Trustee shares Mali health initiative with campus

Skidmore Trustee Elliott Masie and his wife, Cathy, are currently in Mali, Africa, participating in a heath-care initiative designed to positively affect every child under the age of five in the northwestern African country. The Skidmore community has received first-hand reports from Masie through a transcontinental videoconference and his blog.

Dubbed ?Learning Gives Back: Malaria No More,? the trip involves the distribution of more than two million mosquito nets (5,000 of which were funded by the Masies and participants at their firm?s October 2007 Learning Conference), as well as an integrated health campaign designed to reach the children of Mali. The health campaign offers vaccinations against measles and polio, distribution of Vitamin A and medicine to prevent worms, and distribution of the mosquito nets. The campaign has been endorsed by a number of international organizations, as well as celebrities from the sports and entertainment fields.

The nets, which have been treated with mosquito repellent, are being provided to mothers and are big enough for a number of family members to use simultaneously. During a Dec. 5 pre-trip conversation with Skidmore students and faculty, Masie said, ?In Africa each day, about 3,000 people under the age of 13 die from malaria.? Use of mosquito nets, which cost about $10 each, has been shown to be an effective method for reducing incidents of malaria.

The goal of the campaign is to have nets available and in use by 95 percent of the country?s population. Masie explained that they are enlisting the help of traditional ?African town-criers,? as well as TV and radio, to spread the word about the program and believes that within seven days, the program will have reached 90 percent of the population. Plans are in place to follow up by encouraging people to participate and by tracking use of the nets, shortly after the distribution is completed.

The Masies have scheduled meetings with a number of spiritual and political leaders while in Mali to encourage participation in the initiative and to address other matters of concern, including the prevalence of AIDS, religious and cultural barriers to the health initiative, and family planning issues. Dignitaries supporting the initiative include the president of Mali and a number of Christian and Muslim religious leaders. ?One of the biggest challenges to this program is the country?s tradition of health care,? reported Masie in his Dec. 12 videoconference update to the Skidmore community. ?A fair amount of ritual and belief has prevented the use of modern health care in Mali,? he added. He said he was both surprised and pleased at the candor of the conversations with religious leaders surrounding these issues.

Skidmore faculty and students from Chemistry, Environmental Studies, Biology, and the First-Year Experience participated in the videoconference and information sessions. Beau Breslin, director of the First-Year Experience, hopes to meet with Masie early in the spring semester to learn more about the African visit. For details about the trip while it is under way, visit Masie?s blog.