Work-work

I figure as I've been in my site for a year now, it seems over due to have an insight into what I do for the work-work aspect of my time here in Burkina.

Making mosquito nets decorative by attaching pagne (fabric)

As a “community health development agent” my job is to work with community members to sensibilize my town on various health topics. During the malaria season, when cases of the sickness jump from 20 a month to 400, I worked with friends in town to address the health problem from different approaches.

First I tag-teamed the national free mosquito distribution and led sensibilzations with community members about another way to attach their nets: transforming the four point net, into a conical design. This transformation is encouraged because it requires someone to take the time to purchase the necessary tubing and attach it to the net, creating a monetary investment that was absent before when the net was given free. Giving out nets for free isn't wrong, just the more time/money someone puts into anything will increase the chance that it will not be abandoned.

 Attaching wire tubing to transform four point mosquito nets to conical style 

To preemptively discourage the concern about purchasing the tubing, I made a “boite image” (visual aid to explain a health concept). The image had two horizontal sequences: the first, a mother and son sleeping under a conically transformed net; then, a scene of the mother in the fields working and her son going to school; the final image was the tubing necessary for the conical design and 400 CFA (roughly 1$). Directly beneath this was a parallel scene of a man sleeping without a net, getting bit; then him waiting at the clinic the next day; finally a drawing of malaria medicine and 500 CFA.

Distribution Day, after doing a census, the goal was for a mosquito net to be given for every two people in Burkina. 

I would explain that to invest in the tubing was already cheaper than getting sick from malaria one time! Kossouka spends over 1,000,000 CFA ($2,000) every year buying malaria medicine; I would ask them to imagine how that money could be better invested in their town. After explaining it once, I would pass it to community health workers to explain.

Community health agent showing the boite image explaining the monetary benefits of preventative care of malaria 

After the four day distribution, I asked different friends to show me their nets and set up them up for me. It was discouraging to see what little mistakes were being made that defeated the effectiveness of the nets. To reinforce the proper attachment, another boite image was made ith six people sleeping under nets: five making a common era, one doing so correctly. With friends, high school students, and communtiy health agents, we had a stand during two market days asking people to identify who was sleeping properly and explain the others' errors. We also encouraged participants to enter our mosquito net and demonstrate. Bon-bons (candy) and peanut butter cookies were given as thank yous to participants (side note! it is really odd here to use peanut butter for cookies, for anything beside sauce actually; the fact I eat a peanut butter with.... bread!... everyday always causes gross outed reactions from friends).

My friend Abdoulaye, left, quizzing his friend on the boite image 

Risnata popping in to lead the booth for a bit. It is absolutely necessary there is someone with me at all time, one, because of legitimacy, the message is better given from someone from the town, but two, my Moore is still a work in progress (that's why we get two years right?)

Lady demonstrating to kids how to properly set up the nets

Finally, at a 6^th grade class in a satellite village's primary school, we lead a six day malaria program. The core message was achieving your dream will be more difficult if you are constantly sick, unable to come to school, unable to work, and constantly spending your money on medicine, than if you are healthy, so think of the future! This idea, thinking ahead/preventative care, is an important idea to encourage in the community. After passing an exam, the students drew what they wanted to achieve in their futures, we strung them together, then hung the banner in their class to hopefully be an encouraging reminder to think ahead.

It was actually really exciting to see the transition from the kids awkwardly sitting there not knowing what to draw and believing they couldn't draw their idea, to seeing the kids heads down getting into their pictures and not stopping when I said our time was up

CM2 kids, me, and the trainees who came to visit me at site that weekend! 

So, that was that! Malaria season has winded down as cultivating season ended in October. Now my work-work is consisting of improving visual aids at another primary school, ever attempting to get the library open (we're making moves!), and helping the school board organize a training for teachers. So, a little pause from the health topics, but that's the beauty of this non-9-5-office job, I have the freedom to pick projects when/where I want. Though... with with my vacation getting closer... maintaining that internal motivation is taking a little more effort... :) Thanks for reading!