Update...and a small request...

Hey everyone!

Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes! It was an interesting time in the village, and a way to spend my bday that I wont soon forget. I didnt do much on my actual birthday, but this Friday I headed to Tamba where we were celebrating all the recent birthdays that had happened in the last few weeks, so I still got to see a lot of my friends, have cake, the whole nine yards.

I'm now back in Kedougou, where tomorrow I'm going to begin helping as a doctor's aid/potential translator for an Eye Clinic being held for locals in the area in need of glasses or affected by cataracts, which PCVs are going to be helping with in a big way.

I'm afraid, however, that I have an alterior motive in writing this time besides giving the usual updates, and that's to ask for YOUR help...in a semi-big way. Below is a blurb about a major project coming up for the Kedougou region (I didnt write to whole thing, so forgive me if it sounds cut and pasted...it is).

As you know, malaria is the biggest public health problem in much of Africa, and the largest killer of children in Senegal. Last year, with the financial support of the non-profits Net Life and Against Malaria, these Volunteers put together a comprehensive program in about 20 villages to provide a malaria prevention education and 100% coverage with insecticide treated bed nets.

The results were amazing: malaria-related sickness dropped by more than half and malaria related deaths after the bed net distribution dropped to zero. In another village where Peace Corps/Senegal Volunteers worked, serious malaria illness cases dropped from 48 the previous year to 6. This year, the Kedougou Volunteers plan to conduct a comprehensive program in the Department of Saraya, an area of 45,000 people with some of the highest incidence of malaria in Africa. They project that our program will save about 20 lives per year over the current state, in which about 40 kids per year die of malaria. They need 16,600 nets, along with what the Senegalese government is doing this year, to cover the whole department.

Right now, they and their partners have raised enough funds for about 10,000 nets. You can do the math, but the gap represents the lives of about 12 children this year. Against Malaria, the British charity we partner with, guarantees that they can get the absolutely lowest price quality nets delivered to Dakar at no cost. Plus, they will match every donation dollar for dollar, so the effective cost of these nets is about $2.50 per net. Every penny that we raise will go to buying the bed nets needed to cover this area.

Here is where you can donate: www.againstmalaria.com/Netlife.

Thanks so much in advance for your consideration, and hope to talk to you all again soon!

Love,

Steve "Samba" Sullivan

P.S. Ill try and post some pics in the next week to make up for the very business-like post.