Love Mercy

How much damage can one mosquito do? We might complain about stubborn itches in summer, but in an area like rural Uganda, just one bite can lead to serious, and often deadly consequences. This World Malaria Day, we are shedding light critical situation in Uganda, where malaria is the leading cause of death, and exploring how the fight against malaria can be better fought. In the Otuke district in Northern Uganda, many people live with little access to services, in environments where malaria transmission is high and there is little available treatment. This region is suffering from the effects of drought and famine, and bears the scars of conflict following Uganda’s civil war. Cassi our Manager, has witnessed the impact of the disease first hand. “The population here is very limited in terms of resources. Towards the end of the dry season especially, people often have spent all of their savings on school fees, and so when it comes to their health, they liter...

Those clouds contained rain! For all those in Australia who remember the McCain ad: ‘Marg, Marg, the rains are ‘ere!’ – that might give you a general appreciation of my excitement levels around the time the rains began. Towards the end of the season, Uganda became a dry and barren land. Everything was covered in rich, red dust and the air was thick and hot (emphasis on the HOT). I enjoy the heat but when there is no water to jump into within a 120km radius, the enjoyment seems to just evaporate away (… get it?). It was the 24th of March, the day the rains returned. I remember because it was the greatest day in history, and because I won a bet. Early in March, Florence (Love Mercy's agriculturalist) and I had been discussing the weather and the likelihood of the rains coming early. We made an executive decision that they would not be coming any time soon and decided to amuse ourselves while we waited by guessing the exact date on which they would return. Florence said 18 March...