Part 5 in a series from ONE staff on the ground in Ghana and Nigeria. You can read the other posts here.

What disease kills an African child every thirty seconds? Malaria. And what can be prevented with only $10? Malaria. And what can be treated for only $2? Yep, malaria.

On Wednesday, we took a visit to the village of Asuense, to see how U.S. funds are helping to prevent malaria in that village and others like it. The U.S. is tackling malaria through the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), a U.S. funded program designed to cut malaria-related deaths by 50% in 15 focus countries in Africa, including Ghana.

When we arrived at Asuense, the villagers were already gathered. They not only took a curious peak at the group from ONE, there was a practical purpose as well. Several services were available to encourage good health.

After the dancing and a welcome from the village chief—all very hard acts to follow—we saw a skit performed by a travelling crew of Ghanaians. The skit cleverly addressed existing fears about the safety of insecticides (such as those used on insecticide treated bed nets) and explained how effective they can be.

After the celebrations, the villagers visited the health stations. In the first station, they were able to restore old bed nets free of charge by soaking them in a liquid that replenishes the insecticides. This must happen once every 20 washes, which is around once per year. At the second station, we saw an example of public-private partnerships in action as women sold bed nets and earned between $.075-2.00 apiece. At the third station, children received vaccinations and mothers received a booklet that allowed them to record the vaccines being given and read about other important healthcare practices.

We were also invited into the homes of a few generous women, where we learned how they hang their bed net. A beautiful young mother of one named Rafia allowed me into her home. There I began to understand why some people own bed nets, yet chose not to use them. You have to find a spot to hang them with just the right height and length, and for some families in small spaces, they must also remove the nets every morning and hang them every night. I learned that prevention is not just about distributing bed nets. To be effective, donor countries must find ways to partner with local groups to help educate people on how to use bed nets, discover the most effective means of distribution, and encourage those vulnerable to the disease to actually use them.

-Aaron Banks