'07 Project

In the beginning of 2007 we had a plan. In the summer of that same year we carried it out. Now, in 2008 the first results are on the table and they are very promising.

The Project

The project was striking in its simplicity and effectiveness. Our team hypothesized that if every sleeping space in a small village were covered with a long-lasting insecticide treated mosquito net (LLIN), an easily discernible cumulative effect on the morbidity of malaria would emerge.

Neither of us were epidemiologists nor professional scientists, but the idea intuitively made sense to us and was corroborated by further research and the advice of mentors. Thus, we set out to cover everyone in a community with a LLIN even before the World Health Organization publicly advised every stakeholder to practice this approach in late 2007.

We chose Sahn Malen in the Pujehun district of Sierra Leone as our project village. Located in a malaria endemic region and with a population of approximately 1,500 people, the village was a perfect fit for the scope of our project. Our local contacts gave us direct access to the paramount chief in the Sahn Malen chiefdom, the Pujehun District Health and Management Team (DHMT) of the region, UNICEF specialists, and our most important partners, the population of Sahn Malen.

How We Got There: The Fundraising

In early 2007 we had a plan. A great start but we quickly realized that we lacked funds. Regular fundraising is not straightforward for a new organization such as ours, and for our first project, it was on us to put our money where our mouths were if we were to go anywhere.

Thankfully, our first support soon gave us a direction. For her 50th birthday anniversary, Mrs. Lennheden - whose son is a co-founder of GMin, suggested that guests donate to GMin instead of giving personal gifts to her. We subsequently won a grant in the Competition of Benevolence from the Red Cross Nordic United World College, another team member decided to donate the money he had been given to buy a Danish driver's license to the group, and finally we won a grant from the Swiss Consulate in the Boston, USA.

What We Did: Our Approach to Working in a New Community

In Sierra Leone, we successfully covered everyone in the village of Sahn Malen with a LLIN during the summer of 2007. We also set up a continued program of monitoring and community sensitization with the DHMT, and they will be our presence on the ground as they continuously collect results.

We tried to stay as culturally sensitive as we could, and it was vital for us to create a sense of ownership of the project among the people of Sahn Malen. After all, we were in Sierra Leone for just a few weeks, while the people in Sahn Malen quite naturally live there year round. We let our Sierra Leonean team members and the local guides do most of the talking in Mende, whereas the rest of us tried to learn and stayed in the background. Above all, we did not want to be seen as lecturers or preachers. Most of us were first-time visitors to Sierra Leone, and we were thankful for the opportunity to partner with our new friends in Sahn Malen.

We started various initiatives that engaged the entire community. The 'Malaria Cup' attracted local soccer teams. This brought out the young members of the community, and the cup's popularity greatly helped publicize our cause. We also participated in a well-attended town meeting where we, along with the local authorities and the DHMT, introduced the project to the village.

This was the first of a series of sensitizations where we stressed how to use the nets, when to use them, how the worked and why it was essential that they were put up every night by each member of the community.

Evaluating Our Results: What We Learned

The first report from the DHMT showed that 93% of the population of Sahn Malen continue to use the nets six months after the distribution. In itself this is a remarkable result, and we attribute it to our close contact with the local population and the small size of the village. The DHMT also recorded a drop in the morbidity of malaria. Of course, the length of our study is on the shorter side but we are optimistic about the results in the future.

In addition, we learned vast amounts about life in a malaria endemic region. In general, Sierra Leone welcomed us very warmly and we felt safe at all times (a remarkable feat given the dark history of the country), but Sahn Malen in particular opened up a whole new world to us. We realized how starkly life there contrasts life elsewhere, and how much we still had to learn in order to fully understand the life of our partners. Their courage and strength were infectious. Nevertheless, our malaria intervention was a simple intervention that impacted their lives greatly.

The success of our first project has convinced us that what we are doing makes a big difference. And we are fully determined to continue our efforts - an effort you are welcome to join.

The Future

The next step is to scale up. In the summer of 2009, we will cover the 3 other villages in the Sahn Malen chiefdom. We will use the same approach with the same contacts, but cover about 4,000 people. To this end, we are putting together a much bigger team, collecting greater funds and putting all the lessons from our first project to good use.

Actually, we've already put them to use in Our Approach, be sure to check it out.

GMin © 2009 - You can reach us at info@gmin.org.