World Malaria Day

The big day for me was April 26^th. World Malaria Day (WMD) is actually on April 25^th my event just happened to be on the 26^th. And this is how it went. Early April I attended a 3 day training on Malaria *makes note to add Malaria expert to resume* and after the training I taught my students all I knew about Malaria. They then took that information and incorporated it into poems, songs, dramas, raps and narratives.

I wanted this day to be fun. I wanted people to leave educated without feeling like they’ve just sat in an all-day lecture. I let me students assume the role of teacher. It cancelled out the communication barrier that would have been present had I facilitated the entire training. Even minimal Kiswahili speakers were able to learn as some local language was included.

The day went well. I’m super appreciative that both the District Malaria Control Coordinator and the District Public Health Officer with their extremely busy schedules swung by little ol’ event. AND a principal from a neighboring school came to show his support.

Allow me to pause parenthetically to say MY STUDENTS WORKED THEIR BUTTS OFF. They came to school every day during their break. Teachers volunteered their time.  And it was this collaborative effort that made the day as good as it was.

Now what was not at the top of its game was my photography. My battery died. I was running around coordinating and accommodating and I just didn’t get the photos I wanted.  Sigh, I didn’t even take photos of our signs. But here’s what I got. Click on the panoramics to see them a little better.

Note: A pastor that I love would always say “let me pause parenthetically…” a phrase I’ve been dying to use. I would normally run such a phrase by my BFF and personal grammar specialist Kenya D. Morris. If this was used completely incorrectly just give me a pass.