Submitted by Robert Porter MD, RC Aspen and Board Member Malaria Partners International
After participating in a series of extremely productive meetings in Lusaka, Team Malaria Partners International and RC Aspen set off on a seven hour bus ride to meet in the Copperbelt with RC Kitwe Rotary members who are the Host Club for a Rotary global grant (#2093386) to train 200 Community Health Workers (CHWs) We were guided by Rotarian and RMPZ Board member, known throughout Zambia for his good works, Dr. Mwangala Muydendekwa. We met at a delightful club for dinner with members of the Kalulushi and Kitwe Rotary Clubs. The Kitwe Rotary members included Rotarian Malaria Partners Zambia (RMPZ) board members Larry Mapani, Maudy Lwenje and Michael Kinkise. Larry Mapani, the lead contact for the host club, is a past District 9210 Governor. The meeting with RC Kitwe couldn’t have gone better and we left with enthusiasm and optimism. What a quality team!
Bill and Karen Feldt and I then spent an enjoyable night at Dr. Mwangala and his wife Saboi’s home. Saboi prepared a tasty traditional Zambian dinner of savory beef, salad and vegetables.
The next day on our way to a meeting with Dr. Martha Manjolothe and her Public Health Team in the Chililabombwe District, we heard a horrible grinding sound coming from Dr. Mwangala transmission in the middle of nowhere and we had to abandon the van. Fortunately, we were rescued by Martha Lungu, Administrative Director of RMPZ and Larry Mapani who were trailing us by about 15 minutes. The meetings with Dr. Manjolothe went famously. All meeting attendees felt that malaria eradication is the top priority to improve lives in Chililabombwe. Following the meeting we said our goodbyes to our new Zambian colleagues and we agreed to continue close collaboration until malaria in Chililabombwe comes to an end in 2020.