US Peace Corps on malaria campaign

Peace Corps volunteers in Sierra Leone recently embarked on a weeklong “Stomp Out Malaria Bike Ride”, according to a press release from the US embassy. It is the first time the volunteers in Sierra Leone have embarked on such a campaign “but the initiative has been ongoing in several other countries” by the volunteers. The release says the bike ride is part of the Peace Corps’ global commitment to reducing malaria through an initiative called “Stomp Out Malaria.” They ride started in Kamakwie and ended in Panlap just outside the northern district headquarter town of Makeni. Twenty-one volunteers participated, stopping in a total of 7 rural communities to sensitize children and adults on malaria prevention strategies.  They also conducted talks, dances, held skits and made presentations as part of the campaign. They held a bed-net race in one village and gave new bed nets to the winning team. The release quotes the volunteers as estimating that they “directly reached” 1,000 Sierra Leoneans, and many more families and friends with their message during the five-day tour. Sierra Leone is one of 75 countries where PCVs are currently working.  86 volunteers are currently serving in Sierra Leone with a new group arriving in June. They work as junior and secondary school teachers in remote parts of the country, the release says.