Indiana Jones and The Lemurs of Tsingy

So if you were all wondering where I’ve been, I’ve been even further back in time, and even further away from civilization than I thought I already lived. On June 1st after attending a Mid-Service concert chock full of beekeeping information and medical exams, 9 fellow PCVs and myself embarked on a week long journey that would take us far away from the tropical forests that we’ve become so used to. For once instead of heading east, we head west into the mysterious desert lands that this country has to offer. Starting in Antsirabe, Mada’s coldest city and also the home of THB, Mada’s best attempt at a tropical pilsner derivative, we loaded up and set out for Miandrivazo, which is currently fighting for the title of Mada’s hottest city. There we took our Mercedes 412 Sprinter, which is usually accustomed to delivering sausages about Leipzig, into the desert savanna on route to the banks of the Tsiribihina River. We loaded ourselves and gear into three Pirogues and crossed to river to make camp for the night.

That's our guide Bee, and a bean loaded slingshot aimed at me

Then we tried to leisurely fish among a gaggle of gasy children 

Rice again, but I’m on vacation

Tents Check!

Beers Check!

Crocs Abound

Lurkin' on the Shore

Shade's a rare commodity

Lunch

“Strung together like a floatin’ trailer park”

Croc Bait

FYI Limestone pools are really slick

We traded in our Pirogues for a 4X4 mounted on two bit ferry

Only when we stopped to take a break did our driver realise we had a flat

With all these ferries, it's beginning to seem more and more like Oregon Trail

A traditional Lemur Tree House

Spelunking anyone?

Ah the Avenue at Sunset

Salama

Nick

Stomp Out Malaria!

April is/ was World Malaria Month and for PCVs even more of a push to help Stomp Out Malaria in Africa. Madagascar is still considered one of the red zones in Africa for malaria but interestingly enough its presence is as diverse as its geography. The highlands are typically too cold for the anopheles mosquito (the most deadly and prevalent malaria carrying mosquito) but the eastern coast with its high rainfall and equally high temperatures is particularly at risk for malaria epidemics. Thus preventions is key and that starts with bed nets (the anopheles bites between 6:00 PM and 6:00 AM); a massive distribution was held this previous October, and now our work focuses on insuring that those nets are cared for and anyone who still doesn’t have one has access to one. The real leg-work of the project were the murals that we painted throughout the Sud-Est, and each mural was then followed up with a community Q&A about malaria prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Then in a quiet sea side town of Farafangana we rented a PA system during market day and “preached” to the people about malaria prevent ion and even got them to try: properly washing their nets, repair holes and tears, and how to hang their net from a single point. This was followed up by a trip to Farafangana’s Lycee (High School) where we gave a bilingual malaria presentation. The biggest component of Stomp Out Malaria is education and over the past 5 years Madagascar alone has seen a dramatic decrease in Malaria related deaths. More Malagasy have and use bed nets, more Malagasy know the symptoms of malaria and that RDT (Rapid Diagnostic Tests) are readily available CSBs (Community Health Centers) and are free, and finally that Malaria is a disease that can be prevented and doesn’t have to be fatal.

Ampasimanjeva

Ambalona

Farafangana

Salama

Nick