should come as no surprise that I made up a song for malaria.
A brief lesson on malaria:
The female anopheles mosquito carries the parasite that causes
malaria, and transfers this deadly disease while feasting on humans.
Like most blood sucking creatures, it prefers to dine at night when
everything is dark and quite, usually between the hours of 10:00 pm
and 5:00 am. Thus the reason for promoting sleeping under mosquito
nets in areas where malaria lurks. Other recommendations we give are
wearing long sleeves and pants, filling in holes where puddles can
form and keeping the grass short near your home. The long sleeves
(like the mosquito net) create a barrier and less surface area for the
mosquitoes to bite when you are out and about during peak dining
hours. In Zambia the rainy season is when malaria runs rampant, this
is because the anopheles mosquito lays its babies in fresh standing
water. Hence the reason for filling in holes where puddles form
creating the perfect place for the pesky offspring to develop. Lastly,
keeping your grass short provides a cleaner environment and a cleaner
environment means less bugs, especially the devilish anopheles
mosquito.
Bemba Lyrics English Lyrics
Ukwisusha ifilindi Fill in holes
Ukukwempa iccani Cut the grass
Ukufwala ifitali, ifyakufwala Wear long clothing
Lelo makamaka ukulala na ITN But, most important sleep under a net
Pantu malaria it’s bad Because malaria it’s bad
Oh, malaria it kills Oh, malaria it kills
So…(repeat from the top) So…
Meet your choir:
Kanona Basic School is the main government school in my area. Both
grades 8 and 6 have been two classes I have spent many days with
discussing the health issues in their community.
Muleya Community School is a small school ran by volunteers near where
Ben and I stay. Ben teaches English there on a weekly basis and has
really fallen in love with the kid’s enthusiasm of learning.
The neighborhood health committee is the main group that I work with
here in Kanona. They are all volunteers and their job is to go out to
the surrounding communities to make sure they all know of the health
facilities in the area and to educate on preventative measures.
Ben and I have lived on a family compound called, Kalula Farm, since
we moved here. They are amazing people who I hope we have taught as
much as they have taught us. There are three sisters and their
families and the matriarch, our Zambian grandmother.
Another Peace Corps Volunteer that lives a few hours south of us,
Patricia Muran, taught her village the song as well. The very cute
little girls finished up the video.
Thanks for watching!
For more information on Malaria go to: www.stompoutmalaria.org
