Cameroon Water Well
Update February 2009:
The funds have been raised, the plans have been drawn up, and pretty soon the water will be flowing! Please click on the "Diary" link on the left to view our updates on Audrey and Brent's trip to Africa, and details on the Waterwell Dedication Cermonies.
*****ClEAN WATER*****�
Something most of us never think twice about. Turn on the tap and out comes clean, drinkable water. In many parts of the world obtaining clean, drinkable water is a hazardous duty that must be carried out every day. Did you know the greatest risk of not having a clean water source is not the water itself� but the danger in finding it?
Many of you already know that Audrey�s research is focused on the deadly parasite Malaria. Read her description of village life below and you�ll be amazed how malaria and a lack of clean water are intertwined� and how we plan to break the cycle in at least one village in Cameroon.
Cameroon is a country located in central west Africa. Malaria is highly endemic in this region and touches principally children under five and pregnant women. Unfortunately, malaria, one of the deadliest diseases in Africa, is preventable.
The lab research where I'm currently completing my Ph.D. in, is directed by Dr Diane W. Taylor who established a collaboration almost 15 years ago with Dr Rose Leke in Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon.
Our studies are focused on malaria in pregnancy and neonates. We try to understand which biological mechanisms are involved when a woman or a neonate get infected with malaria and why their immune systems still lack the essential components that will avoid the dramatic outcomes we all know...
The ultimate goal is to finally find a vaccine that will prevent the development of the disease and save millions of lives every year; but as many of you already know the malaria burden in the world is a multifactorial problem where every parameter is important.
In that direction, Dr Taylor and Dr Leke have not only invested a lot of time and money in dedicating their efforts on science research but they also put all their knowledge and generosity in finding some alternatives that could lead to an increase of the quality of life of the almost 4000 women and their babies who participated in the study as well as all inhabitants of places where the studies take place.
The study that is underway in Cameroon takes place in the city of Yaounde but also in surrounding villages. During a trip in Cameroon I had the chance to visit two of them, Ngali and Ntouessong. I will always remember arriving in Ngali and being welcome with the warmest and most joyful way someone can be welcomed ! At this time the inhabitants of this village were thanking Dr Taylor who had helped the drilling of 3 water wells for Ngali... That was really something !
The biggest problem for these Cameroonians is the proximity and the availability of a vital component : water. Women, men and children have to walk miles in those regions to find consumable water. And when you think of it while they are walking and approaching a water source they multiply the risk of being bitten by an infected mosquito seeking for water too...
Malaria is preventable because kids and adults should sleep under bed nets, because certain drugs are still efficient but too expensive, because we need to help those persons so they don't have to walk for hours when the sun goes down (i.e. when the mosquitoes feeding on) to carry some water home...
Well, call it as you want but I feel it's also a little my responsibility to help them as much as I can even though a water well seems for most of us like a drop in the bucket but you know what I will say about many drops... After all my passion is fulfilled by the smile and the little bit of blood I can have from these Moms and kids for my experiments so I think it's very natural to give them back what they need to increase their quality of life...
So Brent and I have decided on asking your help, with the excuse of our wedding, to raise some money for building a water well in Ntouesssong. This website will be up and running as long as we need to reach our $5,000 goal and begin the work on site. This means that you will have an update on every single step accomplished and we promise that we will go there at the end of the project whenever it is and will take some pictures to share with you an event that is quite unique and important for both of us.
Thanks for your generosity and all the great feedback and encouragements we already had from some of you...
Many Kisses, Huge Hope and Much Love...
Audrey and Brent
The funds have been raised, the plans have been drawn up, and pretty soon the water will be flowing! Please click on the "Diary" link on the left to view our updates on Audrey and Brent's trip to Africa, and details on the Waterwell Dedication Cermonies.
*****ClEAN WATER*****�
Something most of us never think twice about. Turn on the tap and out comes clean, drinkable water. In many parts of the world obtaining clean, drinkable water is a hazardous duty that must be carried out every day. Did you know the greatest risk of not having a clean water source is not the water itself� but the danger in finding it?
Many of you already know that Audrey�s research is focused on the deadly parasite Malaria. Read her description of village life below and you�ll be amazed how malaria and a lack of clean water are intertwined� and how we plan to break the cycle in at least one village in Cameroon.
Cameroon is a country located in central west Africa. Malaria is highly endemic in this region and touches principally children under five and pregnant women. Unfortunately, malaria, one of the deadliest diseases in Africa, is preventable.
The lab research where I'm currently completing my Ph.D. in, is directed by Dr Diane W. Taylor who established a collaboration almost 15 years ago with Dr Rose Leke in Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon.
Our studies are focused on malaria in pregnancy and neonates. We try to understand which biological mechanisms are involved when a woman or a neonate get infected with malaria and why their immune systems still lack the essential components that will avoid the dramatic outcomes we all know...
The ultimate goal is to finally find a vaccine that will prevent the development of the disease and save millions of lives every year; but as many of you already know the malaria burden in the world is a multifactorial problem where every parameter is important.
In that direction, Dr Taylor and Dr Leke have not only invested a lot of time and money in dedicating their efforts on science research but they also put all their knowledge and generosity in finding some alternatives that could lead to an increase of the quality of life of the almost 4000 women and their babies who participated in the study as well as all inhabitants of places where the studies take place.
The study that is underway in Cameroon takes place in the city of Yaounde but also in surrounding villages. During a trip in Cameroon I had the chance to visit two of them, Ngali and Ntouessong. I will always remember arriving in Ngali and being welcome with the warmest and most joyful way someone can be welcomed ! At this time the inhabitants of this village were thanking Dr Taylor who had helped the drilling of 3 water wells for Ngali... That was really something !
The biggest problem for these Cameroonians is the proximity and the availability of a vital component : water. Women, men and children have to walk miles in those regions to find consumable water. And when you think of it while they are walking and approaching a water source they multiply the risk of being bitten by an infected mosquito seeking for water too...
Malaria is preventable because kids and adults should sleep under bed nets, because certain drugs are still efficient but too expensive, because we need to help those persons so they don't have to walk for hours when the sun goes down (i.e. when the mosquitoes feeding on) to carry some water home...
Well, call it as you want but I feel it's also a little my responsibility to help them as much as I can even though a water well seems for most of us like a drop in the bucket but you know what I will say about many drops... After all my passion is fulfilled by the smile and the little bit of blood I can have from these Moms and kids for my experiments so I think it's very natural to give them back what they need to increase their quality of life...
So Brent and I have decided on asking your help, with the excuse of our wedding, to raise some money for building a water well in Ntouesssong. This website will be up and running as long as we need to reach our $5,000 goal and begin the work on site. This means that you will have an update on every single step accomplished and we promise that we will go there at the end of the project whenever it is and will take some pictures to share with you an event that is quite unique and important for both of us.
Thanks for your generosity and all the great feedback and encouragements we already had from some of you...
Many Kisses, Huge Hope and Much Love...
Audrey and Brent