Yendi health department has started a program to try to reduce the number of cases of malaria in our area. The volunteers are distributing the anti-malaria drugs to the communities in Yendi. We don’t know much about the medicine or the success of the medicine. They have tried it in several other areas in Ghana and the medicine is supposed to prevent malaria for 3 months. This is a good time to try it because we are at the end of the rainy season and the mosquitoes are everywhere. Zorash did not come to work today because she was organizing her volunteers. We are not sure what age they are targeting; the small children are at the most risk of dying because the malaria parasite destroys the red blood cells and since babies and small children have less blood volume they can die very quickly. In the past the Ghana government has distributed mosquito nets and tried to educate the people on how to kill the mosquitoes in standing water but nothing seems to help. The mosquito nets work as long as the people are under them but it gets dark here between 6:00 and 6:30; no one goes to bed that early so they are out and about when the mosquitoes are very active.
It is raining; the electricity just went off. Steve went outside to turn on the generator. I have said it before and I will say it again; we are so proud to have the generator!
Yesterday afternoon when we got in the truck to go to Kulkpeni for the marriage class the truck would not start. Steve fiddled with it and checked the fuses but had no luck getting it started. This morning he tried again but gave up and called Gomda the mechanic. It was time for the oil and filters to be change; while he was working on the armature and the starter Steve had him change the oil.
Red came by this afternoon with the prototype of the metal spikes we want to install along the front of the property. The thing he made is 18 feet long and has 6 inch spikes welded to it every 3 or 4 inches. We are not sure what to call it but it looks menacing! The next problem is how to attach it to the cement fence. Red has an idea for a bracket. He is going to make one of the brackets and we will see how well it secures the spiked rail to the fence / wall.
While we were in town this afternoon we went to the pharmacy and picked up the medicine that we need for the Child Center. We had gone in search of a wheel chair for an old man that Red knows who had to have his foot and part of his leg removed. Red said he thought the man’s problem was caused from diabetes. Red found one before we did. Now the man can get out of his bed.
Take care and keep praying for the work.
In His Service,
Steve and Kandie
