"This year's Health Master's International volunteers will have a more focused role than in the past, with an emphasis on working with district health centers and other volunteers in malaria prevention and health systems strengthening. You'll all be part of the Stomping Out Malaria in Africa Initiative that was an outgrowth of our work here in Senegal, and that I'm coordinating."
Check out the website: stompoutmalaria.tumblr.com
So that's exciting...and really timely too, since I also found out yesterday that I have to write my Public Health Analysis for Tualne before we leave. (I had thought that it was supposed to be research done while in Peace Corps--lesson learned: never assume about things this big). So I'm adding a 25 page paper to my already overwhelming list of things to do before we leave, but at least now I know that the best topic I could possibly pick is malaria prevention in Senegal. Let the research begin! I know that I will be more motivated to crank this out now that I know it will be great preparation for my work with Peace Corps.
The aforementioned facebook group also had a lot of great packing tips and another note from the Country Director that I wish I would have seen at the beginning of last week when I spent my days with my stomach in knots watching the political situation unfold in Senegal. (Summary for those who aren't familiar with what's going on:
There are presidential elections on February 26th (we are set to leave March 6th), and the current president, Abdoulaye Wade who is finishing his second term, recently announced that he will run for a third term, even though the constitution says you can only have two terms. He says that since this consitution was enacted during his second term, he still can run legitimately for another term. On January 27, a constitutional court ruled that he can run again (all five judges appointed by him of course), and the result have been almost daily protests. Four people have died already (a police officer who was stoned to death and three protesters), and I had been terrified that we won't be able to go. (In college my study abroad group was evacuated from Oaxaca, Mexico due to a popular political uprising, so I think I have been extra nervous about all of this because of some residual traumatic effects from that experience.) Senegal is the only country in West Africa that hasn't undergone a military coup, and I'm hoping that its history of democratic transitions of power will prevail.
Anyway, the Country Director also posted this in the Facebook group, which was a huge relief:
"Your security is a very high priority for us. Right now protests have largely been confined to certain areas of Dakar and a few regional capitals. As a precaution, we've temporarily prohibited Volunteers who are not Dakar based from coming to Dakar, unless they have a medical reason or my specific authorization. We encourage Volunteers to avoid unnecessary travel to regional capitals and to avoid crowds. Our training center (currently hosting 50+ Ag and Agroforestry Volunteers and 25 Malaria Boot Camp participants) is very secure and distant from where demonstrations have happened in Thies. At this point, we see no reason for the security situation to affect your departure, but we'll re-evaluate as we go forward."
So that's good.
Next week is my last week at work. Last night my co-workers threw a goodbye party, which was extremely touching. My job at The University of Montana has been really wonderful, and I'm sad to leave. We'll be in Missoula through the end of February and then in Bozeman/Belgrade for a few days before heading to DC on March 3 for Staging on March 5. It's going to be a whirlwind!
