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Malawi. "The Africa Group". 8,387 miles from Auburn, AL to Lilongwe, Malawi. Malawi. Located in Southeastern Africa Roughly the size of Pennsylvania Total population of 15,263,000 people. Malawian Government. On July 6, 1964, Malawi gained its independence by separating from Great Britain.
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Malawi "The Africa Group"
Malawi • Located in Southeastern Africa • Roughly the size of Pennsylvania • Total population of 15,263,000 people
Malawian Government • On July 6, 1964, Malawi gained its independence by separating from Great Britain. • Operating as a multiparty democracy, the first elected president was Dr. Hastings K. Banda in 1964. • The country is currently run by President Joyce Banda (Central Intelligence Agency, 2012).
Malawian Economy • Agriculture makes up about 64% of the national income and 87% of total employment • Top exports include: • Tea • Tobacco • Sugar • Smallholder farmers produce a variety of crops: maize, beans, rice, casava, and peanuts (U.S. Department of State, 2012). • 53% of the population is below the poverty line.
Malawian Education • 91% of children attend primary school. • The literacy level in Malawi is 74% of citizens.
Malawian Health • Life expectancy • 44 years of age for males • 51 years of age for females (Central Intelligence Agency, 2012) • Rural clinics serve as primary health care facilities that address all health care needs.
Mtendere Village • Founded by the Blanchard family in 2005 through the 100x Development Foundation • Population • 136 children, ages 2 to 22 years old • 16 Housemothers • 4 Aunties
Basic Life at Mtendere Village • Made up of 16 houses where 4-8 children live with a housemother and operate as small families • Children get three meals a day
Basic Life at Mtendere Village • School • Teachers work at the village in order to provide supplemental homework help for all of the children • All of the children walk to primary school, which is located about half of a mile away from the orphanage • At the end of primary school the students take an exit exam and their choice of secondary schools is based on their scores.
Keeping it in the Family • Although it is funded by 100x, Mtendere village is managed in Malawi by Malawians. • This helps the children embrace their culture and avoid being culturally Americanized.
Mtendere Village The children of the village have either deceased parents or parents who simplly could not have provided for them. All children get to spend the summer months with their families if they are able to care for them.
Malaria Nicole Bentley, Elizabeth Bunch, Amanda Ladner, and Madison Martin
Purpose • The United Nations' Millennium Development Goals are actively combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases. • The World Health Organization identifies the prevalence of Malaria in 99 countries throughout the world. Within these countries, it was estimated that 3.3 billion people were at risk for contracting Malaria (2011a). • In Malawi alone, 39% of clinic and hospital admissions are a direct result of Malaria (World Health Organization, 2011b).
WHO and other governmental agencies' prevention efforts • According to emerging studies in 2007, approximately 60% of the country has been given insecticide-treated mosquito nets free of charge (Roca-Feltrer, et al., 2012). • 25% of the children under 5 continue to sleep without the protection of their insecticide-treated mosquito nets (World Health Organization, 2011b). • The number of cases of Malaria increase between the months of November and April because these months are considered Malawi's rainy season (roca-Feltrer, A., et al., 2012).
Barriers to Receiving Health Care • 85% of the population lives in rural communities (Lindgren, T., et al., 2011). • Only 43% of children under the age of five with a fever received anti-malarial treatment (Chibwana, A., et al., 2009). • 17% received treatment within the first 24 hours of the onset of fever (Chibwana, A., et al., 2009).
The World Health Organization reported 8,206 deaths in 2010 in Malawi; 7,600 of these deaths were children under the age of five (2011b).
Target Community •The target community that we focused on was Mtendere Village. •Mtendere village consisted of sixteen small houses, each with three to four bedrooms. The houses were brick with concrete floors, and the boys and girls were split up by age and sex. •Each house was headed by a housemother. •Also, on the campus there was a basketball court, a recreational building, and a swing-set area for the children to hangout and socialize with each other.
Population • The population that we focused on within our target community were children under five years of age. After traveling to the local health clinics (Area 25) we realized that most of the patients that had symptoms of malaria (fever, malaise) were children under five.
Health Condition •Malaria is caused by a parasite that is passed from one human to another by the bite of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. After infection, the parasites travel through the bloodstream to the liver, where they mature. The parasites then enter the bloodstream and infect red blood cells. •The major signs and symptoms of malaria include fever, chills, malaise, headache, and in severe causes coma and death. •In Malawi alone, nearly 39% of hospital and clinic visits are a direct result of malaria. •While we were in Malawi, we learned about the common medications used to treat malaria. •We administered children that presented with malarial symptoms paracetamol for 3 days for fever and LA for 3 days to treat the parasite.
Primary Community Diagnosis Risk for ineffective wellness maintenance among the population of Mtendere Village and Malawi related to lack of education regarding and proper use of malaria prevention methods, such as using mosquito nets correctly and draining standing water.
Primary Community Diagnosis • In Mtendere Village, despite educating the children on Malaria, correct usage of mosquito nets is rare. • The children also still go near areas of standing water, which are breeding grounds for mosquitoes. • In Malawi, many people (especially in the rural areas) have not received proper education on malaria prevention. • They additionally have a lack of access to health care, which is one of the major issues in Malaria prevention and treatment
Misuse of mosquito nets was extremely common, with many people using them for their gardens or makeshift fences. Also, many nets that were actually used correctly had holes in them which rendered them ineffective.
Secondary Community Diagnosis Risk for adverse complications of Malaria among Mtendere village and the communities of Malawi related to lack of access to Malaria testing and lack of Malaria testing equipment.
Secondary Community Diagnosis • Mtendere village is closely located to a private hospital where the children can receive medical attention promptly, so this is more of an issue with the rural communities. • Many people either live too far from clinics and other health care facilities, or the rural clinics that they do have access to do not have Malaria spot testing equipment, so they are diagnosed based on symptoms (which often times are extremely vague) • Or they are not diagnosed at all, which can lead to severe/complicated malaria and eventually death • Diagnosing without having a definitive test can potentially lead to over-dispensing of Malaria medication and resources
Tertiary Community Diagnosis Readiness for enhanced knowledge among the communities of Mtendere and Malawi related to complications of a lack of compliance to Malaria treatment regimen and consequences of untreated Malaria.
Tertiary Community Diagnosis • Education, education, education!! • Emphasizing the consequences of not seeking prompt medical attention if Malaria is suspected and not following the prescribed treatment regimen • Mild Malaria -> SEVERE MALARIA & DEATH • Education on additional consequences of not correctly following treatment regimens • Including the possibility of creating drug-resistant strains of Malaria, which have already begun to occur in many countries.
