I was watching Living Big In A Tiny House on YouTube recently (yes, I have a slight obsession with tiny houses) and in the episode, Bryce Langston, the host, said the following when walking into the bedroom:

“What a dreamy space, especially with the mosquito net above the bed. It looks quite idyllic, doesn't it.”

They might be idyllic in the "Oh my I'm in the middle of the Serengeti and surrounded by giraffes and a picturesque setting" sense - but I can tell you that at three in the morning when your bladder is screaming and you can't untuck the net from the bed you are not thinking, wow - this mosquito net is so idyllic! 

Mosquito nets are another layer that you have to worry about, and I can honestly tell you that it has stopped me more than once from getting out of bed to get a drink of water. One more thing blocking the way when all you really want to do is sleep. There have been near misses when one of the boys needs to go pee during the middle of the night and you have to lift up the net, grab the child, tuck the net back in and then hope that you make it to the bathroom on time.

Needless to say, they play a very important role in combatting malaria, a disease which is still quite prevalent in Benin. 

As quoted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:

"According to the 2018 World Malaria Report, there were more than 200 million malaria cases in 2017. An estimated 435,000 people died from malaria in 2017, mostly children under age 5, and more than 90 percent of them in Africa." (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, https://www.gatesfoundation.org/what-we-do/global-health/malaria, accessed February 26, 2021)

Growing up in Fairbanks, Alaska, I was used to mosquitos (without the fear of malaria of course), also known as the state bird due to their large size. I remember nights trying to sleep when one or two would fly around my ears and I would end up giving myself a headache because I kept slapping my head to kill the insistent buzzing. At the time I probably very much would have appreciated a mosquito net!

We sleep with a mosquito net every night here. They are especially important during the rainy season when there is more water around. Since we haven't had a good rain shower since about the middle of November (2020), mosquitos are fairly scarce, although I do see them every now and again. Besides bodies of water, mosquitoes like to hide in folded clothes. For example, all of our clothes are kept on open shelves and when the seasons are right, when you take down a shirt to wear for the day, a swarm of mosquitoes come right along with it. When we see this, we take down all of the clothes and do a thorough spray of insecticide - closing the room off and leaving all the malaria carriers to die.

There are all different shapes of mosquito nets. You have the ones that hang from a circle ring or those that are a large square or rectangle, both of which hang from the ceiling and tuck into the sides of the bed. When we came to Benin in 2017, I purchased some mosquito nets from Amazon that were tent-like with zippered entrances on two sides. These were fantastic because you only had to tuck them in once and then use the zippers to get in and out. Only problem which I am realizing now (3 years later) is that the zippers were not the best quality and they have fallen off all of the nets. We currently have a hybrid system - the tent with a square mosquito net blanketed over the top. 

Some mosquito nets even have an insecticide baked into the mesh netting.

For some reason many hotels in the country do not provide mosquito nets. Maybe it is because the windows and doors are closed to the rooms. I'm not quite sure.

You have to keep a close eye on holes in the nets as well. The tiniest hole is the perfect entrance for a mosquito that is searching for its next meal. In the rainy season if there are holes you could wake up to 10 or even 15 mosquitos flying around inside the net. Something you do not want to see! 

If there are too many holes, the mosquito nets are repurposed for other tasks: protecting young trees from birds or goats, fencing off your garden, or a new shower loofah. Very few are just thrown away. There is always something else they could be used for. 

However, I am grateful for mosquito nets, and how a simple mesh netting can combat a disease that effects young children. I hope that research continues to be done so that hopefully, one day, we will be able to see a mosquito net as "idyllic" and not as a preventative measure for malaria.

(In fact, I learned today that Elieud Kipchoge, the famous Kenyan marathoner, has just joined the UK Leadership Council of Malaria No More, "a globally recognized non-profit organization with the visionary mission to end the world’s oldest, deadliest disease in our lifetime.")

I thought I would leave you going into the weekend with a song that has been on repeat lately,  Espoir, by Josey. Translated, espoir means hope, and the song reflects that no matter how hard life may seem, God is watching out for you. Even though it is in French, I hope that you enjoy the vibe and maybe you take a minute and let the music move your feet! Feel free to look up the lyrics - but be careful as translations are not always accurate to the context of the song! (for example, pété means "to pass gas or fart" in French, but in the context of this song, it means an explosion - in a good way...languages!). 

Feel free to check it out on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube (linked accordingly).

Spotify - Espoir

Apple Music - Espoir

YouTube - Espoir

Mentioned Content

Living Big in a Tiny House - Bryce Langston"Enchanting Tiny House & Gardens on Generational Family Farm"

How I keep up with US News!

The Morning Brew - "Awesome daily email that delivers the top business news in a way that's informative and entertaining!"

Marketplace - daily podcast "providing context on the economics news of the day" hosted by Kai Ryssdal

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