Luma madness

Malaria kills 1 million kids each year. A main goal of PCVs is to educate individual communities on malaria transmission, and prevention. USAID, an NGO, works extensively on this goal as well. Working together we hope to decrease prevalence of the disease in Western Africa. Over the last two months USAID has donated bed nets to every household in Senegal. After net distribution was complete some of us volunteers got together and went around our region talking about malaria and demonstration how to make a cheap mosquito repellent lotion. We used local tree leaves with repellent properties, soap, and oil to make it.We rented speakers had American and Senegalese music. While we were cooking up the lotion, which we gave free samples of, we talked about how malaria is transmitted and how they can protect themselves. We also did a good bit of dancing! I think the people learned a lot. Initially answers to what transmits malaria brought answers like "the wind" and "god". By the end I think they got it! We did these at 5 different Lumas. A luma is a weekly flea market more or less. I feel like it was good work but I just wish there was a better way to educate them. It makes me so mad at the pathetic school system here and the lack of respect for education.