Interview with Munira Muhammad Abdul, YES 2012-13, Nigeria, hosted by IRIS in Burlington, IA

Question: We heard you completed a new project in April. What was the project?

Munira: My new project, EndMalaria, was about malaria prevention, cure, and education. YES '16: Faith Daloba and Rufaida Kamal Babando, Victor Shaakaa (YES'13), and I worked with a medical team to conduct a rapid diagnostic test for malaria and prescribe malaria drugs to children and adults who tested positive in six villages in Taraba State, where the child mortality rate has been on the rise due to malaria. Our team treated 3,000 malaria cases, conducted an awareness campaign to teach residents how to avoid mosquitoes and their breeding areas, and distributed mosquito-treated nets.

Question: What were the major successes and challenges of your project? 

Munira: The major success of this project was the number of people we were able to reach out to in such a short period of time. The major challenge was fundraising as our team had less experience with fundraising than with providing medical treatment.

Question: What did you learn during your YES year that helped you carry out this project?

Munira: My exchange year taught me how to be flexible, keep an open mind to new ideas, and to look at things from different angles. This helped me to develop EndMalaria from an idea on a piece of paper to a successfully executed project supported by countless people across the globe.

Question: Why do you care about the issue of Malaria? What made you feel you could make a difference? 

Munira: My experience volunteering for the Elca malaria campaign during my exchange year motivated me to find a way to fight malaria in Taraba State. I care about this project because I recognize that I’m very fortunate to have had access to medical care during the countless times I’ve contracted malaria. But medical care is a liberty many cannot afford in these villages. Leaving them with one less thing to worry about, I can make a difference in their lives by bringing them the treatment and preventive knowledge they need to fight this disease.

 Question: Was there anything about this project that surprised you? What have you learned from it so far? 

Munira: Being part of this project made me realize that something we might give little or no significance to can mean the world to another person. I learned that helping people around me makes me happy, and I know the other volunteers of Endmalaria would say the same.

Question: What do you want other YES alumni to know? 

Munira: I would like other alumni to use all the advantages and opportunities available to them in order to empower themselves and their communities. I urge all YES alumni to use the power they wield to make the world a better place.