Amina and Alai, helping Mom make a difference

Submitted by Michaela Sholes
Readers who are regular followers of the MoM blog have no doubt heard me mention Alai and Amina on a few occasions. For those of you who are a bit new, Alai and his wife Amina are not only our main contacts in the Fulani camp, but are also a lovely family as well! They have three children, the most recent of which is baby Hamidu, who is the most adorable chunk you've ever seen! Alai keeps watch over some of the cattle in the community while Amina tries to bring in a little extra income by making and selling a local food called "Wagashi." They have been invaluable supporters of our work in their community and quite frankly, we wouldn't be able to do much at all without them! In the group sessions, they are always the first to enthusiastically join in whatever new topic we've introduced that day, even if it means being a little silly (like when we taught the community the Handwashing Song).

I wanted to write about them today because they are a huge part of what makes up the "faces" of MoM. Whenever we seek insights about the community or how to improve our efforts, they are always willing to talk candidly with us, especially if it involves a cup of tea!. They have supported our efforts to the best of their ability, working with us to find sustainable ways to manage getting the community children to school and being willing to at least try our taught health education activities. They have also been very kind in helping us with developing our ETCHE posters! This week, both Alai and Amina were a part of our Malaria health education poster, and modeled behaviors like sleeping under bednets, wearing appropriate clothing (closed shoes with long sleeves/pants or long skirt/cloth) in the evening to avoid being bitten.

Many thanks Alai, to you and your family! Your willingness, cheerful spirits, and support help encourage us to continue doing what we do!