No one should die of malaria today

Project leader Egleé called me in excitement earlier this week.The three communities have finally received the boxes of medicines and supplies that we sent! “It’s almost a miracle,” says Egleé. She sent the boxes from the U.S. months ago—you can find pictures in an earlier report—and they finally arrived, complete with Egleé’s meticulously detailed pages translating indications and dosing instructions. The boxes sent to the community Caño Iguana arrived on a recent Sunday; Jkali entered on a flight. He was the first person with medical training to visit his community in over a year. 

Jkali, shown above wearing PPE (“Amazonauta!”, a friend quipped), has completed a field nurse training program. He is currently working with a network of NGO medical personal delivering medicines and health information to tiny, remote satellite communities of Caño Iguana. “Everybody know him,” says Egleé. “All are Jotï, making him almost uniquely qualified to do this work.” Jkali is one of only 4-5 bilingual Jotï/Spanish speakers with this medical training. In addition, he contracted and recovered from COVID-19 early in the pandemic, while stuck in the city. The NGO’s doctors believe this makes him the best person to carry out these deliveries. 

As far as we know—from Jkali’s conversations, and reports relayed by radio, then cell phone, COVID has not reached these communities. But no medical doctor has visited in 14 months. No flights have been possible, and the communities have kept themselves in isolation throughout the pandemic.

Project partners helped the other two sets of boxes reach their destinations. “In Kayama there is a set of wonderful medical doctors who have, for at least 30 years, been traveling to at least 60 Indigenous communities,” says Egleé. Kayama is one of those communities. “Just for the month of December, it has become possible, informally, for NGO workers to travel once again to the communities. These doctors just delivered the medications we sent to Kayama.”

A Piaroa nurse delivered the supplies to her community of Betania de Topocho, overland. “They sent a really lovely message of gratitude,” Egleé reports. “They said were going to go walking to deliver medicines to the houses where they were needed.”

Egleé is hoping to travel herself early next year to deliver additional medical supplies and more mosquito nets, as soon as she can get vaccinated against COVID-19, so she will not risk being a carrier when she visits communities.

It took too long, she says, to honor communities’ requests. But once again, despite all odds and in this year unlike any other, much-needed medicines and supplies were delivered.We thank you for your part in that work! Please consider a year-end donation to support the project’s ongoing efforts.