Mosquitos Suck.

Mosquitoes suck. The biggest cause of death in the developing world is Malaria, and it's really all the mosquitoes' fault. They LITERALLY suck.

Whoa now, Captain. Take it easy. Mosquitoes actually DO literally suck. Although it's not just the sucking that sucks. It's the...reverse...um...ok. Hold on here. Let's just illustrate since I can't talk.

So, you see, the mosquitoes suck, but while they're sucking, the malaria parasites get un-sucked. :/

Anyway, I think most people are probably fairly familiar with the fact that malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes. This fact actually makes mosquitoes the deadliest animals in the world.

Once in the bloodstream, the parasites proceed to the liver, where they mature & multiply for a bit, then proceed to infect and destroy the host's red blood cells. Eventually, the destruction of blood cells causes multiple organ failure, and, if untreated, death.

Infected red blood cells

Last year, there were 438,000 deaths from malaria*. That's 1200 deaths a day. Most of these were in sub-saharan Africa, and most were children under the age of 5.

In Benin, there were at least 2 million cases of malaria, and an estimated 4400-8000 deaths in 2013*. The numbers are not well defined, as many cases occur in rural areas; they're never tested, treated, or directly confirmed.

The good news is, malaria rates are falling tremendously, thanks to the hard work of many NGO's in providing education, mosquito nets, pesticides, and other methods of mosquito population control. Malaria is also reasonably easy to treat, when it is caught early.

The bad news is, many deaths still occur when the disease is not detected, and when proper care and treatment is out of reach. In some areas as well, parasites have been found with resistance to some anti-malarial medications. This is a scary prospect.

So what can we do about it?

Well, here's a slightly scary, but potentially perfect solution. Something to chew on.

*WHO, 2015
*WHO, 2013 

On Pins & Needles

Well. That was a longer break than I expected. The last 2 months have been incredibly busy; I think I worked more shifts in September than I've ever worked in 1 month. I had a roommate move out, and a new one move in. Summer ended as quick as it hit. I wrote this blog post, and lost it...so I'm now completely re-writing it. But at least it's not 35 degrees outside, so I've got that going for me.

I love fall.

So, to make up for my extended absence, I'm resuming with a rather juicy subject.

The practice known as Voodoo in the Americas originated in west Africa as the "Vodun" religion. Vodun is primarily practiced by the Fon, Ewe, and other small people groups around southern Togo and Benin. Slaves carried the practices over to the Caribbean islands, and although the current practices do bear similarities, they have evolved separately over the years. Both have incorporated elements of other religions, including Christianity. Many in Benin practice a blend of traditional beliefs and Christianity. 

So. Vodun practices believe in a creator goddess named Mawu. She, and a pantheon of other gods, are believed to give all natural things divine power. Thus, many items such as herbs, animal parts, and carved talismans are considered sacred. These items are known as "fetishes," and are used in rituals to communicate with dead ancestors, or sometimes for benefit or for harm.

West African Vodun primarily focuses on the connection with the dead; similar to Malagasy traditional beliefs, it is common to ask an ancestor to intercede with the gods on one's behalf.

These fetishes are spiked so they can be driven into the ground and connect with the spirits of the earth.

Vodun priests may sometimes request payment for services or atonement for an offence. This payment could often take the form of a virgin daughter, who was given as a slave to the priests of the shrine. She was considered a "wife of the gods," and as such, her body was forfeit to the whims of the priests to the gods. This practice was outlawed only in the late 90's, and while it now carries a hefty penalty, it has not fully stopped the practice in some areas of Ghana. 

A number of NGOs are working to free women from this horrific system, among them UNICEF and Every Child Ministry. Check them out.

Sorry, again, for the extended period of silence! My fall schedule (for now) does appear to be much less hectic, so I should be better from now on.

Other news:
I'm now 100% free of debt! Woooo! Very exciting times. This is particularly exciting for me because it means I now feel free to think about some longer term service opportunities in the future.

But for now, I'll just focus on Benin.

Till next time,
-D