does africa know a song of me?

Last Thursday (the 16th, I think), I went out with my friend Grace to see some of the work that the hospital's malaria project is doing.  Malaria is still a pretty big deal here - comparable to HIV/AIDS.  Sleeping under a mosquito net is one of the best ways to prevent transmission.  Through Grace's project, people are able to purchase bed nets at a subsidized cost through village committees.  These committees also educate villagers about malaria, how to prevent it and how to use the bed nets properly.  When I asked some of the villagers (through Grace - my chiTumbuka is not that good!) as to whether or not they had seen a difference in their community since the introduction of the Malaria Control Programme, they answered, "Chomene, chomene chomene!" ("very much" - I didn't need a translator for that.)  It is very cool to see villagers working to deal with issues in their own communities, and to see them being successful as well; I think the message means a lot more when it is coming from peers as opposed to hospital staff or other outsiders.