Malaria TOT, Rite of Passage Ceremony, REDES and other updates

Malaria Training of Trainers:

3/6/15- 3/7/15 I went to Pemba to facilitate a 2 days malaria training of trainers for 22 community health workers with the PCV there. On the first day, the participants were trained in malaria causes, transmission, symptoms, co-infection with HIV, prevention and treatment through informational posters, interactive activities, and discussions. We did a mosquito net demonstration after talking about how to care for the nets. We had 4 participants who volunteered to help acted out 4 scenarios that showed the importance of sleeping under a bed net every night and completing the treatment for malaria.

On the second day, we reviewed the materials from the first day and had the participants play 2 activities to reinforce their knowledge. Fr the first activity, the participants were divided into 4 teams to see which team can put in order the steps to take once a person contracted malaria. The second activity was a relay race about symptoms of malaria. The participants were divided into 2 teams to see which team finish classifying which are or aren't symptoms of malaria first. After the activities, the participants were divided into 6 groups according to their community areas to develop an action plan to fight malaria in their communities by passing on their knowledge to individuals in their community.

Malcolm & I

Explaining the life cycle of malaria

Mosquito net demonstration

Malcolm is a mosquito that died from touching the insectide treated mosquito net

Malcolm explaining the importance of completing treatment

Hanging the mosquito net game

Wall of information

Putting steps of what to do when a person contract malaria in the correct order

Symptoms of malaria relay race

Creating an action plan to fight malaria in their communities

Presenting their action plan

Everyone got a certificates for completing the 2 days training

Belinha's Ceremony:

3/14/15- 3/15/15 Last November, I attended Belinha's rite of passage ceremony. I just learned that there's 2! A beginning and an ending ceremony. The ending ceremony was huge! Everyone came on Saturday evening and it lasted until Sunday afternoon. It was held in my backyard and front yard so there were so many people. The men stayed in the front yard and there was a band playing music and there was dancing. The women were in the backyard and there were also a lot of dancing and playing traditional drumming music. Throughout the ceremony, Belinha's mom and grandma goes around to give out money, candies, cookies, and even capulanas. Her parents have been saving for a long time to do this ceremony.

Work:

My supervisor and I finally finished putting together a presentation for our new project, Water for Health in Ancuabe. The project is already fully funded so we just need to make it happen! We presented it to 4 communities this month. I was told that I will be in charge of supervising this project so that's exciting and a bit terrifying since I'm not exactly sure what I will have to do.. but vamos ver! 

3/19/15 presentation in Ancuabe

3/24/15 presentation in Mesa

3/25/15 presentation in Ngeue

REDES:

3/1/15 1st dance practice! We're going to learn 3 songs to perform for April 7 holiday, Women's Day.

3/3/15 Health topic was diarrhea (talked about the causes and treatment); fun activity was sewing the first part of the messenger bag

March 8, 22, and 29: More dance practices. 12 girls will be performing total!

3/10/15 Health topic was cholera (talked about what it is, how to recognize it and how to prevent it); fun activity was finishing up sewing their messenger bag to use for school

3/17/15 Health topic was dengue fever (talked about what it is, the mosquito that cause it, and how to prevent it); fun activity was making friendship bracelets

3/20-21/15 I went to Nacaroa for the REDES Training of Trainers. I helped facilitate the malaria session and the skill building session. It went well and I had a good time at the TOT. I got to meet new PCVs and made more Mozambican friends :) 

Each group came up with a malaria game and presented it

Explaining how to make the bracelet

Making bracelets out of water bottle and fabric scraps

3/26/15 Health topic was HIV/ AIDS (talked about what it is and ways it can and can not be transmitted); fun activity & income generating project is making headbands and selling 2 each to pitch in for capulanas to wear for their upcoming dance performance

3/31/15 Health topic was symptoms of malaria. Each girls were given a card with a symptom on it and they have to decide which like it belongs to: symptoms of malaria vs not symptoms of malaria. Then we talked about the actual symptoms of malaria and went over their answers to see if they were correct. We ended the lesson with a relay race game to see which team finish putting all the symptoms in the right pile first to win cookies.

The girls were able to sell the headbands to make 30mts and each gave me 25mts for the capulana. We cut them into a wrap skirt for their dance performance next week!

Other updates:

-3/5/15 I had quite an adventure trying to get to Pemba for the malaria TOT. I took the 4am chapa and it took an hour of Disneyland's Indiana Jones-like ride to go about 15km before we got stopped and informed that the bridge brown down last night because of the non stop rain we had so cars won't be able to cross. I walked with a bunch of people to the bridge, paid 20mts to cross over a makeshift bridge and got on another chapa and made it to Pemba. I later found out that day that all 3 roads in and out of Ancuabe were inaccessible.

Walking home from work. There's a small river running through town from the rain

The broken bridge and makeshift bridge

-3/8/15 I made it back to Ancuabe! The bridge was fixed so 1 out of the 3 roads in and out of Ancuabe was accessible again. A lot of houses collapsed or flooded in my town. My house is still fine! Only this back side wall is starting to fall apart. 

Another road in and out of my town

-The kittens are getting bigger! They're running around the house, pooping and peeing everywhere ): But I can't get mad at them because they're so adorable! I already have homes for all of them. Just waiting until they're a bit older.

-3/29/15- 3/30/15 Vanessa from my Moz 20 group came to visit my site! :) We hiked to the top of the smaller mountain in my town and did a mini photoshoot haha 

- Since Bryan is coming to visit me in April, I created a donation event on facebook to ask for supplies and materials to use for my Hora das Criancas and REDES group. I'm so grateful and excited for these donations to get here!! The kids and girls will love it!