its heart and head in the right place. I feel so blessed to be here,with the people - both local and volunteers, and learning about how a charity program in Africa (an elsewhere) ought to be run.