More peaceful communities
The dialogue initiated within communities by the use of the Self Assessment tool had other effects.
First, here are two examples within couples. In Gboto Assigamé, Amouzou Voudou answers without any hesitation when asked what she has gained, personally, from using the Self Assessment. "These days, my husband and I don't argue with each other, because we have got into the habit of listening carefully and replying patiently."
A woman from Aloukpbabountou said, “Nowadays, at home, we discuss, we share issues with our husbands. For example we talk about birth control. In the past, the man was the one who decided how many children we would have. We were supposed to have as many children as possible. And as we could not afford to raise them properly, we ended up with thieves and delinquents. Now, we talk and we decide together how many children we want.”
Many of the people that we met added that these group conversations about malaria brought peace to the villages. And the reason for this is very clear. Severe cases of malaria produce impressive and frightening symptoms - convulsions, eyes rolled upwards, dribble, etc – and it was very common to attribute these symptoms to sorcery. And the sorcery was often linked to another community member, considered jealous, who would have sent a curse to the unfortunate 'victim'. And this is why some families had fallen out and hated each other. Identifying the real cause of malaria has brought peace to many communities
And finally, the results of these group efforts have brought confidence and good will to the community. Blaise Sedoh notices, “People are now more sensitive to common effort. In a community that has done the Self Assessment, it is easier to find people who are ready to act together.”