On a quiet afternoon, I meet Ivan in a neatly swept compound in Bulondo village. Although it isn’t immediately obvious, Ivan is part of the transformation happening in Bulondo; the revolution of how community members understand and prevent malaria.
You see, this four year old boy is so committed to preventing malaria that he insists on sleeping under his mosquito net at all times, even in the middle of the day. And that’s where I find him, waking up from his afternoon nap under his carefully tucked mosquito net.
Ivan’s mother, Sarah, recalls long stretches where Ivan was at the health center to treat malaria every month, sometimes more. On more than one occasion, Sarah wasn’t sure if Ivan would leave the health center alive. Because their home is situated next to a sugar cane field, Sarah felt hopeless at avoiding malaria. Until she learned more about it.
Last August, Bulondo VHTs visited Sarah’s house and encouraged her to purchase a mosquito net. The VHT knew Ivan and others in the family had been sick recently and asked Sarah how much she spent traveling to the health center and for treatment. She blushed slightly and admitted nearly 30,000 shillings. The VHT asked her to make an investment in her family’s health that was a fraction of the cost: for 3,000 shillings, she could by a mosquito net. And she did.
Since then (nearly 6 months ago), Ivan hasn’t visited the health center at all! Ivan says, “When will it by my time to go to school?” a question he frequently asks. “Soon,” Sarah says with a chuckle. She turns to me and says, “Sometimes we overlook everything we are taught about how to live a healthy life, and only remember when you are directly faced with it. I now know that prevention is much cheaper than a cure.”