Village-based, sustainable eradication of malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa

Village-based eradication of malaria was stated in 2005 as a Sanambele (Mali) village goal in gender separated and gender-combined focus groups. Holistic processes facilitated by US/Malian faculty and students in 2006-7 helped villagers identify resources to reach their goal. By 2008, villagers understood their traditional knowledge and ways-of-knowing were valued and the Women’s Association had initiated a profitable handicraft enterprise for bednets and medical assistance. Stories of anophiline and Plasmodium life cycles were taught in gender combined farmer groups and through community awareness art project in village junior high school. Dry season larval management was initiated in 2008-9 with Bacillus thuriengensis israeliensis used for larval control intervention and village grown and produced neem leaf slurry plus physical stagnant pool removal used for sustainable larval management. No malaria-related deaths have occurred since October 2008. Wet season malaria fatalities in 2007 in Sanambele were 8 per thousand, all children 5 years and under. Men and women farmer leaders are now planning outreach to neighbor villages by telling the "stories" of mosquito and protozoan life cycles and the transmission path.