Carter and Gould are blogging about their time in Malawi
The World Health Organization reports that there may have been as many as 330 million malaria episodes in 2006, leading to more than a million deaths. According to that report, more than 90% of those deaths take place in sub-Saharan Africa, which includes Malawi, and most deaths are among children less than five years old.
As the WHO report says, even the children who survive malaria do not emerge unscathed. “Repeated episodes of fever and anaemia take a toll on their mental and physical development, impairing their education and their growth into productive adults.” Dr. Taylor has spent decades studying the progression of the disease in children, and the two filmmakers are documenting her work.
Sue Carter blessing Msini children
Newly ordained Episcopal Minister Carter participated in church services in the village of Chichewa, blessing perhaps 100 Msini children. In another post, Carter talks about accompanying a patient back to his home, finding that he is one of nine people living in a home of “three-hundred square feet of hard-packed floor, mud brick walls, thatched porch and tin roof.” As Carter notes, “Now, at least, there are enough mosquito nets to go around.”
Many area residents know Sue Carter as a broadcaster, educator and adventurer (she cross-country skied to the North Pole with a team of women in 2001). Bob Gould is a visiting professor who teaches digital media for the J-School, where he also produces the student-run TV magazine show Focal Point.
