After refocusing our efforts on alleviating malaria in North Kivu, we chose to hone in on specific questions such as what medications are the people of North Nivu using, what work have the clinics within or surrounding North Kivu done, and what mode of distribution these clinics use. Here is a quick recap of what we learned:
- Consecutive civil wars, known collectively as “Africa’s World War,” plagued the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from 1996 to 2003. It was the deadliest conflict since World War II, killing over 5 million people, and displacing even more
- The wars began with the end of the Rwandan genocide in 1994 when the perpetrators of the violence fled into the DRC and formed a militia
- While the civil war is over, militia groups in the DRC still plague the country: specifically, in areas like North and South Kivu
Knowing this, we decided to focus our response efforts in Goma, which is the capital North Kivu–the center of the refugee crisis. This refugee crisis is direct result of brutal violence that causes families to leave their homes. These families will seek safety at camps, which is also a breading ground for diseases. Contact between campers often results in diseases, such as malaria, spreading more quickly. Malaria is a parasitic infection that can be transmitted by four specific parasites. Though the disease is curable by way of prescription drugs, it can be fatal without treatment.
Many of the individuals who lack treatment reside within these camps. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed malaria as the number one killer in the DRC. Additionally, there have been over 4 million reported cases in the DRC. This fatality is due to geographical challenges, safety issues, and a lack of resources to treat the entire infected population. For example, 501 (c) (3) Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hosts a 300-bed general reference hospital in the territory. However, in an area that hosts over a million people where malaria is the number one killer, these facilities cannot support even half of the population.
That is where we come in. We will use our drone to help distribute the prescriptions to members of the Goma population who need treatment. In order to figure out a distribution method, we reached out to Doctors Without Borders and the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation with questions about their current distribution methods, how those methods have worked, and where the areas for improvement are. We’re also conducting further research on other clinics in Goma.
One of the biggest challenges we will face is getting the drone safely from point A to point B due to the violence occurring in Goma. One of the ways we’ve discussed doing so is by conducting night deliveries and camouflaging the drone. Another complexity is treating specific types of malaria, as there are three different types which require different medicines. This is an issue we know we cannot resolve but can help alleviate.
By Alexia Constanza