I’m sorry, why are you in Burkina Faso again?

“Karla, can you hand me that knife please?”
“It’s dirty…” I brought over a bucket of water with me so he could at least rinse it off.
“Well that is how it is in Africa.” He started to cut the carrot with the knife covered in grime and blood.
“And that is why I am here.”
Everyone just giggled.
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Every year, 18% of the Burkinabe children under 5 years old die because of malnutrition. But it’s not necessarily because a lack of food but rather because the children have not been eating a well-balanced diet and therefore cannot fight illnesses. So I'm here, to educate mothers about exclusive breastfeeding, preparation of porridges, and importance of variety of food groups.
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There are latrines for people to use all over the village. The NGO (non-governmental organization) built some a couple years back for the community. But people don’t use the latrines, they rather handle their business in the field. By using the fields, it does much more than just create an odor in the air. Children play with the dirt. People walk barefoot. The dust blows the dirt and most people do not cover their food. This is how people get sick. Maybe someone who used the field has a parasite and now so does anyone who has come in contact with it. Soap is rarely used when washing hands. And with all the latrines we have and that are not used, they still request I build more latrines. So this is why I am here, to do a study and find out why latrines are not used. And then help create more sanitary conditions for all.
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Everyone complains about not having money in my community, even those who work in the city and have steady incomes. “We cannot afford to go to the CSPS because we cannot pay for the medicine.” But they come to the CSPS and they pay. But they do not have to come to the CSPS if they make just a few changes in their life. They are all preventable diseases.
Children frequently come in with colds, diarrhea, and malaria- all illnesses that with a little more information (education) could be avoided.
The elderly have high blood pressure because there is always too much salt and oil in the food.
It's all education.
So that is why I am here, to help educate and therefore to help save them money.
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I have no work day. Work here is very different than what it is in the States. The "work" I did before I left for training in March was as follows:
-Every morning, I went to the CSPS and sat in on consultations
-During vaccination campaigns, I helped vaccinate everyone in the village (never giving actual shots)
-Whenever there was an important meeting with anyone in the community, I attended
-Spent time at the market, introducing myself and hanging out with folks
-My afternoons were reserved for my language classes (Bissa and French)

I am here as a community health volunteer. My duties are to help educate my village members about AIDS, help battle malnutrition, empower the COGES (the village health committee), teach students about their health, and aid with the lifespan.

Some projects I may do in the upcoming 12 months are as follows:
-Presentation series at the school
-A camp for teenage girls
-Educational discussions with mothers about the health of kids under 5
-Lead enriched porridge demonstrations for mothers of malnourished children

After being here for six motnsh I know I cannot save the world, but maybe I can at least help one person survive. And that is why I am here.