Day 3 – Into the Field!

Another day in the wonderful Zambian wilderness! Today, we got to leave all of our arachnid friends behind and leave the confines of the MRT compound to explore the local surroundings with the ANTOOMWE Project Field Team. A quick breakfast of oatmeal (with maybe a bit too much peanut butter) and we were on our way. We first met with the team of volunteers and MRT staff who comprise the field workers for the project, trying our luck to introduce ourselves with greetings from the local language. Mwabuka Buti!

We packed ourselves into the research truck and headed out from the compound. Snug as some bugs in a rug (MRT Field Vehicle)! After a bumpy ride and some beautiful scenery, we reached our first stop at a local Health Center in the town of Mapanza. We were fortunate enough to be led on a guided tour through the facility in order to better understand the care pathway for local Zambians who need medical assistance. We were able to observe all aspects of their work, including visiting their maternity ward and specialized HIV care building. We completed our tour with an in-depth discussion about how the data they collect from the local population is helping to add to research about the prevalance and spread of malaria throughout rural Africa.

After giving thanks to the incredible workers at the health center, we filed back into our field truck with the goal of observing first-hand how data is collected in the field. We split up to see how mosquitos were caught and important malaria-related data was collected and recorded. We helped demonstrate to some local people how to set up and monitor CDC light traps for mosquito collection. Their continued understanding and support for the research work is vital to its success. (Maybe these traps will work better than the one we set up at the camp!)

Other members of the group went house-to-house to collect blood-spot samples that would later be used to test for prevalence of malaria. They assisted by taking temperatures and recording data, but also took a step away from the work to make new friends and shoo away hungry chickens!

Lunchtime! The team stoped by a local restaurant to enjoy a rural Zambian food staple: Sheema with Duck. There was not enough to go around, so the less adventurous stuck with good old fashioned jelly sandwiches and french fries. Back in the field, we took more samples, went on a hike, tried our best to make friends with the local wildlife, got rejected by said wildlife, and then played soccer with a bunch of the local kids! Work hard, play hard? Maybe we need to practice our skills a bit more for next time…

Dirty, exhausted, and a bit dehydrated after a long day in the hot sun, the team retired to base camp for a team movie night. Rice, chicken, and green beans our now officially our favorite dinner. How tomorrow can top this, we don’t really know, but we are excited to find out! Kwasiya Buti, Goodnight!