Malaria Campaign 2009

Teacher Tommie Hamaluba and students from Gaborone Secondary School (Botswana) and Alexander Dawson School (USA) (http://ads-gss.blogspot.com/)

The 3rd annual Malaria Eradication Campaign was successfully completed in the summer of 2009!

GSS Student Leader, Benson, assists village child (http://ads-gss.blogspot.com/)

Tsau, Botswana, is a a small village in the Okavango region where malaria remains a great problem. As many people in this region cannot afford the cost of mosquito nets for their beds, students from Gaborone Senior School (Botswana) and Alexander Dawson School (Colorado, USA) participated in working to provide them to orphans, the destitute and the disabled.

Student from ADS demonstrating bed nets to village citizen (http://ads-gss.blogspot.com/)

Teachers Tommie Hamaluba and Mr. Bill Meyers, student leader Benson Kedumele and students from both schools went door to door to distribute nets and discuss methods to prevent this debilitating disease.

The students and teachers divided into three groups consisting of three students, a teacher and a local citizen. A village citizen led each group to the homes that were supposed to receive nets. The people in the village greeted the participants warmly.

Tommie and village recipients (http://ads-gss.blogspot.com/)

The last day of the campaign was devoted to a wonderful program called ToyJoy and was spent at the Motswedi Rehabilitation Center, a school for children with mental and physical challenges. The students presented "previously loved" soft toys to the children. The Head Teacher told the students that these toys were very important for the childrens' lessons. The students reported that it was a very moving experience and "a wonderful way to conclude the campaign."

Students presenting toys to disabled children under TOYJOY program (http://ads-gss.blogspot.com/)

ToyJoy means that the students in both countries simultaneously collect toys in order to send them to a developing country, where the toys will be distributed to underprivileged children in orphanages, kindergartens etc. In distribution we will use the contacts made within the international education and resource network - I*EARN. The idea of ToyJoy is to collect and share a dear toy that will bring joy to another child on the other side of the world. The toys, even if second-hand, must be in good shape and intact. It is an essential part of the general idea that the toys are not brand new, because new toys can be bought by the parents and lack all sentimental value. In ToyJoy the students give away something of their own which they have cared for. Even though a child does not have any money it may be good for him/her to realize through this project that some children have too man toys and some have too few .. or maybe none at all. The mailing expenses will be covered by the local sponsorships. And this idea is open for you all-. join us!

See Benson Kedumele's report and photos on meeting Botswana's VICE PRESIDENT MR JOHN MORETI.